Geoffrey Owens has landed another acting gig after being job-shamed for working at Trader Joe’s in between acting jobs.
The former “Cosby Show” actor will play the role of Commander Adams on the CBS drama “NCIS: New Orleans,” a rep for CBS confirmed to TheWrap on Tuesday. Adams is described as “an old and valued friend who Pride goes to for both medical and spiritual advice.”
Owens will appear in the sixth episode of the upcoming Season 5, which will air in late October. “Still emotionally reeling following his brush with death in the season finale/season premiere, Pride consults his friend, Commander Adams, on what could be causing his current symptoms and what his next course of action should be,” the logline for the episode reads.
“For Commander Adams, we needed someone with compassion, competence, and heart. That’s Geoffrey in a nutshell,” executive producer Christopher Silber said in a statement to TheWrap. “An accomplished actor who seemed like the perfect fit to add to our extended repertory company. We’re lucky to have him on the show.”
Owens is up for a busy fall, considering he also recently accepted a 10-episode arc on Tyler Perry’s drama “The Haves and the Have Nots” on OWN.
Perry offered Owens a job after the former “Cosby Show” actor made headlines after a woman photographed him bagging groceries at a New Jersey Trader Joe’s. The photo led to a wider conversation about work ethic and job-shaming.
“#GeoffreyOwens I’m about to start shootings OWN’s number one drama next week! Come join us!!! I have so much respect for people who hustle between gigs. The measure of a true artist,” Tyler Perry said on Twitter last week, referring to “The Haves and the Have Nots.” The drama is currently in its sixth season on the network.
Owens called Perry’s offer “generous” in an interview with TheWrap on Thursday.
“It was really generous of him to do that and to do that so publicly,” Owens said of the prolific producer. “It was very bold and courageous and generous of him.”
Owens has been applauded for his attitude toward his work ethic, and said earlier in the week that he doesn’t want an acting gig just because of his unexpected time in the limelight.
“I wouldn’t mind getting auditions … but I wouldn’t feel comfortable with someone giving me a job because this happened. I want to get a job because I’m the right person for that job,” Owens said on “Good Morning America” last week.
He added that “there is no job that’s better than another job,” he continued. “It might pay better, it might have better benefits, it might look better on a resume and on paper. But actually, it’s not better. Every job is worthwhile and valuable.”
Owens played Elvin Tibideaux on the “Cosby Show” on the final five seasons of the hit sitcom from 1985 to 1992. He has said since coming into the spotlight that lost residuals from the show after several networks pulled reruns after accusations of rape against Bill Cosby surfaced.
Cosby, who has denied any wrongdoing, was convicted in April on three counts of aggravated indecent assault stemming from the accusations of former Temple University employee Andrea Constand.
Owens is repped by Semler Entertainment and Bret Adams Agency.