Khandi Alexander has joined the cast of “Scandal“ to play a key role. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “Treme” star will play Maya Lewis, Olivia Pope’s dead (at least for now) mother. The 56-year-old actress will debut in her recurring role via flashbacks on the Thursday, Nov. 7, episode of the hit ABC series.
THR explained that her character will appear in flashbacks because (SPOILER ALERT), as portrayed in last week’s episode, Olivia’s mother was aboard a civilian airliner that was blown out of the sky as part of Operation Remington. To make matters worse, Olivia’s partner in infidelity, President Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) was the one who shot down the plane under orders from her father, Rowan (Joe Morton).
Alexander is known for her roles in movies such as “Menace II Society,” “Sugar Hill,” “Poetic Justice,” and “CB4.” She will also star in the final season of “Treme” beginning on Sunday, Dec. 1. Her other TV credits include “ER,” “NewsRadio,” The Corner,“and “CSI: Miami.”
“Scandal” airs Thursdays, 10 p.m. EST on ABC.