Timberlake’s character, Frankie Ballenbacher, is based on a jailed killer responsible for the 2000 kidnap and slaying of Nicholas Markowitz. He spent time with the murderer and discovered he’s just a guy who made a very bad decision. “Nick and I travelled to upstate California and I sat down with him at the prison and spoke to him for a couple of hours.
“You’re talking about someone who for four years had been in a penitentiary and was serving a life sentence. I don’t think he had any perspective on me playing him. He was a person who was very misunderstood and very remorseful, but you get one life to do things right and he didn’t.”