'Genius: Aretha' Full Cast List: Meet Cynthia Erivo, Courtney B Vance and rest of the stars from Nat Geo's biopic series
'Genius: Aretha' will chronicle 'The Queen of Soul' Aretha Franklin's journey from a young performer with stars in her eyes to her eventual position as one of the greatest singers in history. Cynthia Erivo, who plays Franklin, has some big shoes to fill, but judging from her award-laden career, she is up to the task.
Let's now meet the cast of 'Genius:Aretha'.
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Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin
Cynthia Erivo is a powerhouse performer but clearly, for anyone taking on the role of Aretha Franklin, it's bound to be a massive challenge. On playing Aretha Franklin, Cynthia Erivo says, "With Aretha Franklin, who I played on the TV series 'Genius: Aretha', that story was pressure-filled. Not just because the world knows who she is, but she’s a hero of mine. I learned a lot about storytelling through song from listening to her. I wanted to do Aretha justice and make sure that she was made proud, which is a huge pressure to put upon oneself.
Erivo, the British actor, who got Hollywood to sit up and take notice with her performance in the Harriet Tubman biopic 'Harriet', will also be performing several songs of Aretha Franklin's in 'Genius: Aretha'. In 2020, Erivo garnered nominations for two Academy Awards — one for Best Actress for her portrayal of Tubman and the other for Best Original Song for 'Stand Up'. Erivo also launched a production company named 'Edith's Daughter' in 2020.
Courtney B Vance as C L Franklin
Emmy winner Courtney B Vance will play C L Franklin, Aretha Franklin's father, who was something of a star in his own right. C L Franklin was an influential reverend and a civil rights activist known as the 'Million Dollar Voice'. His sermons were published and sold in record stores. While Aretha and her father were close, they did have their shares of ups and downs.
Courtney B Vance, who plays C L Franklin, is perhaps best known for his Emmy award-winning performance as Johnny Cochran in ' The People Vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story'.
Malcolm Barrett as Ted White
Malcolm Barrett, who is best known for playing the role of time traveler Rufus Carlin in 'Timeless', plays Aretha Franklin's first husband and business manager in 'Genius: Aretha'. Barrett is known for his roles on shows such as 'Better Off Ted' and 'Law and Order'. He was also a supporting character in the Academy Award-winning 'The Hurt Locker'.
David Cross as Jerry Wexler
David Cross plays music producer Jerry Wexler in 'Genius: Aretha'. The multi-talented David Cross is well known for his role in 'Arrested Development'. In 1993, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series for his work on 'The Ben Stiller Show'. For his HBO sketch comedy series 'Mr Show', he gained three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and for 'Arrested Development', Cross was nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor, Television Series. For his stand-up specials, he has been nominated for several Grammy Awards.
Who are the other stars?
'Genius: Aretha' also stars Broadway stars Patrice Covington and Rebecca Naomi Jones as Franklin’s sisters and frequent background singers, Erma and Carolyn. Other cast members include Steven Norfleet, Pauletta Washington, Omar J. Dorsey, Marque Richardson, Kimberly Hébert Gregory and Shaian Jordan.
Creators
'Genius: Aretha' is directed by Anthony Hemingway. Suzan-Lori Parks is the executive producer and head writer. Other executive producers include Brian Grazer, Ron Howard as well as Clive Davis and Craig Kallman.
Catch the trailer of 'Genius: Aretha' here: