'Greenleaf' Star Merle Dandridge 'Dropped the Phone' After Hearing From Oprah Winfrey
The two actors star in the church-based family drama on OWN.
— -- Merle Dandridge had a “drop the phone” moment upon finding out she had scored a meeting with Oprah Winfrey after auditioning for a role in Winfrey’s new show, “Greenleaf.”
Dandridge, 41, said she had never even met Winfrey, the show’s executive producer, before auditioning for the part of Grace Greenleaf, the estranged daughter of a church bishop who returns home after 20 years.
“I just met the casting director and I just felt like I really got this girl,” Dandridge said of Grace Greenleaf in an interview that aired today on “Good Morning America. “Then I just dropped the mic and I forgot about it.”
One week later, Dandridge said she heard from Winfrey.
“I was working on a different show and I just checked my email in between shots and the email said Oprah would like to meet you at six p.m. today and I dropped the phone,” she said.
Winfrey also plays the role of Mavis in the show, in addition to her executive producer role. Dandridge described acting alongside the TV mogul as “wonderful.”
“It's easy to get caught up in, 'Oh, my gosh, Oprah's across the table from me’ but, actually, she was just a wonderful scene partner,” Dandridge said.
“Greenleaf” airs Wednesday nights on OWN.
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