It was clear from the very first moment that Ashleigh Murray appeared onscreen as Josie McCoy in Riverdale that she was a star. The woman has talent, charm, beauty, charisma, and a voice like an angel.
But Riverdale quickly squandered her talents, relegating her to the sidelines. Luckily, The CW has realized the error of their ways and cast her in a leading role in the Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene alongside Lucy Hale, who will play the titular role.
Katy Keene follows Josie and her three friends as they all try to make it big in New York — one as a designer, one (Josie) as a singer, one as a Broadway star, and one as an artist.
Ashleigh, who is actually 32 years old, knows all about trying to make it in the business. She lived in New York for 11 years and said Katy Keene took her right back to those days. She told Marie Claire,
“Everywhere I shot the pilot brought me back to where I was at 19, at 23, at 25, just clawing to get to this table right now and tell you this entire story. It’s nice to be part of a project where I get to relive all of the trials and the triumphs, all the yeses and nos, all the love that I thought was going to be it and the heartbreak. Everything that life has to offer, I get to do it all over again.”
Despite the fact that the show takes place in the Archie Comics universe, it will in no way mirror the darkness of Riverdale. Katy Keene co-creator Michael Grassi told EW,
“When we were coming up with Katy Keene‘s point-of-view, it was important for us to be aspirational. We thought of it as a big city romance, following this group of friends that haven’t made it in their career. They’re single. They are broke. But it’s also the most wonderful time in their lives because they’re together and they’re all chasing their dreams together.”
Think of it like Sex and the City but with less money and definitely less white people.
Katy Keene airs on The CW on Thursdays, 8 pm EST.
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