‘Red Line’ highlights teen actor


By LYNN ELBER

AP Television Writer

LOS ANGELES

Aliyah Royale imagined her TV series debut might be a comedy. Instead, she plunged into an emotionally demanding role in a police-shooting drama that brought the 19-year-old into the daunting orbit of a veteran star and heavyweight producers.

Whatever the challenges, Royale said she felt compelled to be part of “The Red Line,” which details the devastating effect an African-American doctor’s killing has on his husband, played by Noah Wyle of “ER” and “The Librarians” fame, their adopted daughter Jira (Royale) and the white officer (Noel Fisher) responsible.

The eight-episode limited series debuting at 8 p.m. Sunday also stars Emayatzy Corinealdi and is from executive producers Ava DuVernay (“Selma,” Queen Sugar”) and Greg Berlanti (”Everwood,” “Political Animals”). Also notable: it’s on CBS, and is among the steps it’s taking toward inclusiveness after prolonged criticism for its predominantly white prime-time lineup.

To Royale, the story “felt like it was something that hadn’t been done before and really should be.” While Wyle’s Daniel struggles with depression and Fisher’s Paul with guilt, teenager Jira is unmoored, her sheltered life in a loving Chicago home uprooted.

“You have a parent taken away from you who was a part of your daily life, someone whose face you’re used to seeing every morning and every night. It makes it even worse when it was for reasons that could have absolutely been prevented,” Royale said. “And that reason opens up a new world of racial problems that Jira genuinely didn’t know existed.”

The actress, whose credits mostly include short films, earned the role of Jira after an intense search, said Caitlin Parrish, who with Sarah Schechter wrote the play that became the basis of “The Red Line.” Both are executive producers for the series.

“We weren’t just looking for someone good, we were looking for someone special. And when Aliyah walked in, we knew she was unlike anyone we’d seen,” Parrish said. “She was one of the less experienced young women we read, but she had an immediate connection to the material and a depth of feeling that staggered us. And after her very emotional audition, she showed us her true personality by saying, ‘By the way, I’m fine! I promise!”’

The actress with the charmingly heart-shaped face is eager to discuss the project and her road to what could be a breakout role, her attitude lacking the guarded edge that years of celebrity can confer. A self-described “military brat,” she says her experiences inspired her to move to Los Angeles as a youngster, her mother in tow, to pursue a screen career