EXCLUSIVE: The Good Wife alum Dallas Roberts, Clea Lewis (The Americans) and Nicole Chanel Williams (Boomerang) are set for recurring roles in Showtime drama series American Rust, starring Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney. The series is scheduled to begin production in Pittsburgh in late March.
Based on Philipp Meyer’s debut novel American Rust, the family drama will explore the tattered American dream through the eyes of complicated and compromised chief of police Del Harris (Daniels) in a Rust Belt town in southwest Pennsylvania. When the woman he truly loves sees her son accused of murder, Harris is forced to decide what he’s willing to do to protect him.
In addition to Roberts and Tierney, American Rust also stars Bill Camp, David Alvarez, Alex Neustaedter and newcomer Julia Mayorga.
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Roberts will play Jackson Berg, who is struggling to hang onto his own pharmacy through tough economic times and the rabid expansion of chain drugstores. He is the best friend of Harris (Daniels) and is helping him cut back on the cocktail of PTSD medication Harris has been taking for the past 20 years.
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Lewis will portray Jillian, a religious Baptist who is deeply fearful of what her husband will think of the efforts by Grace (Tierney) to unionize the dress factory where they both work.
Williams is JoJo, who lives on the road, often alone, through hardship and rough times. She takes Isaac (Alvarez) under her wing, showing him the rules of the road and the particular ways of hustling a quick buck.
American Rust is executive produced by Dan Futterman (Capote), Michael De Luca (Escape From Dannemora), Jeff Daniels and Elisa Ellis, and Katie O’Connell Marsh (Narcos, Hannibal) for Boat Rocker Studios.
Roberts is known for his recurring role as Owen Cavanaugh on The Good Wife. He most recently starred in Netflix’s Insatiable. His other credits include The Walking Dead, American Crime, Chicago P.D. and features Dallas Buyers Club, 3:10 To Yuma, among others. Roberts is repped by UTA and Circle of Confusion.
Lewis’ recent television credits include The Blacklist, The Americans and The Affair. Her film work includes Life of Crime, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Against the Current, Perfect Stranger, Diabolique and The Rich Man’s Wife. Lewis is repped by Innovative and Framework.
Williams recently recurred as Dream in season 2 of Boomerang and was featured in Rhianna’s recent Savage X Fenty Show. She is managed by Warren Binder.