CURRENT CAST | afraid

THE CURRENT CAST

On November 17th-18th, 2012, the first two episodes of Afraid were performed live in front of an audience at Two Roads Theater in Studio City and Lifebook Playhouse in the Mid-Wilshire District of Los Angeles. Below is the current cast for those and future performances, along with actors we plan to use going forward with in the series.

Cast is subject to last minute changes.

LEILANI WYATT - RITA

Meet Rita. She's a therapist and the self-appointed "mother hen" to this close-knit group of friends. She's happily married and loves every second of her life, including a dark secret could destroy all the happiness she has nurtured.

Leilani Wyatt is a native of Brisbane, Australia where she graduated from The Actors Workshop. Since coming to the US she's been sharpening her comedy skills at Lesly Kahn and performing in many productions including the film "Still Waters" which premiered at Cannes in 2011.

DOUGLAS KNOX - RUSS

Russ is a phone sex operator, looking for love despite his chosen profession. No matter who the woman is, they run for the hills. But his life really spins out of control when he discovers a friend is living a double life.

Douglas Knox is a writer/director with over 25 feature scripts and more than dozen TV series in development. He worked on a pilot for USA Networks (Bulletproof) and wrote for the NBC series "Spy TV." He's since focused on developing his own film, TV and internet projects outside the system.

JEFF ELAM - ROBERT

After a long dry spell, Robert becomes engaged to a beautiful woman, Catherine. Everything is smooth sailing until he meets her daughter, Rachel, who seems hell-bent on destroying their love by luring Robert into compromising positions.

Jeff Elam is from the Bay Area, where he appeared with Word-for-Word, Shotgun Players, the Marin Shakespeare Festival, and the Berkeley Repertory Theater. He has also worked in LA with Sacred Fools, The Open Fist Theater Company, and the NoHo Center for the Arts. This winter, catch his in the title role in Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, a dark re-telling of Charles Dickens' Classic..

KRISTINA EMERSON - RACHEL

Four years earlier, Rachel confessed that she had been molested by a man they never caught. Now, at the age of 17, Rachel has grown into a fiery temptress and self-appointed leader of a group of teenaged heart-breakers. She also spends a great deal of time trying to seduce her mother's new fiancee, Robert.

Kristina Emerson hails from Nashville, TN, and recently graduated from Auburn University. In addition to working at Focus Features, she receives regular books for print modeling and recently shot for Beats by Dre, Adidas, and UCLA, and has been featured in Seventeen Magazine.

DAWN MICHAELS - CATHERINE

Happily engaged to Robert Catherine is unaware of her daughter's intentions. She's distracted by her co-worker's (Renee) recent coupling with the group's Lothario (Brad) and the crazy sexcapades of her other co-worker (Brooke).

Dawn Michaels is originally from Lynwood, WA and is a USC Alumnus. She toured internationally for the Walt Disney Co and Buena Vista Studios. She has
appeared on Law & Order L.A., The Cape, Will & Kate, The Forgotten, Eastwick and Walgreens Beauty Within Campaign. She is currently the principle character, Charlotte Mae in the Love-ly Series pilot, which is in post production.

KATELYN BOWYER - RENEE

A 25 year old virgin, Renee goes to Catherine's engagement party and meets Brad, a notorious "hit-and-split" artist. This awakens her dormant sexuality and sends her on a journey of sexual self-discovery to become the ultimate lover for him, unaware that he has forgotten her name before he even left the party

Katelyn Bowyer hails from Texas where she graduated from University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Corporate Communications. She's been acting since the age of eight and has never lost her passion for performing whether it be on stage or in film.

JEROME MURDOCK - MARK

Rita's devoted husband and a high school English Literature teacher, Mark is concerned that one of his students might be another "Columbine" risk. Looking into his background, he is unaware his attentions are fixated in the wrong place.

Jerome Murdock was raised in Maryland and is a graduate of East Carolina University (in N.C.). Since he has been in L.A. he has racked up numerous film/TV/theater credits including the forthcoming film "End of the Road" that will be screening soon at the 2012 Valley Film Fest. Jerome has been a part of "Afraid" since its inception and we are proud to have him as a part of this project.

VERONA MASONGSONG - NICOLE

Nicole is a History teacher who hasn't dated since she was involved in an improper romance at her high school. Now, she focuses on her job, unaware a new romance is brewing; one she ultimately embraces against her better judgement.

Verona Masongsong is a SoCal native and a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Art. She has since appears in various commercials (Coca Cola, Pollo Campero, Ergotron), a lot of theater (her first love). She's always looking for projects that include great writing and stories and is looking forward to working on "Afraid" for these reasons.

SEAN ROBINSON - BRAD

Brad is a notorious ladies man. He has no idea what his actions cause, especially in the case of Renee, the girl he seduced at Robert's, engagement party. But the sparks really fly when a woman who is more than his equal steps into his life.

Sean Robinson is from Washington D.C. where he graduated from American University. He's an award winning actor, filmmaker and singer, having worked in D.C, Maryland, Virginia and NYC. He has appeared in dozens of industrial and educational films and in episodic TV on ABC, NBC, Fox, HBO, and Discovery and has years of experience teaching acting to kids and adults .

NATHAN PAUL - STEVE

Steve and his wife, Jessica, are swingers. The amount of trust they have for one another is off the charts and allows them to have extramarital affairs at will. But one of them will test the loyalty of the other when love rears its ugly head.

Nathan Paul was raised in Chicago where he starred in many short films and stage productions. He has moved to Los Angeles where he practices his craft every single day. About being cast in "Afraid" Steve says, "I am blessed to be part of the project and can not wait to show people what a compelling story Afraid truly is."

AUBREY MOZINO - JESSICA

Jessica is not only Steve's wife, but Catherine's sister. Her husband makes enough money so that she doesn't have to work and he allows her the freedom to explore her sexuality in any way that she pleases. This could come to an end when a third person enters their lives and threatens to take one of their places.

Aubrey Mozino is complicated, like a tornado in a linen closet! A recent transplant from NYC where she completed her degree in Acting and Producing at NYU. In addition to her work in feature films produced and starred in the series LIVE IN 5 (www.LiveIn5.tv) which has national and international distributional deals.

TAYLOR WRIGHT - BRETT

Brett is a decent student in every one of his classes, except one: U.S. History. When Nicole assigns a Presidential Report as extra credit, Brett throws himself into the report with everything he has - however, his motives become suspect when he intentionally manipulates the outcome of his grade.

Taylor Wright was born and raised in Fort Worth, TX, and studied film acting at R.E.A.C.T. studios in Dallas, for four years. Received a Bachelor's degree in Film, Television & Digital Media, from Texas Christian University and upon graduation, moved to Los Angeles where he's currently studying at Valley West Actor's Space.

CECILIA KIM - CRYSTAL

What begins as a social experiment, ends abruptly when Crystal decides her recent boyfriend isn't "the one" she wants to go all the way with. Crystal is on the crest of discovering a major scandal within her own school, when it derails after she meets what may be the "man of her dreams."

Cecilia Kim hails from the small town of Snellville, Georgia. After attending New York University's Tisch School of the Arts for theater, she moved to Los Angeles for the sunny weather and, of course, the Film/TV industry. While here, she has learned to ride a motorcycle and her latest endeavor is long boarding..

PIPER KENNEDY- APRIL

April is the second member of the "posse" and suffers from "middle child" syndrome. Jealous of Mandy's position, she also craves the attention Rachel shows to Allison. If anyone were to break ranks, it would be April.

Piper Kennedy was raised in Connecticut and began modeling for clients such as Macy's at an early age and appearing on Late Night with David Letterman telling kids jokes. She has since moved to Southern California where she grew up riding horses and pursuing her dreams of becoming an actress. She currently has a lead role in the Jason Blum film, "Stage Fright."

AMANDA BERNING - MANDY

The senior member of Rachel's "posse", Mandy is the defacto leader of the group whenever Rachel's away. She becomes jealous when Rachel appears to be showing more attention to the newest, and youngest, member of the group.

Raised in San Diego, Amanda Berning graduated from UCSB with a BFA and was given an Independent Award for her performance in "Curse of the Starving Class." She's a veteran of PKE/Contradictory Films after appearing in a promotional video for the web series "No Chance At Love."

NICOLE CUMMINS - ALLISON

16 year old Allison is on track to become Valedictorian in two years. However, the youngest and most eager member of Rachel's "posse" is the most easily manipulated.

Nicole Cummins is from St.Louis, Mo (yea Cardinals!) and moved out to the city of Angels three years ago. She's worked on several independent films and commercials most notably the film Logan co-starring Boo Boo Stewart and Leo Howard. She says, "I have had the pleasure of working with Doug and Sean in the past and am a huge fan of their creativity, energy and passion."

GARY GUNTER - MITCH

Mitch hates his job and his wife. He seeks out a release through a series of one-night stands and illicit trysts. What no one sees coming is Mitch's violent temper and need to dominate his conquests.

Gary Gunter is an actor and writer originally from Idaho. He received his B.A. in Theater from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, and has trained at the American Conservatory Theater, The Groundlings, and Playhouse West. He recently starred as host of the TV pilot “Tales from the Drunk Side” and produces, writes, and acts in the sketch comedy group “Cheap Shots Comedy” on the web.

SAPNA GANDHI - JULIA

After her harrowing introduction, Julia begins therapy sessions with Rita to try and heal from her experience. However, she realizes that she's lived too sheltered of a life and wants to taste new encounters.

British born, American raised, Sapna Gandhi grew up singing in a musical group, training as a martial artist, speaking five languages, and balancing classical ballet with Bollywood. She's made a career of playing ethnically ambiguous characters on stage and screen. She was seen in the indie cult feature "Dust Up", "Awake" and recently shot an episode of the new show "1600 Penn" for NBC.

BRITTNEY JARRETT - PATRICIA

Patricia has a long history of therapy with Rita and her past has been rife with depression and disappointment. However, when the series begins, Patricia seems to be on the road to recovery and brimming with new-found hope and happiness.

Born and raised in SoCal, Brittney has been pursuing her life long passion for acting by working on many short films and shows on networks such as Spike and Disney. She recently traveled to San Francisco and Chicago competing in State and National Championships for Saddleback’s Speech and Debate Team ultimately becoming a finalist in both Drama and Duo Interpretation .

CATHY DOBYNS - DEVON

When Russ is in the midst of a phone sex session, his imagination conjures up the women he encounters in his everyday life. Devon is the first of many such women that elude him on a daily basis.