‘Ambitions’: Robin Givens Teases Her ‘Modern-Day Dame’ Stephanie Carlisle
Preview
If you’re missing the days of guilty-pleasure soaps like Dynasty and Dallas — where money, power, and sexual tension are what keep us all tuning in — settle in for multigenerational family saga Ambitions.
At the center is Stephanie Carlisle, a powerhouse Atlanta-based attorney and femme fatale played by the seemingly ageless Robin Givens. “I love those women who can drink with the guys but still look great in a dress,” she says. “To me, Stephanie’s a modern-day dame in the best sense of the word. And she carries a gun.”
Here, Givens introduces us to the drama’s decadent leading lady.
Defining Trait
Her drive. Stephanie likes to win, whether that means working to take down the pharmaceutical company she blames for her sister’s opioid death or being a controlling tiger mom to her college-age daughter (Kayla Smith).
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“She wants it the way she wants it,” Givens says. “Not just for herself but for the Carlisle family. This is how it works, and this is the legacy, and you have to play along.”
Prime Insecurity
Her relationship with her dad and boss (Steven Williams). “Anytime she’s with her father, she may be a little bit bratty, but there’s also the sense of ‘Am I ever going to be good enough because I’m not a man?'”
Biggest Secret
“Her heart,” Givens says. You won’t necessarily see it in her marriage of convenience to the scandal-embroiled mayor (Brian White), but look for it in her dalliance with a successful real estate developer (Gino Anthony Pesi). “Without divulging too much, I think the person you see her being the most woman with is him,” she teases.
(Courtesy of OWN)
Steamiest Encounter
Where to begin? “There’s some good shower scenes,” Givens says with a laugh. “I think men are also going to love the show. They’ll see their wives watching it with a glass of wine and some popcorn, and once they start, they’re not going to be able to stop.”
Ambitions, Series Premiere, Tuesday, June 18, 10/9c, OWN
