“Everything is coming to a head. My character has left the empire. She’s done with the stuff Lucious has put her through. She’s gone to the other side. There is a little betrayal there,” said Grace Gealey about her character ‘Anika’ on the hit FOX series, ‘Empire.’
Gealey, who hails from the Cayman Islands, grew up wanting to be an actress but not knowing how to make that happen. “I started learning how to be a drama teacher,” said Gealey. During her undergrad years, a teacher encouraged her to pursue the profession.
Gealey eventually starred in several off-Broadway productions and did regional work in Chicago.
Now, she’s on the break-out series of the season and going head-to-head with Taraji P. Henson’s character, ‘Cookie.’
Henson has some funny names for Gealey. From ‘Fake Hale Berry’ to ‘Fake Lena Horne’ and ‘Booboo Kitty.’
“This is off the cuff… this is something that she just wings in the moment… it’s so much fun. It’s Hale Berry, Lena Horne and hopefully she’ll throw in Dorothy Dandridge!”
‘Empire’ is nearing its end. Catch Gealey in action Wednesday at 8 p.m. on FOX
