Fresh off of her turn in Amazon’s “Swarm,” Heather Alicia Simms has joined Gabourey Sidibe’s “1266” pilot at onyx Collective as a recurring guest star.
She’ll portray Lashanna. According to her official character description, Lashanna is Imagine Inc.’s most dichotomous employee: a phone sex worker who is a very religious Christian with quite conservative views on sexuality. She has photos of her kids and grandkids on her wall and is proud of the fact that most of her money goes to tithes and taking care of her grandkids.
She joins previously announced cast members Karim Diané, Kristin Dodson, and Kassandra Lee Diaz as series regulars to star alongside Sidibe, who will executive produce and play the lead role of Gabby. Anna Maria Horsford, Tisha Campbell, and Judy Reyes have been announced as recurring guest stars.
Set in the early 2000’s, the series follows Gabby (Sidibe) is a young and aimless woman living with her mom and making half-hearted attempts to become a singer/model and overnight millionaire. After being fired from her latest job, she discovers a phone sex gig that seems like the easy answer to her money problems. But, what initially began as a quick money-making scheme suddenly becomes a life-changing experience when she meets the women who become her chosen family and learns how powerful her voice can be. The series is inspired by Sidibe’s true-life story.
Simms’ additional television credits include “Luke Cage,” “Single Drunk Female,” “The Kings of Napa,” “The Last OG,” “Broad City,” “Sneaky Pete” and “The Good Wife,” among others. She is repped by Buchwald and Vic Ramos Management.
In addition to Sidibe, Thembi Banks (“Young.Wild.Free,” “only Murders in the Building”) and Julie Bean (“grown-ish”) executive produced the pilot, with Steven Canals (“Pose”) and Jill Kaplan to serve as nonwriting executive producers. Banks and Bean will serve as co-showrunners. Sidibe and Banks penned the script, with Banks writing the teleplay and directing the pilot.
