Cookie sent her nemesis packing in a recent episode of Fox’s “Empire,” but don’t expect Anika Calhoun to disappear quietly.
Actress Grace Gealey gave TheWrap a teaser of what’s to come on Wednesday night’s two-hour finale at the hip-hop drama’s live Emmy event in Los Angeles.
“Expect her to make your mouth open. She is coming back and she’s coming back hard,” warned Gealey.
It’s been two weeks since Lucious Lyon’s ex-wife exposed his fiancee’s betrayal in the episode titled “Unto the Breach,” but Anika will soon be back with a vengeance.
“She is going to do some stuff that might make the tables turn.”
However, ultimately, the smart money should be on Cookie coming out on top. “It is just the nature of the character. Anika is kind of the villain at this point; she’s the antagonist,” said Gealey. “I think if the villain won most of the time, it would be like ‘what happened to our hero?’”
While Taraji P. Henson‘s character is her arch rival onscreen, Gealey revealed that if she could rename the show she would call it “Cookie’s World,” adding that her favorite line from the Empire Entertainment matriarch is: “Take these cookies!”
Of course, all those involved in the blockbuster hit have been the real winners, but Gealey said she is not surprised by the phenomenal success of the Lee Daniels drama.
“I had a feeling that it was going to be an amazing project because of the names attached … but to be breaking the ratings, I am so in awe,” she told TheWrap.
The explosive two-hour season finale of “Empire” airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Fox.
Watch the video here.