Why ‘Superstore’ Star Lauren Ash Is a Scene Stealer (VIDEO)

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She Plays

Dina Fox, the hysterically rigid Cloud 9 assistant manager with a secret softer side on NBC’s wild-world-of-retail comedy Superstore. “She’s so by-the-book because she genuinely feels she has a responsibility to everybody,” explains the Canadian-born actress. “It’s on her shoulders to make sure everyone is safe and taken care of.” Viewers got their first hint of this after Season 2’s tornado, and Dina’s protectiveness resurfaced more recently with undocumented coworker Mateo (Nico Santos). “She is a vastly different character [from Season 1],” Ash says. “Emotionally, she’s definitely had a journey.”

Where You’ve Seen Her

Ash pulled pranks for two seasons of Syfy’s Scare Tactics before booking ABC’s 2013–14 Rebel Wilson sitcom, Super Fun Night. Lately, she’s added a voice gig as Scorpia for Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Just how hectic is her schedule? “Sooner or later, I’ll drop dead from it.”

Why We Love Her

Because this formerly “painfully shy” kid kills it with a deadpan perfection that keeps Dina grounded while the rest of the Cloud 9ers get to be silly. Credit her seven-plus years with the Second City comedy troupe in Canada
and, later, Chicago. “I had a full scholarship to theater school and dropped out after four months because I hated it,” she recounts. “So I took the subway in Toronto to the Second City training center, signed up for classes, and then I was hired!”

(Credit: Evans Vestal Ward/NBC)

Hey, Fox-y Lady

In the October 31, Halloween episode, Dina is in a wildly inappropriate — but familiar — outfit. “She is, of course, bringing back the sexy cop,” Ash says, laughing, of the low-plunging costume Dina has worn for the past three years. “I don’t think this thing is going to die!”

Get an exclusive sneak peek at tonight’s episode below:

Superstore,  Thursdays, 8/7c, NBC