Having officially made her Empire debut on last night's (October 5) episode, you may now refer to Mariah Carey as "Kitty". Carey, whose guest-starring role on the show was first teased by Empire co-creator Lee Daniels in August 2015, finally appeared as a singer who was scheduled to record a duet with Jussie Smollett's character, Jamal. Though Jamal struggled at first to get into the studio (he was still overcoming PTSD after getting shot in Season 2), he eventually worked up the nerve to record "Infamous", which Carey wrote and produced.
It all paid off, though, as fans - both Empire's and Carey's - gave the track a resounding stamp of approval. Daniels' Empire co-creator Sanaa Hamri, who first worked with Carey on the "Thank God I Found You" remix video years ago, said she and Daniels originally planned to steer clear of guest stars on Season 3, and, instead, focus on the show's main characters. That, of course, went out the window when Carey's availability opened up, and the execs both jumped at the chance to get the icon on the show.
"She had told Lee and myself that she wanted to be on the show, and when we found the right opportunity, in terms of weaving her in for a critical storyline for one of our characters, that's when Lee and I turned to each other and said we should get her in," Hamri told Variety.
Hamri added that Carey was a total pro on set, and wanted to be involved in everything from planning Kitty's quirks to cementing a nail color that seemed most consistent with the character. "She came, she was professional, she was an actress, she did the scenes, and it just felt like another day on the job," Hamri said. "But the set was definitely buzzing that day."
(PopCrush)
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