Nashville is bringing some new faces to the country music drama, following the death of leading lady Rayna James (Connie Britton).
Rachel Bilson, well known for playing Summer Roberts on The O.C., and Kaitlin Doubleday, who played Rhonda Lyon on Empire, will be introduced in the second half of Season 5.
While both their castings were announced in March, on the day of the mid-season finale, details about their roles were kept under tight wraps.
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Bilson plays Alyssa Greene, a Silicon Valley marketing expert who is brought in to take Highway 65 to the next level.
She isn’t a country music fan, which she’s not afraid to admit because the product doesn’t matter to her. It’s all about breaking through the old models and winning through disruption. Driven and brilliant, she’ll do anything to avoid showing vulnerability in business and relationships.
For Bilson, Alyssa gave her a chance to play a unique character that she’s never really played before.
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Doubleday plays Jessie Caine, a singer/songwriter who left Nashville a few years ago under a cloud of scandal, but has returned to reclaim her career and her son that was taken away from her.
Doubleday will debut during the 100th episode on June 15, and Bilson will premiere a few episodes later.
Season 5 of Nashville returns with new episodes beginning Thursday, June 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.