Rochelle Aytes, Carmen Ejogo, and More Black Actresses Land TV GigsPosted by Wilson Morales
March 8, 2012
Source: Deadline/ Shadow and Act
There’s been an influx of TV hires this week for Black actresses, including Rochelle Aytes, Carmen Ejogo, Christine Adams, Danielle Nicolet, and Nika Williams.
Rochelle Aytes (ABC’s The Forgotten), along with Jes Macallan, have landed two of the four leads in Mistresses, ABC’s drama recently greenlighted straight to series for a summer 2013 launch. The soap, written by KJ Steinberg based on the British format, is described as a provocative thrilling drama that finds four women, two of them played by Aytes and Macallan, with scandalous romantic lives, caught in storms of excitement and self-discovery, secrecy and betrayal, and at the mercy of the complex relationships they’ve created.
Aytes, who was last seen in the now-cancelled ABC series Work It, will play April, a recent widow raising two daughters and running a high-end linen shop on Robertson Boulevard. Coincidentally, Aytes also played one of the 4 leads in the previous U.S. Mistresses adaptation, a 2009 Lifetime pilot penned by Melissa Carter. Cherie Nowlan is set to direct the pilot for the ABC Studios series, executive produced by Steinberg, Bob Sertner, Douglas Rae and Rina Mimoun.
Carmen Ejogo is set to co-star opposite Anthony Edwards in ABC’s drama pilot Zero Hour. Written and executive produced by Prison Break creator Paul Scheuring, the series centers on Hank Foley (Edwards) who, after spending 20 years as the editor of Modern Skeptics magazine, becomes involved in one the most compelling conspiracies in human history when his wife is kidnapped. Ejogo will play the FBI agent investigating the kidnapping who may have her own agenda.
Ejogo will next be seen in the features Sparkle, which was Whitney Houston‘s last film and Alex Cross, starring Tyler Perry.
Christine Adams, who was last seen in the now-cancelled FOX series ‘Terra Nova,‘ has joined ABC’s drama pilot Americana, a family soap that centers on iconic fashion designer Robert Soulter (Anthony LaPaglia), the patriarch of a sprawling family who just welcomed a new member, Alice Clarke (Ashley Greene), a young designer whose shocking arrival turns the family and the legendary label inside out. Adams will play Robert’s wife Sierra, a bronze-skinned East African beauty and former supermodel. The role is a far cry from Adams’ character on Terra Nova – Mira, the rugged leader of the Sixers rebel group.
Danielle Nicolet has been cast in ABC’s comedy pilot White Man Van, about Tony (Kyle Bornheimer), who is forced to put his dreams on hold in order to take over the family handyman business from his father. According to Shadow and Act, Nicolet will be joined by Twilight’s Edi Gathegi, who play Tony’s co-worker.
Nicolet spent six seasons as “Caryn” on the Emmy-winning sitcom, 3rd Rock from the Sun and worked with Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker on the TV series Second Time Around, and appeared opposite Debra Messing and Judy Davis on the USA Network series, The Starter Wife.
Actress Nika Williams (Castle, Modern Family, NCIS and whole bunch of other TV shows) has joined the CBS’ half-hour pilot Partners, which is a multi-camera comedy, from Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan.
The show revolves around two lifelong friends and business partners — architects Charlie (played by David Krumholtz), who is straight, and Louis (played by Michael Urie), who is gay. Williams joins Brandon Routh, Elizabeth Regen, Lucy Davis and Sophia Bush in the cast.
