by Michael P Coleman
BET’s recently-announced 2016-2017 programming slate will include Rebel, a gritty police drama set in Oakland, California and starring Sacramento native Danielle Mone Truitt.
Rebel is a police drama that examines the conflicted, challenging relationship officers of color have with their jobs, at a time when police forces are under intense scrutiny for brutality and misconduct. It follows police officer Rebel Cole as she navigates her job and life after her brother is slain by police.
Singleton is writing and producing the new series, and executive producing it with Dallas Jackson. According to Singleton, he and Truitt “…are about to change the…way black women are seen on TV.”
Tuitt, 35, says she’s thrilled about the new gig. “[I’m] so excited to be starring as Rebecca ‘Rebel’ Cole in the new BET TV series Rebel,” she posted on Facebook. “I believe that 2016 is the year of the Supernatural and God is showing OWT! About to throw #BlackGirlMagic EVERYWHERE!”
Growing up in Sacramento, Truitt never thought she’d star in a revival of Dreamgirls (as she did recently, in LA) or serve as the video reference for Disney’s first African American princess, The Princess & The Frog (as she did in 2009), let alone star in her own drama on BET. She sang in her church choir as a girl, starting dancing in junior high school, and got involved in cheerleading, basketball, and theatre in high school. She was majoring in psychology at Sac State when she took a theatre class and got bit by the acting bug.
“My theatre professor said ‘You should think about doing a major,’ Truitt told the LA Times, “so I did my first play. After that, I became a theatre girl.” Truitt went on to star in several regional productions, including “A Raisin In The Sun”, “Aida”, and “The Music Man.”
BET has not yet announced a premiere date for Rebel, but we’ll be staying tuned for Truitt’s debut in this exciting new drama!
Michael P Coleman is a Sacramento-based freelance writer. Connect with him at michaelpcoleman.com, 916-834-5567, or on Twitter: @ColemanMichaelP
