EMPIRE: Andre Royo Teases His Guest Arc

With Lucious Lyon in jail by the end of EMPIRE’s breakout first season, he’ll need a new ally in his corner: Andre Royo’s “Thirsty” Rawlings.

“[He]’s a lawyer,” Royo told reporters. “It’s [been] pretty cool, it’s a fun time…[Terrence Howard] is a very dynamic dude — [as is] the whole cast. It’s probably the closest to that theater feel; the script is there, and that’s a blueprint. I come from THE WIRE, 95 percent was on the page — don’t even try to ad lib, though I got away with [some]. But overall, with EMPIRE and me and Terrence, it’s a real dynamic theater [feel], and it helps me have a theatrical spin — everything is big, everything is over the top, and at the end of the day, you just enjoy. So I’m having a blast.”

Royo’s lawyer is not particularly musically inclined — but that could, of course, change. “If I do [a song], it will probably be more rapping,” he laughed.

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EMPIRE: Danny Strong, Jussie Smollett, and Yazz Preview the Season 1 Finale, Look to Season 2

Hey EMPIRE fans! The highly successful, whirlwind first season comes to an end on Wednesday, March 18th (8-10 ET on FOX), and we were able to ask co-creator Danny Strong and actors Jussie Smollett (Jamal) and Yazz (Hakeem) some questions on recent conference calls. Read on to find out how they feel about the upcoming season finale, important plot lines, and dream guest stars for season 2.

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