Meet the ‘Parish’ Players: Giancarlo Esposito, Bradley Whitford & More (PHOTOS)
Giancarlo Esposito returns to AMC with a new dramatic turn, and this one’s a true thrill ride. Parish, premiering Sunday, March 31 at 10:15/9:15c and then airing Sundays at 9/8c after that, sees the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul star as a man trying to keep his life of crime in his past where it belongs. But fate has other plans.
Joining Esposito in the cast are Riverdale‘s Skeet Ulrich, Emmy winner Bradley Whitford, Ray Donovan‘s Paula Malcomson, Zackary Momoh, Arica Himmel, and more. Here, we break down each character taking part in this New Orleans-set, high-speed series, with input from some of the stars.
Parish, Series Premiere Sunday, March 31, 10:15/9:15c, AMC
Gray Parish (Giancarlo Esposito)
Reformed getaway driver and criminal mastermind Gray left his dangerous life to marry Rose and start a business so they could raise their kids on the straight and narrow. The death of their son Maddox in a carjacking has left him angry and grieving, but he keeps all of that inside to focus on providing for his wife and teen daughter Makayla. Financial trouble threatens all Gray has built, and the promise of a big payday sucks him back into the world he left behind.ld raise their kids on the straight and narrow. The death of their son Maddox in a carjacking has left him angry and grieving, but he keeps all of that inside to focus on providing for his wife and teen daughter Makayla. Financial trouble threatens all Gray has built, and the promise of a big payday sucks him back into the world he left behind.
Colin (Skeet Ulrich)
“I’ve written on the front of my script, ‘Does Colin bring trouble, or does he bring fun, or is it both? It’s both!’” Ulrich says. Recently released from jail after 17 years, Colin is an old friend from Gray’s criminal days who approaches him for help on a big job. The sweet Southerner just wants to “get on his feet,” says Ulrich, reunite with his wife and enjoy a beer—or five—but misfortune follows him. “There’s a naivete to Colin,” the actor adds. “He doesn’t understand the depth of what he steps into.”
Rose Parish (Paula Malcomson) & Makayla Parish (Arica Himmel)
The tough social worker knows nothing of her husband’s criminal past. She’s mourning the death of their son and trying to be strong for her daughter, all while attempting to sell their house. Rose (above, right) falls into the role of peacemaker between Gray and Makayla, who are grieving Maddox’s loss in different ways. But her powerful dedication to protecting her family will spur Rose toward astounding acts of bravery when Gray’s old life finds its way into the heart of their home.
“Sometimes she acts out, but all she wants is to be heard,” Himmel says of Gray and Rose’s teenage daughter Makayla (above, left), who is frustrated that Gray’s not trying to move on from her brother’s death. “She expresses this to her dad through anger, but that stems from how hardened she’s become from the tragedy.” She has another shock coming. “There’s so much she doesn’t know about her family, and when truths are revealed, it takes a major toll.”
Shepherd "The Horse" Tongai (Zackary Momoh)
The U.S. head of a Zimbabwean crime family that traffics immigrants from their homeland is also a loving father. “The world would see him as a gangster,” Momoh says. “I saw a man who wanted to attain power to do something greater. Something to transcend time, cultures, that can bring his family, his whole community forward.” He answers to his cold, demanding father, who lives in South Africa. To his siblings’ dismay, he trusts Gray and brings him into their inner circle.
Zenzo Tongai (Ivan Mbakop) & Luke Tongai (Dax Rey)
Zenzo (above, right) feels like he should be running the illicit operation and isn’t shy about letting his younger brother know how he feels. He’s constantly on a hair trigger, ready to rely on cold-blooded violence and intimidation rather than diplomacy to get the job done. He and sister Shamiso make a formidable team. Zenzo has a soft spot for his nephew Luke (above, left) but is teaching the youngster to see the world as a place full of threats and dangers from which he must defend himself with brutality.
Horse’s 12-year-old son is the sweet face of innocence in a world of backstabbers who will exploit—and kill—their fellow humans to get what they want. “Growing up in a tumultuous household is something Horse doesn’t want to pass on to his own son,” Momoh says. But that’s easier said than done. Especially as Luke is privy to the animosity between his father and his uncle Zenzo, who teaches Luke that even “the smallest cub eventually grows to be a lion.”
Shamiso Tongai (Bonnie Mbuli)
Smart and focused on the bottom line, Shamiso (above, right) is the family business’ secret weapon. She’s not afraid to use threats and cruelty to get the deals she wants for the Tongais’ endeavors, but stays cool under pressure. She also maintains the thin line of civility between her brothers, calming Zenzo’s temper by confronting, not appeasing, him. She will use people to get what she wants and demonstrates extreme heartlessness to one helpless immigrant.
Anton (Bradley Whitford)
Cocky, rich and always in control, Anton is an ostensibly upright businessman who’s deeply involved in the underground crime world. He struts in at the series’ midpoint and throws everyone off-kilter. Gray and the Tongais end up on a collision course with the dapper good old boy, whose power reaches into every aspect of local Louisiana life. But be warned: Anton has zero qualms about killing to get what he wants, and he never forgets a slight.
