According to Variety, Fantastic Beasts star Katherine Waterston has been tapped for a series regular role opposite Matthew Rhys in the upcoming second season of HBO’s acclaimed drama Perry Mason. She is set to portray the role of an optimistic school teacher named Ginny Aimes.
In addition, the premium cable has also enlisted six new recurring cast members for Perry Mason Season 2 which includes Hope Davis (Your Honor), Jon Chaffin (BMF), Fabrizio Guido (Mr. Iglesias), Peter Mendoza (NCIS), Onohoua Rodriguez (Veronica Mars) and Jee Young Han (Bless the Harts). Diarra Kilpatrick, who portrays the role of Clara Drake during the last season, has now been promoted from recurring to a series regular.
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The character descriptions for the new cast members are listed below:
- Waterston’s Ginny Aimes – Emblematic of the sort of optimism that got people through Depression-era Los Angeles, Ginny is the schoolteacher of every parents’ dreams. Perry was reluctant to send Teddy to private school but discovers he’s happy his kid is in Ginny’s hands – and finds he might need some of her sunshine for himself, too.
- Davis’ Camilla Nygaard – Camilla’s a badass, no-nonsense business woman who sees Della’s ambition and takes her under wing. As a cultured woman, Camilla cares for her health and fitness and spends her wealth bringing art to Los Angeles.
- Chaffin’s Morris – Clara’s brother and Paul’s brother-in-law, Morris is a boisterous energy to whom Clara and Drake owe a great debt of gratitude for letting them stay under his roof. He’s always looking for ways to support his family, even in desperate times.
- Fabrizio Guido’s Rafael Gallardo – Despite coming from a farming family, Rafael is a talented artist with the heart of a poet. He, alongside his brother, is standing trial and facing execution, and the odds couldn’t be more stacked against him.
- Peter Mendoza’s Mateo Gallardo – desperate living situation they’ve been reduced to. With his brother, he must come to terms with the encroaching possibility of his execution after he’s accused of murder.
- Onohoua Rodriguez’s Luisa Gallardo – Rafael’s and Mateo’s aunt, Luisa is determined to get her nephews out of this hellhole of a bind. Fearing the court of public opinion will overshadow a fair trial, Luisa seeks out the help of a more caring attorney than the public defender they were assigned.
- Jee Young Han’s Marion Kang – Marion is fresh out of secretarial school and is the new hire in the office to replace Della’s spot behind the desk. In addition to her meticulous organizational talents, Marion has a few tricks up her sleeve that keep Perry and Della constantly on their feet.
Based on Erle Stanley Gardner’s series of novels, the Perry Mason is written and executive produced by Jack Amiel, and Michael Begler, who are both serving as showrunners. It stars Emmy winner Matthew Rhys, Juliet Rylance, Chris Chalk, Shea Whigham, Eric Lange, Justin Kirk.
“In Season 2, months after the end of the Dodson trial, Perry’s moved off the farm, ditched the milk truck, he’s even traded his leather jacket for a pressed suit,” reads the synopsis. “It’s the worst year of the Depression, and Perry and Della have set the firm on a safer path pursuing civil cases instead of the tumultuous work that criminal cases entail. Unfortunately, there isn’t much work for Paul in wills and contracts, so he’s been out on his own. An open-and-closed case overtakes the city of Los Angeles, and Perry’s pursuit of justice reveals that not everything is always as it seems.”
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Perry Mason is executive produced by Rhys, Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Joe Horacek, and Regina Heyman.
The adventures of Perry Mason have been adapted a number of times in various mediums, with the character having been the subject of radio plays, films, television movies, and perhaps most notably a television series for CBS called Perry Mason that ran from 1957 to 1966.
