THE upcoming thriller Karen features a white woman in the South who terrorizes her Black neighbors.
The cast is led by Orange is the New Black actress Taryn Manning, who plays the title character.
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Who stars in Karen?
Taryn Manning is Karen Drexler, a racist white woman who tries to force out her Black neighbors who had just moved in.
Manning told Deadline that she "felt a social responsibility to take on this role."
"Even if I had to play the villain to affect change around the globe, then I was more than willing to step into the role," she told the outlet.
"What’s been going on is devastating. It’s time for change and for me to be a part of the bigger picture, meant a lot to me."
Who is in the cast of Karen?
- Taryn Manning (Karen): Manning, formerly of Orange is the New Black, terrorizes her Black neighbors in the thriller.
- Cory Hardrict (Malik): The actor plays a community activist who is terrorized by Karen.
- Jasmine Burke (Imani): Burke, an award-winning actress, plays Malik's wife and is also terrorized by Karen.
- Duane Finley (security tech): The actor and producer has appeared in a few dozens films and television shows, including Hogan.
- Dawn Halfkenny (Officer Thicke): Halfkenny is known for her work on Saints & Sinners (2016), The Family Business (2018), and Tales (2017).
- Brandon Sklenar (Officer Hill): The actor was born and raised in New Jersey.
- Mary Christina Brown (Jan): Brown is a "genuine, experienced and versatile acting talent" with an "eclectic ethnic background," according to her IMDb page.
After the trailer was released earlier in June of 2021, people took to Twitter to share their mixed feelings about the film. A release date for the film has not been announced.
“I’m screaming! This looks hilarious and so so bad,” one Twitter user said.
“I hope this turns into a 12-movie series,” another Twitter user joked. “Karen in Space, Karen Goes to Hell, Karen in Manhattan, Karen: H20.”
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Manning was born in Falls Church, Virginia, on November 6, 1978.
She would eventually move to California and landed her first major role in 2001 as Maddy in Crazy/Beautiful.
Manning was a series regular on Orange is the New Black, and has appeared in such shows as Hawaii Five-O and Sons of Anarchy.
She also co-starred in the movie Crossroads with Britney Spears.
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The 42-year-old actress became engaged to her rocker girlfriend Anne Cline, 27, in June of 2021.
It's unknown how long the two have been dating but they were photographed in March as they took their dogs out for a walk.
Taryn's rep told TMZ that the two are excited, with Taryn adding: "It was the easiest YES I ever said!"
