Marisa Tomei Joins ‘Empire’ Season 2 in Recurring Role

Oscar winner will play venture capitalist who becomes involved with Lyon family

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Marisa Tomei has landed a recurring role in the upcoming second season of the hit Fox show “Empire,” an individual with knowledge of the casting told TheWrap.

Tomei will play venture capitalist Mimi Whiteman who becomes involved in the Lyon family’s affairs. She is described as “Forbes list billionairess, lover of hip-hop music, social trends, high-end fashion and beautiful women.”  She joins a number of other notable guest stars for the new season, including Chris Rock and Lenny Kravitz.

She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1993 for her role in the Joe Pesci courtroom comedy “My Cousin Vinny.” Tomei was also nominated for the same award in 2002 for “In the Bedroom” and again in 2009 for Darren Aronofsky‘s “The Wrestler.”

The actress has focused mostly on features throughout her career, though she did previously appear in an arc on the FX firefighter series “Rescue Me.”

“Empire’s” ratings exploded right out of the gate. The show drew an average of 16.7 million viewers for its two-hour Season 1 finale in March, and scored a whopping 6.5 rating/20 share in the advertiser-sought 18-49 demographic.

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