Empire premieres on Wednesday and features several Oscar nominees. Lee Daniels, who received one for directing The Butler, which stars Howard, serves as an executive producer and director of the hip-hop family drama.
The actor plays a hip-hop mogul and Taraji P. Henson, a fellow Oscar nominee, plays his ex-wife, who wants a piece of his music empire. The show also stars rocker Courtney Love, who recently starred on Sons of Anarchy, and Gabourey Sidibe, who Daniels had directed in the 2009 movie Precious, which earned her an Oscar nomination.
The show marks the first full-time TV role for Howard, known for his Oscar-nominated role in Hustle & Flow and other parts in movies such as Iron Man, Prisoners and St. Vincent, since he played Deputy D.A. Jonah Dekker on Law & Order: LA in 2010 and 2011.
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