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Sepideh Moafi (Persian: سپیده معافی;) is an Iranian-American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in The Deuce (2017–2019), The L Word: Generation Q (2019–2023), and Black Bird (2022).
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Sepideh Moafi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2013–present |
Moafi was born in a refugee camp in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany.[1][2] Prior to her birth, her parents fled Iran after the Islamic Revolution. After two years in Turkey and then Germany, where Moafi's parents sought political asylum and claimed refugee status, Moafi's family were granted visas to move to the United States.[1][2] Moafi is an American citizen.[3]
During her childhood years, she studied opera and was later pulled into musical theatre and jazz.[3] Moafi started singing at 15 years old and within a year had a full scholarship to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music,[3] where she graduated in 2007.[4] Moafi attended the University of California Irvine to study acting where she later graduated with an MFA in 2013.[5]
In 2013, Moafi had her first on-screen credit in a guest-starring role as Aaliya Zaki in the tenth episode of season four of CBS's Blue Bloods.
In 2015, Moafi landed what would be her breakout role, a recurring role as Loretta in HBO's The Deuce, an American drama television series created by David Simon and George Pelecanos set during the 1970s and 1980s and explored the stories of sex-workers in New York. Before filming the pilot, Simon met Moafi for a coffee date and explained to Moafi what The Deuce was going to be about and what her character's arc, Loretta, on the show was going to be. While her character on The Deuce had been planned early on, Moafi subsequently landed a lead role in Notorious (a show which was to be filmed in Los Angeles) after meeting with Simon and before the pilot of The Deuce was filmed. Moafi wrote a letter to the executive producers of The Deuce, Simon, Pelecanos and Nina Kostroff Noble hoping that they would still let her be a part of The Deuce despite her regular gig on Notorious. The executive producers on The Deuce let Moafi continue to be a part of their show and worked around her schedule as The Deuce was mainly filmed in New York.[6][7] However, as a result, Loretta's arc could not be fulfilled as initially planned and had to go a different direction because of Moafi's scheduling conflicts[6] and she was only in three episodes in the first season of The Deuce.[8] The pilot of The Deuce was shot in 2015[8] and the first season was shot a year later.[6]
In 2016, Moafi starred as Megan Byrd on ABC's Notorious.[9] The show is based on real-life criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos and Larry King Live news producer Wendy Walker. Moafi's character is a junior producer and booker on the fictional number one cable news show Louise Herrick Live and her character is considered to be the number-two to Julia George, played by Piper Perabo.[10] While the show originally landed a 13-episode first season, ABC cut the first season to 10 episodes and the show was cancelled by ABC after one season.[11]
After Notorious was cancelled, Moafi continued to appear in her recurring role as Loretta on The Deuce, and her character was made a series regular in season 3, the final season. Moafi's character on The Deuce was initially a sex-worker working on the streets of New York and later became an anti-pornography activist,[12] which was one of the main reasons Moafi wanted to continue to be a part of The Deuce despite her scheduling conflicts.[8] To prepare for her role as Loretta, Moafi did research into the history of New York by reading books such as pimp and sex workers' memoirs and studied vintage porn to help her understanding of the historical context that the show was set in.[6] Moafi has stated that The Deuce has changed and influenced her relationship and view of the porn industry after the stories portrayed in the show.[6][13]
While shooting the second season of The Deuce, Moafi starred in the role of Dahna in a musical off-Broadway One Thousand Nights and One Day which opened on April 15, 2018.[14][15] Moafi has stated that her career "started out in opera and then theater" and considers opera to "forever be a part of [her] artistic identity".[16]
In 2018, Moafi was cast as a series regular on and starred as Alexis Simms in season 2 of Falling Water.[17][18] Season 2 of Falling Water premiered in January 2018. Moafi's character was introduced as the new partner of NYPD detective Taka (played by Will Yun Lee) who later discovers the supernatural world in the show. In May 2018, USA Network announced the series' cancellation after its second season.
In 2019, Moafi was cast as Gigi Ghorbani on Showtime's The L Word: Generation Q, a sequel of the early 2000s lesbian classic The L Word.[19] Generation Q premiered on December 8, 2019.[20] At the beginning of season 1 of Generation Q, Moafi's character was introduced as the ex-wife of Natalie "Nat" Bailey (played by Stephanie Allynne) who is currently dating Alice Pieszecki (played by Leisha Hailey), a character that originated in The L Word. Her character was well received by fans and quickly became a fan-favorite among the new cast.[16] In season 1, her character Gigi was involved in a "throuple"/polyamorous relationship with Alice and Nat. In season 2, her character further explored romantic relationships with Bette Porter (played by Jennifer Beals) and Dani Núñez (played by Arienne Mandi).
In 2020, Moafi starred alongside Clayne Crawford in The Killing of Two Lovers, an American drama film written, directed, produced and edited by Robert Machoian. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020, and the film was released on May 14, 2021.[21] The film tells the separation between the parents of four children in which Moafi plays Niki, the wife of Clayne Crawford's David.[22]
In April 2021, Moafi was cast in the Apple TV+ American crime drama limited series Black Bird. Produced by Dennis Lehane, Moafi stars alongside Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser and Greg Kinnear. Production for the series began in New Orleans in April 2021 and is based on the novel In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene. Moafi plays FBI agent Lauren McCauley in the true crime drama, an FBI agent who approaches protagonist Jimmy Keene about the Larry Hall operation.[23] Moafi attended the premiere event on Wednesday June 29, 2022, at the Regency Bruin Theater in Los Angeles, California[24]. The six-episode limited series premiered globally on July 8, 2022, on Apple TV+.
In November 2021, Moafi was cast as "Hour" in the FX limited series Class of '09 alongside Brian J. Smith, Jake McDorman, Brooke Smith, joining previously announced leads Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mara. The eight-part series produced by FX Productions revolves around a group of FBI agents who graduated from Quantico in 2009 and are reunited following the death of a mutual friend.[25] The series is executive produced by Tom Rob Smith, Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson.[26] Class of '09 premiered on May 10, 2023 on FX on Hulu.[25]
Moafi is an activist and works to support the International Rescue Committee.[27]
In 2019, Moafi penned a first person essay sharing her experience as a refugee.[2]
In 2021, Moafi was a special guest on Girls Write Now, a writing and mentoring organisation for girls and gender-expansive[clarification needed] teens. Moafi hosted a program titled Belonging: From Refugee to Hollywood as part of the Summer Salon series in February 2021.[1]
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Violet is Single | Violet | Short film | |
| 2014 | Best Man in the Dark | Tereza Lopez | ||
| 2017 | Quest: The Truth Always Rises | Susan | ||
| 2018 | The Arrangements | Short film | ||
| 2020 | The Killing of Two Lovers | Nikki | [28] | |
| 2023 | I'll Be Right There | Sophie | [29] | |
| TBA | Wild Berries | TBA | Pre-production | [30] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Blue Bloods | Aaliya Zaki | Episode: "Mistaken Identity" |
| 2014 | Unforgettable | Lisa Martinez | Episode: "Manhunt" |
| Nurse Jackie | Mrs. Harrison | Episode: "Love Jungle" | |
| Black Box | Dr. Farrah Mahmoud | ||
| The Good Wife | Sylmar Knausgaard | Episode: "Old Spice" | |
| Red Zone | Frida Moussaf | Television film | |
| 2015 | Forever | Melanie Sparo | Episode: "The Wolves of Deep Brooklyn" |
| The Blacklist | Mary Henning | Episode: "The Deer Hunter (no. 93)" | |
| Limitless | Dr. Pauline Wilson | Episode: "Side Effects May Include..." | |
| 2016 | Elementary | Sofia Darrow | Episode: "All In" |
| Notorious | Megan Byrd | Main role | |
| 2017–2019 | The Deuce | Loretta | Recurring role (seasons 1–2); Main role (season 3) |
| 2019–2023 | The L Word: Generation Q | Gigi Ghorbani | Main role (seasons 1–2) |
| 2022 | Black Bird | Lauren McCauley | Main role[31] |
| 2023 | Class of '09 | Hour Nazari | Main role[32] |
| Scavengers Reign | Mia (voice) | 3 episodes |
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