Angie — Mary J. Blige in Empire (2015)
- MaryJBligeFashionbook
- Jun 6, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: May 18
Angie — Mary J. Blige in Empire (2015)
Show: Empire | Network: Fox | Episode: Sins of the Father | Season 1 Episode 11 | Aired: March 11, 2015
Empire was THE show in 2015. Everybody was watching it. Everybody was talking about it. And when Lee Daniels personally invited Mary J. Blige to guest star in Season 1 she said yes immediately. Because that is what you do when Lee Daniels calls you. And what she delivered in that episode was exactly what you would expect from our girl Mary — something real, something musical, and something completely unforgettable.
About the Show
Empire is the Fox drama created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong that premiered in January 2015 and became one of the most talked-about shows on television almost overnight. It follows the Lyon family and their music empire — Empire Entertainment — as patriarch Lucious Lyon, played by Terrence Howard, faces a terminal ALS diagnosis and must decide which of his three sons will inherit the company. His ex-wife Cookie Lyon, played by the incomparable Taraji P. Henson, is released from prison after serving 17 years and comes back to claim her share of the empire she helped build.
The show was a cultural phenomenon in its first season. The music was incredible. The drama was intense. And the guest star roster was A-list from the very beginning — Jennifer Hudson, Naomi Campbell, Raven-Symone, and of course Mary J. Blige.
Mary as Angie
Angie is a woman from Lucious Lyon's past. While Cookie was serving her prison sentence, Lucious briefly moved on with Angie — a singer with whom he shared a deep musical and personal connection. She comes back into his present in this episode and the reunion is complicated, emotional, and loaded with history.
Mary described Angie to EurWeb as a singer who once wrote and sang a song with Lucious. She said they are reminiscing in the episode by singing a song they probably wrote together back in the day. That song is Shake Down — a piano-heavy duet between Mary and Terrence Howard that was released on the official Empire Season 1 soundtrack. It is beautiful. Search for it right now if you have not heard it.
How Mary Got the Role
The story of how Mary ended up on Empire is one of my favorite things about this appearance. She ran into Lee Daniels at a hotel in Los Angeles and he immediately started telling her she had to be on the show. He was raving about it. And then Taraji P. Henson — Mary's co-star from I Can Do Bad All By Myself — also personally invited her. When both the creator of the show and your friend who stars in it are asking you to come on, you show up.
Mary told EurWeb: I saw him at a hotel here in LA about six months ago or so and he was raving about Empire and how I had to be on the show. And then my girlfriend Taraji who plays Cookie was even telling me about it and she invited me as well. But Lee Daniels officially invited me.
That reunion between Mary and Taraji on the Empire set was also a reunion from their Tyler Perry film I Can Do Bad All By Myself where they first shared the screen together in 2009. The friendship and the creative chemistry between these two women is real and you can feel it.
The Shake Down Duet
The highlight of Mary's appearance is the flashback scene where Angie and Lucious perform Shake Down together. It is a gorgeous, piano-driven duet that captures the feeling of two people who once meant everything to each other looking back at what they had. Mary's voice in this scene is stunning. Terrence Howard holds his own alongside her. And the emotional weight of the scene — knowing that this relationship is part of why Cookie ended up in prison and why the Lyon family is so fractured — gives it real dramatic power.
The song was included on the Empire Season 1 soundtrack which was a massive commercial success. Having Mary J. Blige on a soundtrack is never just a feature. It is always an event.
What is Angie Wearing
Alexis Strapless Fringe Jumper
2015 — Mary's Year
What I love about putting this role in context is realizing that 2015 was one of the most packed acting years of Mary's career. In the same year she played Evillene in The Wiz Live! on NBC, appeared in the Black-ish Season 1 finale as Mirabelle Calais, and guest starred on Empire as Angie. Three completely different roles. Three completely different shows. Three completely different performances. All in the same twelve months.
That is not a music star doing cameos. That is an actress working. Building. Expanding. Getting ready for what was coming. And what was coming was Mudbound. And the Oscar nominations. And Power Book II Ghost. She was preparing the whole time. And 2015 proves it.
Did you see Mary on Empire? What did you think of the Shake Down duet? Drop your thoughts in the comments and subscribe for more on every role in her acting career! mary j blige angie empire |
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