“Empire’s” newest star, Taye Diggs, plays a character who appears bound for romance with Cookie, but Diggs isn’t worried about the tendency of Mama Lyon’s boyfriends to disappear.
“I think you need to be worried for Lucious,” Diggs told TheWrap with a hearty laugh. Still though, romance beyond Lucious hasn’t worked out well for Taraji P. Henson‘s iconic character. Remember Malcolm — Empire’s head of security — from Season 1, or Laz Delgado — the shady concert promoter — from Season 2?
Diggs plays Angelo Dubois, a city councilman who comes from an affluent family. He is Harvard educated and was highly sought after in the private sector, but instead chose to devote his time to local politics and working within the community. His character’s background is a far cry from the the Lyon family’s life on the streets.
“It’s part of the brilliance of ‘Empire,’” Diggs said. “I play a politician kind of from the other side of the tracks. So it’s been fun playing the yin to Taraji’s yang. But at the same time its interesting to see how two characters from such polar opposite sides of life can actually bond.”
Diggs also said he got the opportunity to work on the show thanks to a longstanding friendship with both Henson and Terrence Howard. That friendship helped calm any nervous feelings the veteran actor had going into the hit Fox show.
“I was very excited,” he said. “Nothing beats working with friends because the chemistry is already there. There’s no need for nerves because I’m familiar with these people, in front of and behind the camera. So it just adds to the excitement and fun of the process.”
In this week’s episode, Dubois is trying to get Empire’s support for an anti-gun violence initiative he is involved in called Woke. Diggs believes it is essential for shows like this to discuss such hot-button issues.
“It’s what is going on today and it’s great that we get a chance to speak to it,” he said. “And it’s great that the show is diverse enough that you get to see how it affects different people in different ways.”
“Empire” airs tonight at 9 p.m./8c on Fox.