Meet Amanda Schull, Murder in the First‘s new assistant attorney general, Melissa Danson. Here’s a little info about the show’s newest cast member — but chances are you might be acquainted with her already.
She’s a ballerina
Schull got her start as a professional dancer and retired from the San Francisco Ballet in 2006.
Many of her acting roles have showcased her dancing skills.
And an early ’00s icon
That’s right, Schull starred as Jody in 2000’s Center Stage. It was her first big gig after she decided to pursue both dance and drama professionally.
Center Stage was the obsession of pretty much every teen and preteen involved in ballet back then, and had us all singing Mandy Moore’s “I Wanna Be With You” on repeat.
She’s got an awfully familiar face
If you think you’ve seen Schull’s face before (and you aren’t a Center Stage fan), you might know her as Dr. Cassandra Railly from Syfy’s 12 Monkeys.
She’s no stranger to playing a lawyer
Schull also plays Katrina Bennett, the hard-hitting lawyer who is usually at odds with Mike on Suits.
She’s so believable as a former assistant district attorney in Suits, so we’ve got high hopes for her performance in Murder in the First.
She’s amazingly versatile
Not only was Schull able to easily segue from dancing to drama, but she’s also got a pretty big acting range as well.
She’s obviously got the roles as a professional down — a flawless dancer on Center Stage, an effortlessly vindictive lawyer on Suits and even a doctor on 12 Monkeys — but have you witnessed her as the completely psychopathic Katie on One Tree Hill? Yup, she’s even got crazy down pat.
She’s a crime procedural fan
Not only is Schull now starring in a crime procedural, but she is also a huge fan of the genre in general.
“It’s really interesting. I’ve never been on a procedural like this before,” Schull said in a recent interview with Buddy TV. “It’s interesting to have two very different sides of the law working. I’m a fan of all of [Murder in the First creator] Steven Bochco’s work and of his formula that a lot of his shows have of [both] the law enforcement and legal side of things, because they both fascinate me… NYPD Blue was one of my favorite shows when I was younger. The writing is so smart. This show has a legal expert on set every day in the courtroom, so everything that’s done is done in a way that is so true to the book. Nothing is sensationalized. It’s all very possible, and that was really fascinating to go from this post-apocalyptic world into something that is as real as a courtroom drama could possibly be.”
She not just another love interest
Schull is so over female characters being linked to some kind of romantic plot, and the lack of romance in 12 Monkeys is one of the reasons why she loved working on the show so much.
“This character is unlike any other I’ve had the opportunity to grow and develop,” she said of 12 Monkeys‘ Dr. Cassandra Railly in a recent interview with The Huffington Post. “Every single woman on this show is not immediately linked to a romantic plot, which is, as a woman, so refreshing… I go out for roles often and it’s like, ‘You’re the love interest.’ Ugh, snooze. That’s all that person is? I’m sure she has more sides to her.”
She’s an animal lover
It’s no secret that Schull loves to cuddle up every now and then with an adorable dog or kitten.
She also actively advocates for animal rescues like Best Friends Animal Society on social media.
She rocks the hell out of a rubber suit
Not many can pull off bright-yellow rubber quite like Schull.
“#TBT to when I was a banana on#12monkeys,” she captioned this Instagram pic.
She’s from Hawaii
Schull was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she went to elementary and high school.
She also trained at the Hawaii State Ballet under the instruction of John Landovsky before she was offered a full scholarship to Indiana University for ballet.
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