The juicy ABC summer series, “Mistresses,” is back tonight! With the exit of Alyssa Milano and the entrance of Jennifer Esposito (playing Calista Raines), we’re excited to see how the chemistry changes within the cast and the
new storylines this season. We had the opportunity to talk with the lovely Rochelle Aytes, who plays April Malloy. If you love watching shows where women are friends instead of frenemies, this is bound to be your favorite summer show.
Before the premiere tonight, read more about what Rochelle shares with us about playing April, how she loves her diverse cast, and how being a dancer helps her on set.
Q&A with Rochelle Aytes
How has your life changed since you joined the cast of “Mistresses?”
Since working on “Mistresses,” so many opportunities have come my way: films, a hair campaign with the wonderful Chaz Dean, and just so much recognition. I couldn’t be more grateful!
The cast is very ethnically diverse. What do you love about that? What do you think it brings to the show to make it so unique?
I absolutely love how diverse our cast is. Multicultural friendships and relationships are our reality and it’s important to show that on TV. We owe it to our viewers and we become much more relatable.
April’s storyline is really dramatic and juicy. What do you love about playing her? Is there anything that is particularly hard to portray about her personality?
I loved playing April from the very beginning. She’s so quirky and awkward which can be funny, but she’s also brave and selfless. Unfortunately, April has found herself the victim in many situations. So many terrible things kept happening to her. This was quite challenging to play. I pride myself in being very strong. I don’t cry too often, but April does. She has had many moments to exemplify vulnerability, which I sometimes struggle to express. In the end, it has been very gratifying.
While many shows highlight women working against each other, “Mistresses” has all of the women as friends. What do you love about that? Do you have a group of friends that you turn to?
It’s true. At the core of “Mistresses,” we are friends first and I love that about our show. You can clearly see where our priorities lie. No matter what drama is going on our own lives, we will drop everything to be there for each other. I do have a group of friends whom I’ve known since high school and some since six-[years-old]! Hey Dana! We would do almost anything for each other. My girlfriends are so important to me and I feel blessed to have them in my life. I may be the only child, but I have a lot of sisters.
