'Woke': Meet Lamorne Morris, T Murph, Blake Anderson and rest of the cast of Hulu comedy-drama
Inspired by the life and work of artist Keith Knight, comedy series 'Woke' takes an absurdly irreverent look at identity and culture as it follows Keef, an African-American cartoonist finally on the verge of mainstream success when he has a traumatic run-in with the police, where he is cuffed and pushed to the ground. This unexpected incident changes everything for him as he considers becoming 'woke' for the first time. With a fresh outlook on the world around him, Keef must now navigate the new voices and ideas (including talking beer bottles) that confront and challenge him but without setting aflame everything he’s already built. Here is a look at the key characters on the show.
Lamorne Morris as Keef
Lamorne Morris plays Keef, who is based on artist Keith Knight who co-created the show. Morris most recently appeared in the Netflix comedy film 'Desperados' that premiered in July 2020. He was last seen on the big screen in Sony’s 'Bloodshot', opposite Vin Diesel in February 2020. He is best known for playing fan-favorite character, Winston, on Fox’s popular comedy 'New Girl' for seven seasons, starring opposite Zoey Deschanel, Max Greenfield and Jake Johnson. His additional past projects include Warner Bros. film 'Game Night', with Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, Netflix film 'Sandy Wexler', where he starred opposite Adam Sandler, and the hilarious 'Barbershop 3: The Next Cut', opposite Ice Cube.
T. Murph as Clovis
T. Murph plays Clovis, Keef's friend and roommate. A Chicago-based comedian and actor, T Murph's recent TV credits include 'Key & Peele', BET's 'Comic View', 'Sway in the Morning' and NBC's 'Chicago Fire'. He has also appeared in 'Get Shorty', 'Laff Tracks', and 'Saturday Night Live'. In 2018, Murph performed in his own Comedy Central Special. As a comedian, Murph has toured extensively at clubs, colleges, and festivals, notably HBO’s American Black Film Festival, New York Comedy Festival, Just For Laughs, and the Second City Breakout Festival, as well as being a finalist at the NBC Diversity Showcase.
Blake Anderson as Gunther
Blake Anderson plays Gunther, also Keef's stoner friend and roommate. He, Clovis, and Keef form the main trio of friends around whom the show revolves. In Episode 6, we will see his character "test the bounds of his sexual fluidity". Anderson is also producing 'The Freak Brothers' alongside Adam Devine based on the stoner comic 'The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'. He recently co-produced and starred in the Netflix action-comedy film 'Game Over, Man!'. He is best known for his role as co-creator, writer, producer, and star of the hit Comedy Central series 'Workaholics', which aired its seventh and final season in early 2017. The series followed the three friends as they worked together as telemarketers from 9 to 5, lived together from 5 to 9, and partied together 24/7. He also appeared in the comedy-drama 'Dope' and was the voice of Matt on DreamWorks Animation’s Netflix original series 'Voltron Legendary Defender'.
Sasheer Zamata as Ayana
Ayana is part of East Bay's artistic elite who knows Keef and gets to know his friends too. She is part of Keef's journey to "wokeness". “Once your eyes are open, you can't unsee,” she tells Keef in the trailer. Clovis also bonds with her and helps her get revenge on her ex-girlfriend. Sasheer Zamata is a 'Saturday Night Live' alum and has appeared on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' and 'This American Life'. She serves as ACLU's Celebrity Ambassador for Women's Rights.
Rose McIver as Adrienne
Rose McIver plays Adrienne who is Keef's love interest on the show. After events at an artists' salon, they try to figure out how to move forward. McIver is a New Zealand actress best known for starring as Olivia "Liv" Moore in The CW supernatural comedy-drama series 'iZombie' (2015–2019). She had a supporting role in the 2009 supernatural drama film 'The Lovely Bones' as Lindsey, the younger sister of the lead character, Susie Salmon, played by Saoirse Ronan. McIver also played Tinker Bell in the fantasy series 'Once Upon a Time' and has appeared in 'Masters of Sex'.
'Woke' premieres on Hulu on August 9.