Nicole Beharie To Be TV’s Next Black Female Lead In Sleepy Hollow With Orlando Jones
It seems a barrier has finally been broken down, and more leading Black female’s will be appearing on prime time television. Kerry Washington, in her show Scandal, became first black woman to play the lead in a primetime drama in 38 years. Meagan Good followed suit with Deception earlier this year, and now Nicole Beharie is getting the spotlight as well.
Beharie will star in Sleepy Hollow, which is being penned by the writers of Fringe, as Detective Debbie Archer. The TV show is being called a supernatural-thriller, and is a modern take on the legend of Sleepy Hollow. In the original legend, a town with a haunting atmosphere is plagued by ghostly visitors, including the headless horseman.
A summary of Beharie’s character, posted on Hollywood Reporter, described her as:
A smart and tough detective in small town Sleepy Hollow. Poised to leave the town in a week for the FBI Academy, she has an unspoken reluctance about her decision. Her troubling past causes her to doubt her perceptive abilities and she’s horrified as she witnesses the gory slaying of her partner and mentor, Sheriff August Grey. Barely able to speak about what she saw, only one person can corroborate her story — Ichabod Crane, an unwilling fugitive from the past who claims to be a soldier in the Revolutionary War.
Beharie, 27, has a diverse, growing resume suggesting she is the hottest upcoming Black actress right now. She’s worked on low budget indie films, alongside big stars like Michael Fassbender, she’s appeared in Black movies such as The Last Fall, which aired on BET, and will play Jackie Robinson’s wife in April’s 42. Beharie is also a graduate of The Julliard School’s drama conservatory, like Viola Davis.- Orlando Jones will star as an investigator seeking to solve the town’s mysteries alongside the police department.
- Have you seen any film or television show with Beharie, and if so, how do you feel about her as an actress?
