Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
More On:
Woman Crush Wednesday
Wishing you a happy Wednesday, a.k.a Woman Crush Wednesday! This week, we’re talking about an incredible star whose career is about to take off. But – as you’ll soon find out – she’s used to handling a little bit of crazy. Here she is…Alisha Wainwright!
WHO’S THAT GAL: Alisha Wainwright
WHY WE’RE CRUSHING: Wainwright is about to lead Netflix’s and Michael B. Jordan’s newest project, Raising Dion, which premieres Friday, October 4. The series follows a young mother and widow (Wainwright) who discovers that her son, Dion, played by the adorable Ja’Siah Young, has superpowers. While trying to figure out how this happened, Wainwright as Nicole Warren also has to find a way to keep it all under wraps, which is hard given, ya know, that he’s a seven-year-old with levitation powers. Temper tantrums must be pretty bad. Still, Nicole has the help of her family and friends, especially Mark’s best friend Pat (Jason Ritter), to protect Dion from those that may seek to harm him.
While many superhero shows drop us in the middle of the protagonist’s life, Raising Dion is setting a precedent by exploring the origins of Dion’s powers and, most importantly, how they impact the people around them (i.e. Nicole). So basically, it’s a superhero show, a coming-of-age adventure, and a family drama all in one. Avengers meets Modern Family? Okay, we’re totally in. And the series doesn’t just glaze over the familial; it’s entirely grounded in Nicole’s perspective and explores the realities of single parenthood; and being a black, single mother at that.
Already, there’s a ton of chatter about the new series, which is co-produced by Jordan, who also stars as Nicole’s dead husband, Mark. In other words, his appearance will be limited to flashbacks. That being said, the show lands squarely on Wainwright’s shoulders and – if her prior performances or how bad-ass she looks in the series’ trailer are any indication – we totally think she’ll be able to handle the weight. In fact, we have a feeling she’s going to exceed expectations, maybe even supersede them. *Cue finger guns*
WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER BEFORE: Wainwright started off her Hollywood career guest-starring on shows like Criminal Minds, Switched at Birth, and General Hospital. She even snagged a role in the 2014 Courteney Cox directed film, Just Before I Go. In 2015, she was cast in two seasons of Disney’s Star Darlings as the voice of Leona. Finally, after many small roles, Wainwright got her big break playing a werewolf named Maia Roberts in the Shadowhunters series, which was based off of the best-selling books, The Mortal Instruments. While she started out as a recurring character in season two, our girl was soon promoted to series regular. Though this is where she really achieved a name for herself, we have a feeling that leading a major Netflix series may just be her breakout moment. Yeah, we’re calling it.
WHERE YOU’LL SEE HER AGAIN: Sooo, did we mention that Wainwright’s Netflix show is premiering this Friday? Go check it out! Also on the horizon for this young actress is the upcoming 2020 comedy-drama, Death of a Telemarketer, starring Lamorne Morris as a telemarketer who is held at gunpoint after conning a middle-aged man (Jackie Earle Haley) into entering a sales contest. We’re excited to see that Wainwright is spreading her talents outside the sci-fi/fantasy genre, and we can’t wait to see what she does next!
