Nia Vardalos Joins Cast of Epix Original Series GRAVES Starring Nick Nolte

Premium TV network EPIX announced today that Academy Award and Golden Globe -nominee Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) has been cast in a recurring role on Graves, a single-camera half-hour political satire starring Nick Nolte and Sela Ward, and produced by Lionsgate. Vardalos will play Annie Novak, a top political consultant with a killer instinct, who is hired to manage Margaret's (Sela Ward) potential Senate campaign. She and Margaret go way back; in fact, Margaret gave Annie her first job, and their old bond is still strong. However, Annie has to understand that Margaret's first loyalty is to her husband (Nick Nolte).

Vardalos, an alumna of the famed Chicago-based Second City sketch comedy company, is the screenwriter and lead actress of the sleeper hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Writing and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. She has just completed acting in her screenplay My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which she also produced. Her acting credits include the films My Life In Ruins, Connie and Carla (which she also wrote), as well as numerous guest appearances on television shows such as "Jane the Virgin," "Law & Order: SVU" and "Grey's Anatomy." Vardalos directed and starred in the feature film I Hate Valentine's Day and co-wrote Larry Crowne starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. She is also a New York Times Bestselling Author for her 2013 memoir Instant Mom, and donates all book proceeds to adoption groups.

The "Graves" cast includes:

• Three-time Academy Award Nominee Nick Nolte (A Walk in The Woods, The Thin Red Line) as Richard Graves;
• Golden Globe and two-time Emmy Award-winning actress Sela Ward (Gone Girl, "Sisters") as Margaret Graves;
• Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) as Isaiah Miller;
• Heléne Yorke ("Masters of Sex") as Olivia Graves;
• Chris Lowell (The Help) as Jeremy Graves;
• Callie Hernandez ("From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series") as Samantha; along with
• Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) as Jacob Mann;
• Roger Bart ("Desperate Housewives") as Lawrence Mills and
• Angélica Maria ("Qué Bonito Amor") as Ramona Alvarez.

Created and written by Joshua Michael Stern (Swing Vote, Jobs), Graves is executive produced by Stern and Oscar-winning producer Greg Shapiro (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) and produced by Bill Hill ("Veep," "Eastbound & Down"). The series is currently filming in New Mexico. Graves will premiere on EPIX in Fall 2016.

Vardalos is represented by APA and Untitled Entertainment.

About EPIX

EPIX is a premium movie and original programming entertainment network delivering the latest movie releases, classic film franchises, original documentaries, comedy and music events on TV, on demand, online and on digital devices. Launched in October 2009, EPIX has pioneered the development and proliferation of "TV Everywhere." It was the first premium network to provide multi-platform access to its content online at EPIX.com and to launch on Xbox, PlayStation, Android phones and tablets, and Roku players. EPIX is also available across Chromecast, Apple iPhones and iPads, Android TV and more and is the only premium service providing all its programming on all platforms, delivering more movies than any other premium network, with thousands of titles available for streaming.

EPIX is a joint venture between Viacom Inc., its Paramount Pictures unit, Lionsgate and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM). Through relationships with cable, satellite and telco partners, EPIX is available to over 50 million homes nationwide. For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHD (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), Youtube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX), Google+ (http://plus.google.com/+EPIX), Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/EPIX) and Vine (https://vine.co/EPIX).

About Lionsgate

Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms, video games and international distribution and sales. Lionsgate currently has more than 30 television shows on over 20 different networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and Syndication businesses, including the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New Black, the multiple Emmy Award-winning drama Mad Men, the hit broadcast network series Nashville, the Syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the acclaimed drama Manhattan and the breakoutseries The Royals.

Its feature film business has been fueled by such successes as the blockbuster first three installments of The Hunger Games franchise, the first two installments of the Divergent franchise, The Age of Adaline, CBS/Lionsgate's The DUFF, John Wick, Now You See Me, Roadside Attractions' Love & Mercy and Mr. Holmes, Lionsgate/Codeblack Films' Addicted and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

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