Main Cast
MAIN CAST
BETTE PORTER – JENNIFER BEALS
Jennifer Beals plays Bette Porter, a fiercely ambitious former professor, art curator, and director of CAC.Currently, she is a mayoral candidate for Los Angeles and mother toher teenage daughter Angie.
Beals, born December 19, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois, appeared in “Flashdance” while a freshman at Yale studying American literature. While at Yale, she was classmates with David Duchovny, who suggested her for a part on The X-Files (which went to Gillian Anderson). She appeared in several notable films including Devil in a Blue Dress, The Last Days of Disco, Roger Dodger, The Book of Eli and Before I Fall. On TV, she starred in The Chicago Code, Proof and Taken.
“(In 2004) non-binary was a mathematical term rather than part of the lexicon in today’s discussion of gender identification and sexuality. I am very happy for the show to come back. We’ve been working for years to have it come back on the air. Nothing has taken its place.”
Katherine Moennig – Shane McCutcheon
Katherine Moennig plays Shane McCutcheon, a self-possessed & successful hairstylist who is arriving back in LA after living on the road and selling her lucrative salons. She used to crash on couches and other peoples beds as often as she could but shes got money now.
Born December 29, 1977 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, to a mother who was a dancer on Broadway and a father who was a violin maker, she moved to New York City at the age of 18 to study acting. Some of the feature films she’s appeared in are; The Shipping News, Love The Hard Way and The Lincoln Lawyer. Her television credits include Young Americans, Three Rivers, Dexter, Ray Donovan and Grown-ish. She is married to musician Ana Rezende.
“We meet Shane when she’s coming back to L.A. She’s been gone for a while, and she’s coming back from a past that you are not supposed to know about just yet. And I think within that past is you are going to see a character that has grown in that span of time, but also, you are who you are at the end of the day. So her demons still hold her back from things that, of course, she would like to accomplish, and I think that’s just basic human nature”
Leisha Hailey – Alice Pieszecki
Leisha Hailey plays Alice Pieszecki, an upbeat, feminist talk show host of former podcast fame. Like Bette, Alice used to live in West Hollywood before moving to the East side in her 30s with her girlfriend Nat and Nat’s two young children, where Alice juggles her role as a parent with her burgeoning career.
Born July 11, 1971 in Okinawa, Japan she grew up in Nebraska and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. She was a member of the musical group The Murmurs, later called Gush and in 2007 she formed Uh Huh Her with Camila Grey. Her first major film role was in the 1997 movie All Over Me.
“I think it’s actually interesting, that conversation between a newer generation and older generation of, like, who’s done the marches, who’s broken those barriers down. I’m always personally trying to respect anyone who came before us, came before our show, and I think that’s an important conversation to always have. But it’s also really interesting to learn from a new generation as well. What they have to teach us, is part of what we can’t wait to tell on the show”
Jacqueline Toboni – (Sarah) Finley
Jacueline Toboni plays Sarah Finley, a charming & unfocused former Olympic swimmer who works whatever job pays the bills – currently for ALICE as the office PA. What Finley lacks in direction, she makes up for with eagerness and loyalty. She comes from a deeply religious blue-collar family in Missouri, & struggles to reconcile her sexual orientation with her faith.
She was born the youngest of five children in San Francisco on February 18, 1992. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA Theatre class. In addition, she studied at many theatre programs including the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Movement Theatre Studio in New York, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Before graduating, she left to accept a recurring role on NBC’s Grimm.
“She is very fun, is always moving, and I think she doesn’t want to stop moving because then she’s going to have to confront what she’s lost. I think a lot of that has to do with her family and her religious upbringing. I think we’ll see her sort of deal with that.”
Rosanny Zayas – Sophie Suarez
Rosanny Zayas plays Sophie Suarez, a warm & charismatic TV producer who got a full-ride to USC, which is where she met Dani. She left her unstable documentary career two years ago with the intention of putting down roots and making a more stable income.
Born in New York on 14 May, 1990, she is a graduate of Juilliard. She has appeared in recurring roles on Orange Is The New Black, The Code, Elementary and Instinct. On the film side, she was recently seen opposite Patricia Arquette and Angela Bassett in the film, Otherhood, and she appears in the upcoming indie film Modern Persuasion.
“There are a lot of groundbreaking things that this show did for people of color in Los Angeles and the LGBTQ community, and I feel like now you get to see a different part of it as the time has passed, and I think that’s something beautiful to watch throughout the show.”
Arienne Mandi – Dani Nunez
Arienne Mandi plays Dani Nunez, a powerful & calculating PR executive at her fathers corporation, where she plans to take over for him one day. L.A. born and raised, her fathers success afforded Dani a wealthy lifestyle full of private school and privileged opportunities.
Born in Los Angeles, California, she participated in various small stage productions throughout elementary and high school. On the small screen, she has appeared on a number of series, including Hawaii Five-O, NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles. Mandi is also an impressive polyglot, fluent in Spanish, French, Farsi and English.
“What’s great is that she, like all of us, we go through our changes throughout the season, and she has many realizations, carries a beautiful relationship with someone who she loves a lot, and kind of navigating herself within and what she really truly cares about and what she wants to fight for. I think it’s really amazing to see how the old mixes in with the new and how our lives intertwine.”
Leo Sheng – Micah Lee
Leo Sheng plays Micah Lee, a soft-spoken, earnest, adjunct professor at USC with a giant heart, currently getting his PhD in social work. He’s a trans man from the Bay Area who lives with his two best friends, Sophie and Dani. Micah transitioned nearly six years ago, and he hasn’t yet experienced a serious relationship as his true self. He and Dani dated in college, where they met.
Born in Hunan, China, Leo grew in Ypsilanti, Michigan and was raised by two moms. He came out as trans when he was 12 and started his social transition in middle school. He later went public, documenting his transition online.
“I think that unfortunately in our history of representation, stories around trans folks have often been very tragic, and those are a reality for many trans people, but I’m really excited that we are going into a different direction for Micah. There’s a lot of excitement, and not everything is necessarily about his transition, and that’s kind of fun.”
SEPIDEH MOAFI – GIGI GHORBANI
Sepideh Moafi plays Gigi Ghorbani, passionate realtor & Nat Bailey’s ex wife.
She was born on September 18, 1985 in Regensburg, Bavaria, West Germany. Moafi has appeared in the second season of Falling Water, The Deuce , as well as on Notorious. She has also guest starred on Nurse Jackie, The Blacklist and Limitless. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and an MFA in Acting from UC Irvine.
