Genesis Rodriguez is flying high…
The 33-year-old Cuban-Venezuelan actress has joined the cast of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy.
The end of the second season ofthe series left viewers with the introduction of an alternate 2019, which included a very alive Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) and someone who seemed to be Ben (Justin H. Min). And there were also five people — including a floating cube that dubbed themselves – the Sparrow Academy.
This new mysterious group of kids aren’t necessarily doppelgangers to the original Umbrella Academy, but they might as well be.
In addition to Rodriguez, the actors who will make up the Sparrow Academy, which was formed by Hargreeves in this alternate 2019 include Min, Justin Cornwell, Britne Oldford, Cazzie David, Jake Epstein and destined-for-greatness actor known as “Existential Dread Inducing Psykronium Cube.”
They’ll join Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Ritu Arya and Adam Godley who are set to reprise their roles. Production on the 10-episode third season is set to begin in February in Toronto.
The Umbrella Academy is created for television by Steve Blackman who is showrunner and serves as executive producer alongside Jeff F. King, Keith Goldberg, Mike Richardson and Jesse McKeown. Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, who created the original comic of which The Umbrella Academy is based, are co-executive producers. The series is produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, for Netflix.
Here are the full character descriptions for the Sparrow Academy characters:
JUSTIN CORNWELL will play MARCUS, Sparrow #1. A charming, chiseled, colossus. Honest, virtuous, and demanding, Marcus keeps the family together. Graceful but lethal, calculated but compassionate, he is as smart as he is strong. Marcus is disciplined, rational and in control. He oozes confidence and leadership without ever having to raise his
voice.
JUSTIN H. MIN will play BEN, Sparrow #2. This is not the sweet Ben we know and love. This Ben is a Machiavellian tactician, wrapped up in a pretty boy body with a rumbling inner-squid. Vicious, pragmatic, and hyper-vigilant— Ben is determined to gain his status as the leader at all costs.
BRITNE OLDFORD will play FEI, Sparrow #3. Fei sees the world in a special way. She comes across as a misanthrope who would rather be alone than spend even a second with you. But truth be told, Fei wishes she had a friend. Most of the time, Fei is the smartest person in the room and willing to work things out. But if you cross her there’s no looking back because Fei won’t stop until the job is done.
JAKE EPSTEIN will play ALPHONSO, Sparrow #4. Years of crime-fighting have left his face and body with countless visual reminders of his battles. To compensate, Alphonso is armed with a caustic and biting sense of humor. The only thing he likes better than verbally battering anyone foolish enough to get in his face, is a good pizza and a six-pack of beer.
GENESIS RODRIGUEZ will play SLOANE, Sparrow #5. A romantic and a dreamer who feels a higher cosmic calling leaving her eager to see the world and experience a life beyond her upbringing. But obligations to her family keep Sloane tethered to the Academy, as does her fear of crossing the family line. But Sloane has plans… and one day she might just be brave enough to act on them.
CAZZIE DAVID will play JAYME, Sparrow #6. Jayme is a loner hidden under a hoodie. She doesn’t say much because she doesn’t have to. Jayme has a fear-inducing snarl. Catch a glimpse of it, and you’ll run across the street to avoid what follows. Smart and sharp as a knife, she spends most of her time hanging with Alphonso, her only friend.
EXISTENTIAL DREAD INDUCING PSYKRONIUM CUBE will play CHRISTOPHER, Sparrow #7. Christopher is a telekinetic cube of unknown origin. He can turn the room freezing cold and induce paralyzing fear. He acts as the Sparrows’ consulted oracle who hands out incredible advice and serves as the family mediator. Trustworthy, loyal, and is treated by the Sparrows like any other sibling, Christopher is a force to be reckoned with.
Rodriguez’s previous credits include The Fugitive and Big Hero 6.
The Emmy-nominee will portray Paolo Macchiarini, the focus of Season 2 which is based on the third season of the Wondery podcast of the same name. Macchiarini is a visionary surgeon whose innovative organ transplants seduced the global medical community. When his fiancé, Benita Alexander, and a few suspicious colleagues launch investigations into his botched surgeries, cracks start to appear in Paolo’s charming persona. As Benita learns how far Paolo will go to protect his secrets, a group of doctors halfway across the world makes shocking discoveries of their own that call everything about him into question.
