A Filipino-American actress has joined the star-packed cast of Netflix’s latest “screwball whodunnit” set against the backdrop of America’s epicenter of executive power, the White House.
Sumalee Montano, of Filipino and Thai descent and a Los Angeles local, played the White House chief of staff in the new Shondaland mystery, “The Residence.”
Her previous projects include “Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol,” where she portrayed the CIA Office of Security head, Inoue Sato; “Scandal,” for which she stepped into the shoes of a White House press secretary Audrey Campo; and in the sitcom “Veep,” she played the role of White House Chief of Staff Benjamin Cafferty’s wife, Joyce.
She is also a prolific voice actress, with close to 200 animated roles under her belt. Moreover, she is a producing partner at LinLay Productions, whose film “Nanny” has been awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Instead of centering on political figures, “The Residence” puts the White House staff at the forefront of the story. The film’s lead character, detective and bird enthusiast Cordelia Cupp, was played by Uzo Aduba. Aduba is widely known for her role as “Crazy Eyes” in the dramedy “Orange is the New Black.”
