'Scandal' Season 5 Spoilers, Cast & Air Date: 'The Strain' Star Mia Maestro Lands Recurring Role
Mia Maestro will have a major recurring role in the fifth season of ABC's "Scandal."
Details about the Argentine actress' role are being kept under wraps, Deadline wrote. Before her "Scandal" gig, she appeared in ABC's "Alias" as the sister of Jennifer Garner's character, Sydney Bristow. Maestro also had roles in "The Strain," "White Collar," and "Hannibal," TVLine noted.
The upcoming season of the political drama will pick up right after the events of Season 4.
"That season finale pulled the rug out from under everyone," Bellamy Young, who portrays Mellie Grant, told TVLine. "I think everybody was pretty happy that we were starting back immediately after and getting to go into those moments."
Young revealed that Season 5 will kick off "in a world of hurt for Mellie" and that the character will be "less self-indulgent" as she copes with getting kicked out of the White House, the news outlet added.
"She's having to regroup, but she's sort of by herself completely, because everyone is alienated at this point. She's never going to give up without a fight - I mean, shes Mellie! - but a lot of options are no longer open to her," the actress further explained to TVLine.
A separate report from the news outlet revealed that Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) will recruit a new addition to her Gladiator team. The latest member will be "a familiar face to 'Scandal' watchers - i.e. it's a character Liv has previously crossed paths with (a guest star not a series regular)," TVLine added. Harrison Wright (Columbus Short) and Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield) have left Olivia's group, with the latter now a White House press secretary.
The news outlet also revealed that Season 5 will once more focus on Olivia's team, much like the show did in the first season. In addition, Portia de Rossi (Elizabeth North) and Cornelius Smith Jr. (Marcus Walker) are also promoted as series regulars from being recurring characters, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Quinn's (Katie Lowes) romance with Huck (Guillermo Diaz) will be given attention when Season 5 airs. Lowes told TV Fanatic that her character will be in "a huge pickle."
"It's really a conflicting emotion of 'Do you kill your best friend/mentor/sexual lover/all the different various relationships we've been to each other [and] the man you lick every once in awhile for kicks?' The truth is, he killed a busload of innocent American people and chopped a lot of their heads off for fun, so Huck's crossed a major line. Quinn has crossed lines but not that bad," she explained to the news outlet.
Season 5 of "Scandal" will premiere on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 9/8c, TVLine noted.