It’s been a while since fans of “Chicago Fire” saw standoffish paramedic Allison Rafferty. The founding series in Dick Wolf’s (“Law & Order”) interlocking “Chicago” universe, which follows the lives and careers of first responders in Chicago, Illinois, “Fire” specifically concerns firefighters and paramedics. Allison was played by Christine Evangelista, an actor with a long and varied career in performance.
Evangelista has been a working actor since she first left high school, signing with a manager when she was 18. She recalled to Interview Magazine, “As a kid, I started doing a lot of youth theater. When I was in high school, I would take the ferry into Manhattan every day from Staten Island and I was a part of some Off-Broadway theater groups in Times Square and in the Village. Then I was doing a play in the West Village when I was a senior in high school, and I got my manager that way, the woman that I’m still with to this day.” Evangelista appeared on “Chicago Fire” in 2014’s Season 2, though it’s very likely that fans were already familiar with her work.
The Walking Dead
Christine Evangelista is probably most recognized for her time in the “Walking Dead” universe, joining the main series in 2015 as Sherry. Sherry was married to Dwight before the zombie outbreak but was ultimately forced to join Negan’s harem after a botched escape attempt. In 2019, Evangelista and Dwight actor Austin Amelio joined the cast of “Fear the Walking Dead.”
As a character, Sherry has had a dramatic arc throughout her time on both series, with Evangelista telling Decider, “I think Sherry has really stepped into her own power and her own strength and really went through that grieving process and is no longer rooted in that revenge that she wanted so much before … I think she’s rooted in so much more confidence in herself and a toughness that I’ve really enjoyed playing and bringing to ‘Fear the Walking Dead,’ which was so different from Sherry on ‘The Walking Dead.'”
It seems very likely that Evangelista will reprise her role in the upcoming eighth season of “Fear.”
The Arrangement
In 2017, Christine Evangelista starred as Megan Morrison in the E! series “The Arrangement,” playing an aspiring actor who lands the role of a lifetime — just before being offered $10 million to marry Hollywood superstar Kyle West (Josh Henderson). The series was inspired by rumors of arranged and manufactured relationships throughout the entertainment industry, with some even speculating that it mirrors Katie Holmes’ relationship with box office juggernaut Tom Cruise (via The Hollywood Reporter). “The Arrangement” even featured the “Institute of the Higher Mind,” which appeared to be a veiled nod to Cruise’s controversial religion, Scientology.
Speaking to fellow actor and “Search Party” star Meredith Hagner in Interview Magazine, Evangelista spoke about her chemistry with her co-star, and how her real-life career informed her work on “The Arrangement.” “What I like about these characters is they met in a very similar situation to the way Josh [Henderson] and I met, and our working relationship sort of resembles their relationship … We’re getting to know each other; they’re getting to know each other. It’s awkward at first, as is their relationship, and there’s something very authentic about that…”
“The Arrangement” was ultimately canceled after just two seasons (via Deadline).
Lucky 7
There is a slight chance that fans of “Chicago Fire” may remember Christine Evangelista from the extremely short-lived ABC drama “Lucky 7.” The series followed seven gas station workers who consistently pooled their money together for a Powerball-esque lottery ticket — until they won the unimaginably large jackpot, changing their lives forever. Evangelista played Mary on the series.
“Lucky 7” premiered on September 24, 2014, in a crowded lineup that included three other series premieres, including “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “The Goldbergs,” both of which would become heavy hitters for the network. As Deadline reports, “Lucky 7” saw the lowest non-weekend ratings for a “Big 4” network drama, joining the ranks of forgotten series such as “Do No Harm” and “Red Widow.” Reviewers from the New York Daily News and E! Online noted strong performances from the cast but felt the story and setting were too lackluster to make an impact. The series was canceled in October 2014, after just two episodes. The full first season is currently available on iTunes.
It was based on a British series called “The Syndicate,” which premiered in 2012.
