Yahoo News Forest Whitaker joins cast of Empire as Lucious' mentor
Forest Whitaker is the latest big name to join Fox's Empire, signing up to play a major figure from Lucious' (Terrence Howard) past.
The Oscar-winner will play Uncle Eddie, a music icon who gave the main character his first big break, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
He was the first to give Lucious radio airplay and will return to his life at a critical juncture in his rehabilitation.
As part of a multi-episode story arc, Eddie will also be invited by Cookie (Taraji P Henson) to produce a song for Empire Entertainment's 20th anniversary celebrations.
He is not the only big star to appear in Empire of late, with Demi Moore making an appearance in the season three finale. She played a nurse helping Lucious following the explosion in Las Vegas, and is due to return in season four.
Other big stars that have appeared in the series since it launched in 2015 have included Chris Rock, Mariah Carey, Eva Longoria, Alicia Keys and Ludacris.
However, Whitaker will be in somewhat familiar territory having collaborated with series creator Lee Daniels on 2013 movie The Butler.
The star most recently appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as Saw Gerrera, and will soon be seen in Marvel's Black Panther.
He is perhaps best known for his role as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, which saw him take home the Best Actor Oscar in 2007.
Empire is due to return to Fox on September 27.
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