Gabourey Sidibe is in the director’s chair for Wednesday’s new episode of Empire. Sidibe’s directing debut will take place on “Hot Blood, Hot Thoughts, Hot Deeds,” which airs at 8 p.m. ET with Wood Harris and Angie Martinez as guest stars.
The official synopsis of the episode sounds very promising: “When Empire launches its national tour in Philly, things heat up and egos clash. Jamal and Kai’s relationships gets complicated and Treasure has an embarrassing mishap on stage. Cookie tries to grapple with her feelings for Damon (guest star Wood Harris), while the Feds start investigating Empire.”
In a behind-the-scenes video promoting the episode, Sidibe talked about the nerves she had as she took the helm in the director’s chair. “I honestly was, like, way more afraid to do this than the part of me that actually showed up to shoot,” she said. “I’m pretty good at projecting confidence, whether it’s there or not,” she added, laughing.
“Gabby’s episode was big,” said executive producer and director Sanaa Hamri. “I was not worried at all, and she’s a quick learner, and she’s very funny. So her episode is extremely witty. The pacing is perfect, and the tone is perfect.”
The episode looks great, and hopefully this means more directing stints from Sidibe in the future. Sidibe has notably directed the short film, A Tale of Four, which starred Aisha Hinds and Ledisi.
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