Blair Underwood has another TV role to add to his resume. Underwood has landed a role as a series regular for the second season of Quantico , according to the Hollywood Reporter . Blair will play a character named Owen Hall on the FBI drama, a “charming” CIA officer with “an instant presence” and questionable intentions.
In a statement about Underwood’s casting, Quantico creator/executive producer Joshua Safran said it was a dream come true to add the actor to his show for its sophomore season.
“Blair Underwood is the kind of actor you dream of writing for,” Safran said. “Be it romantic comedy, dark drama, or high-octane thriller — there is nothing he can’t do. We look forward to creating a role that will showcase his huge range and boundless charisma.”
Let’s welcome @BlairUnderwood to Season 2 of Quantico! https://t.co/RC4v6caDjR
— Quantico ABC (@QuanticoTV) July 5, 2016
Blair Underwood also hit social media to announce his new TV news.
Lookin’ to have great fun this season on ABC’s Quantico! Much more to talk about soon!… https://t.co/AHrJGn438P
— Blair Underwood (@BlairUnderwood) July 5, 2016
Blair Underwood is definitely keeping busy for the upcoming TV season. In addition to his Quantico role, the actor has been cast as a “sexy, cutthroat law professor” in Reese Witherspoon’s upcoming divorce-law drama pilot, Broken . Underwood plays James, the boss and mentor of lead character Gemma (Anna Paquin) in the ABC drama. The show also stars ABC alums T. R. Knight ( Grey’s Anatomy ) and Penelope Ann Miller ( American Crime .)
Blair Underwood started his acting career in the early 1980s with small roles on The Cosby Show and the big screen feature Krush Groove . But by the late ’80s, Blair was a TV staple thanks to his breakout role as law firm partner Jonathan Rollins on L.A. Law . In more recent years he has landed roles as Andrew Garner on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Simon Elder on Dirty Sexy Money . Fans also remember Blair as the dashing Dr. Robert Leeds, Miranda’s (Cynthia Nixon) neighbor/lover in a several-episode arc on Sex and the City.
In an interview with Marie Claire , Underwood revealed that SATC producers increased his episode order so he could close out his storyline on the hit HBO series.
“I was originally contracted for four episodes, but they called me back and said, ‘We need to bring closure to this relationship. We need to show more of an a*****e side to Robert, to make it clear that Miranda’s not going back to him,’” Blair explained.
In 2013, Underwood was also the headliner on the short-lived Ironside reboot, a role some of his fans had doubts about from the get-go. Blair told Entertainment Tonight that some of his fans weren’t sold on the idea of him playing the wheelchair-bound lead character in the reboot of the 1967 Raymond Burr series.
“My Twitter feed was really excited about it,” Underwood said. “But I will tell you, when I first announced I was doing this, I had a lot of my fan base saying, ‘I don’t know if I want to see him in a wheelchair.’ They saw me a different way.”
Ironside Cast: Blair Underwood #Ironside #NYPD http://t.co/ogXQD4aKTw pic.twitter.com/5YyYQs9SiW
— BigBrother2go (@BigBrother2go) September 18, 2013
Sadly, Ironside joined Blair Underwood’s short list of single-season flops, alongside The Event and LAX. But with his Quantico role, Blair will join an already successful show, so it’s a win-win for the actor and his fans.
In addition to Blair Underwood’s new character, Quantico has added Russell Tovey ( Looking ) to play the mysterious Harry Doyle, a guy described as “part Thomas Crown, part grown-up Artful Dodger.” Quantico stars Priyanka Chopra as Alex Parrish and it returns to ABC this fall.
Take a look at the video below to see Blair Underwood talking about his role as Dr. Andrew Garner on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
[Photo by Aaron Davidson/Getty Images]
