Former star ofThe Cosby ShowGeoffrey Owens is coming back up in the world. The 57-year-old actor was recently spotted working at a Trader Joe’s as his acting gigs alone simply weren’t cutting it, in terms of making ends meet. Owens was shamed by some online for taking working man’s gig, but plenty of others came to his defense and now, he’s scored a job as a guest star on the upcoming season of NCIS: New Orleans.
CBS has hired Geoffrey Owens for a guest spot onNCIS: New Orleansseason 5. Owens will appear on the season’s sixth episode as a character named Commander Adamas, who is an old and valued friend to Pride (Scott Bakula), that offers him both medical and spiritual advice.NCIS: New Orleansexecutive producer Christopher Silber had this to say about Owens' casting in a statement.
“For Commander Adams, we needed someone with compassion, competence, and heart. That’s Geoffrey in a nutshell. An accomplished actor who seemed like the perfect fit to add to our extended repertory company. We’re lucky to have him on the show.”
Geoffrey Owens has continued to work over the years following the conclusion of The Cosby Show. However, it’s been sporadic and much of it has been relegated to guest spots on TV shows. In recent years, he’s appeared on shows such asIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,Blue BloodsandDivorce. During a recent interview onGood Morning America, the actor opened up about his experience and expressed no shame in taking a job at Trader Joe’s to keep money coming in.
“I got to a point where I’d been teaching, acting, directing for 30+ years, but it got to a point where it just didn’t add up enough and you gotta do what you got to do.”
When photos of Geoffrey Owens working at Trader Joe’s first surfaced online, quite a few ridiculed him. However, fellow actors and others in the entertainment industry commended him for rolling up his sleeves and shared their own stories of what it’s actually like to be a working class actor. Tyler Perry took to Twitter to offer Owens a role on his OWN Network showThe Haves and the Have Notsas a result, displaying respect for his work ethic.
“#GeoffreyOwens I’m about to start shootings OWN’s number one drama next week! Come join us!!! I have so much respect for people who hustle between gigs. The measure of a true artist.”
In addition to his new gig on the NCIS spin-off, Geoffrey Owens will also appear in 10 episodes of the OWN series.NCIS: New Orleansseason 5 is slated to premiere on September 25 on CBS. Owens' episode will air in late October. For now, it’s just one episode, but that could lead to future appearances. This news was previously reported byDeadline.
