Meet Grace Gealey, the outstanding Caymanian actress who plays the character of Anika Calhoun in the new FOX prime time hip hop drama series, “Empire,” opposite Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson.
In a recent sit down interview with My Fox LA, Gealey dished on her fellow “Empire” cast members, playing the character of Anika Calhoun, her acting background, admiring Taraji P. Henson’s work as an actress and much more.
Watch the interview below:
Gealey was born on July 26th, 1984 in Butler, Pennsylvania and raised in the Cayman Islands from the age of 2. After moving back to the United States, she received her Bachelor’s in Theater Arts at the University of South Florida in Tampa. During her time at USF, acting afforded Gealey the opportunity to communicate viscerally; a desire that came from being a child of deaf adults (CODA).
Gealey later attended the University of California in Irvine where she received her Master’s in Fine Arts in acting. She later moved to New York where she performed in the off-Broadway stage, including roles in Venus Flytrap: A Femme Noir Mystery Rent. In 2013, she performed in the Chicago productions of The Misanthrope and Tartuffe.
In 2014, Gealey was cast as Anika Calhoun in the new FOX hip hop drama series “Empire,” which debuted on January 7th, 2015. “EMPIRE” marks Gealey’s network television debut.
Photo Credit: Grace Gealey