Ashley Jones has never shied away from her complex, layered role as Bridget on The Bold and the Beautiful, but her latest project takes her into chilling true-crime territory. She steps both behind and in front of the camera for Lifetime’s The Girl Who Survived: The Alina Thompson Story, a ‘Ripped From the Headlines’ film that brings the perspective of a young woman who narrowly escaped serial killer William Bradford. The actress said the inspiration for the movie hit closer to home than many might realize — and her own memories helped shape how she approached the story.
Memories of a City on Edge
In a conversation with Soap Opera Digest, Jones reflected on how the case stuck with her long before she signed on to produce the film. Driving through Los Angeles in the mid-2000s, she recalled the impact of the LAPD’s billboard campaign when the case resurfaced. “I remember driving down Sunset Boulevard, seeing the billboard saying, ‘Have you seen these women? Have you seen me?’” she said. “It was in the newspaper. It was all over LA. And it freaked me out.”
She also drew on her own awareness of how dangerous modeling ads and casting calls could be for young women at the time. She explained that during that time, talent searches happened at malls and other public venues, which became breeding grounds for predators, putting teens in danger. Recalling those memories lit a fire under Jones to get Alina Thompson’s story made into a movie. The resulting feature was framed as both a thriller and a family drama.
Ties to Daytime and Beyond
Jones’ research into the Bradford case led her to an unexpected connection with fellow daytime alum Eva LaRue (ex-Natalia, General Hospital) and her sister, Nika. Their near-encounter with the killer even made its way into an episode of CSI: Miami. Looking back on that discovery, Jones admitted it hit hard: “[It] sent chills down my spine.” She later watched the dramatized version and was struck by how their story had already been reimagined once for television — and how she now had the opportunity to share another side of it.
For Jones, The Girl Who Survived is just the beginning. She believes the case’s complexities could inspire more projects, even hinting that Hollywood heavyweights might want to tackle it next. In her view, telling Thompson’s story is not only about suspense and survival — it’s also a way of honoring those who were nearly lost to history. (Find out what secrets Jones has been keeping from fans.)
