Lorraine Toussaint plays Morris Chestnut’s mother on new Fox series “Rosewood,” and the “Orange Is the New Black” star couldn’t be more pleased with her new gig.
The actress even admitted during Thursday’s Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour that she is “happier” to be on “Rosewood” than her now-canceled ABC series, “Forever.”
“It was a surprise,” Toussaint said of the freshman drama that was axed in May. “I thought we were holding that slot and that was a tough slot to hold, anyway.”
“There are no accidents,” she continued. “They were terrific, but I’m really happier — I’m going to dare to say that — to be here. The format of this show will give me a lot more to do.”
Toussaint is actually just eight years Chestnut’s senior in real life, something one journalist asked about. The reporter inquired if “Rosewood” would address that directly — perhaps Toussaint’s Donna was a young teen mother?
“No darling, it’s just going to be ‘black don’t crack,’” Toussaint said, at least half kidding. “My mother, when she died, did not have a wrinkle.”
“All joking aside, in the black community, sometimes it’s very difficult to tell who’s who and what’s what, because we age well,” she added.
“Rosewood,” which will be paired with mega-hit “Empire,” premieres Wednesday, Sep. 23 on Fox.