Why Will Trent’s Faith Looks So Familiar
In ABC’s new series “Will Trent,” based on the novel series by Karin Slaughter, Ramón Rodríguez plays the title character, a Special Agent working for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Abandoned as a child and scarred by his experiences in Georgia’s dysfunctional (to put it mildly) foster care system, Trent—who is also dyslexic—has a special, wounded kind of empathy that he brings to his cases and works hard to ensure justice is served for the people he’s trying to help.
Premiering on January 3, 2023, as a mid-season premiere (per Deadline), “Will Trent” has so far received positive reviews from both audiences and critics. Along with Rodríguez, the cast includes Erika Christensen as Trent’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, undercover detective Angie Polaski, Jake McLaughlin as smart cop Michael Ormewood, and Iantha Richardson as Trent’s reluctant partner, Faith Mitchell.
Born in Washington D.C. on June 16, 1990, Richardson graduated from Fordham University and the Alvin Ailey School with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. She began pursuing acting when she moved to Los Angeles and began taking theater classes. Richardson’s credits aren’t extensive, but if you’re familiar with her, this list includes some of the more well-known works you’ve almost certainly seen her in.
Iantha Richardson’s first listed work on IMDb was for a 2014 video game called “The Big Show,” followed by a few short films and television appearances, including a few episodes of “Jones” and “Journey of a Goddess.” But Richardson’s career took a significant step forward in 2017, when she landed the role of the adult version of Tess, the daughter of Randall and Beth Pearson (Sterling K. Brown and Susan Kelechi Watson) on the NBC Top 10 series “This is Us.” In the time-shifting family drama, Richardson appeared in flashbacks as an older version of one of the Pearsons’ three children, who grows up to become a social worker. The hugely successful series ran for six seasons and held a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes during its run. Richardson debuted in Season 2, also appearing in the next four seasons with 10 episodes.
As Rotten Tomatoes scores attest, “This is Us” is one of the most critically acclaimed television series of the past decade, winning or being nominated for multiple Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Television Awards, NAACP Image Awards, and more. It’s the kind of show that any aspiring young actress would love — and it’s taken Richardson to the next level in her career.
During her time on “This is Us,” Richardson landed a prominent role on the television series “American Soul.” Premiering on BET in 2019, the show tells the story of up-and-coming black TV host and producer Don Cornelius, who created the long-running music and dance show “Soul Train.”
Richardson played Tessa Lorraine, a classically trained ballerina who became the dance coordinator for “Soul Train,” a role that fit Richardson’s background as a dancer. The show ran for two seasons, ending in 2020, with Richardson appearing in all 16 episodes. Richardson told Reel360 that watching “Soul Train,” with its emphasis on black music and black faces on stage, “opened my eyes to everything I could be.” Around the same time she appeared on “American Soul,” Richardson began appearing on “Good Trouble,” a Freeform sitcom that was a spinoff of the popular family comedy “The Fosters.” That show’s finale after five seasons served as a prequel to “Good Trouble,” in which Richardson played Tolu. Though she appeared in the fourth and most recent season for one episode, it’s unclear whether Richardson will return for the already announced fifth season—but for now, you can watch her in “Will Trent.”
