Richard Roundtree and Terri J. Vaughn Join Season 2 of OWN’s ‘Cherish the Day’

Richard Roundtree and Terri J. Vaughn join OWN drama Cherish the Day. (Credit: OWN)

Cherish the Day is adding more star power for its upcoming second season, with iconic Shaft actor Richard Roundtree and Insecure’s Terri J. Vaughn joining the cast.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network made the announcement  in a press release Thursday, saying the two actors will have recurring roles on the romantic anthology series from creator Ava DuVernay.

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Joy Bryant and Henry Simmons are set to lead the cast in season 2, as previously reported.

Roundtree will recur as Mandeville “MV” St. James, described as a proud, loving, wry-humored former judge and widowed father of Sunday (Bryant). Vaughn will recur as Anastasia, a mother and soon-to-be ex-wife of Ellis (Simmons).

Cherish the Day chronicles the relationship of one couple. Season 2 follows Ellis (Simmons) and Sunday (Bryant), who fell in love in high school, and are reunited when their paths cross in New Orleans. Ellis is a former basketball player who is now a single father of two, and Sunday is a vegan celebrity chef knocking on the door of fame.

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The first season starred Xosha Roquemore and Alano Miller as a couple who met and fell in love in Los Angeles. The late Cicely Tyson, Michael Beach, Anne-Marie Johnson, and Kellee Stewart were also part of the main cast.

The series is created by Ava DuVernay and produced for OWN by Array Filmworks and Harpo Films in association with Warner Bros. Television. DuVernay, Paul Garnes, Raynelle Swilling, Teri Schaffer, and Oprah Winfrey serve as executive producers. Swilling, who won the 2020 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television) for Cherish the Day, and Schaffer are co-showrunners of season 2.

Sheldon Candis, Angel Kristi Williams, and Merawi Gerima will direct the show’s second season. A premiere date for Cherish the Day will be announced later.

Below are details from OWN on the newly announced directing team and recurring cast.

Richard Roundtree: The actor’s life and career would change forever in 1971 when he played private detective John Shaft in the iconic “Shaft” movie franchise. This launched Richard’s five-decade career, and his impressive resume includes films such as “Man Friday,” “Charley One-Eye” and the television films “Roots” and “Fire House.” He also appeared on the FOX sitcom “Roc” and “Being Mary Jane,” and can now be seen in the Netflix series “Family Reunion.” Roundtree has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award and a Peabody Award.

Terri J. Vaughn: While best known for her portrayal of Lovita Alizé Jenkins in the long-running series “The Steve Harvey Show,” Vaughn has become a multifaceted director, producer and actor. She most recently directed an episode of BET’s “Tales” and recurred in season four of Issa Rae’s hit HBO comedy “Insecure.” Additional television acting credits include “First Wives Club,” “Mann and Wife,” “Greenleaf,” “Meet the Browns,” “All of Us” and “Soul Food.” Her film credits include: “Girlfriends’ Getaway,” “Girlfriends’ Getaway 2,” “Who Did I Marry?,” “Probable Cause,” “Three Can Play That Game,” “Daddy’s Little Girls” and “Friday.”

Sheldon Candis made a feature directorial debut with Luv, an official selection in the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Competition. Candis directed the feature length documentary “Baltimore Boys” for the prestigious ESPN Films banner. Candis has also directed “Who Will Survive America” for the AMC/Sundance Now Doc Club original series “Take 5: Justice in America.” Candis also directed the short docuseries “I Will What I Want” and “Dreams” along with “When the Lights Are Brightest.” Most recently, Sheldon directed an episode of “Colin in Black & White,” the upcoming Netflix limited series from DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick.

Angel Kristi Williams is a filmmaker born and raised in West Baltimore, Maryland. Her feature directorial debut “Really Love” was selected to play in narrative competition at SXSW and won the Special Jury Recognition for Acting for co-stars Kofi Siriboe and Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing. The film then screened as part of AFI Fest’s Special Presentations to much acclaim. Most recently, Angel directed an episode of “Colin in Black & White,” the upcoming Netflix limited series from DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick.

Merawi Gerima is a filmmaker from Washington D.C., whose origin informs his work and his community-centered orientation. “Residue,” his first feature, was a communal endeavor, made possible primarily by the effort of the people it attempts to portray. Following its world premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, “Residue” was honored with the festival’s Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and the Acting Award for star Obinna Nwachukwu. The film was also awarded Special Mention at the 77th Venice International Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori and won the John Cassavetes Award at the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards. DuVernay’s ARRAY also acquired the film under their ARRAY Releasing banner. Gerima is a graduate from the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts (SCA). He is the son of celebrated Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Gerima, a legendary figure in the L.A. Rebellion film movement.


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