TV Actors to Watch Variety puts the spotlight on television’s rising stars
Breakout talent comes to broadcast, cable and streaming
SARAYU BLUE (“I Feel Bad”)
Whether she was a supporting character on the CW’S short-lived “No Tomorrow” or one of the parents in Warner Bros.’ “Blockers,” Blue was a scene stealer. Audiences took notice, as did “I Feel Bad” executive producers Amy Poehler, Aseem Batra and Julie Anne Robinson, and Blue landed the lead in NBC’S new comedy.
When she started acting, Blue says it was “significant for an Indian-american just to squeeze one’s way onto the little screen,” but now she is getting the chance to play an IndianAmerican woman who is “human and fully realized [and] both culturally specific and relatable.”
While that kind of representation excites her, she acknowledges a desire to affect even more change with the platform being an actor gives her.
“Some of the best ways
I know how right now are advocacy, mentorship, and amplification,” Blue says, citing Michelle Obama’s words about reaching back once you’ve walked through a door of opportunity. “There are a lot of brilliantly talented people out there who simply need a platform to shine. That’s something I certainly relate to, and I’ll be reaching my hand back, because there are so many stories that need to be told. There are so many stories that we all need to hear.”
Agency: CAA
Management: D2 Management
WILL CATLETT (“Love Is___”)
Catlett is no stranger to playing two very different roles at the same time, having worked on the Youtube series “That Guy” and “First,” the latter on Issa Rae’s channel. The pattern follows with his roles on the CW’S “Black Lightning” and OWN’S upcoming “Love Is___.”
“I like to draw a clear line, if I can, between whatever roles I’m playing,” Catlett says. “I look