The actress, co-hosted Friday's Entertainment Tonight, shared details about her iconic role.
Michael Michele is putting her own spin on Dominique Deveraux.
The actress stars as the iconic Dynasty character in The CW reboot, which is based on the 1980s soap opera. Her character was originally portrayed by Diahann Carroll, who paved the way for many Black actresses in the entertainment industry. While co-hosting Friday's episode of Entertainment Tonight, Michele called Carroll her "inspiration" and touched on how she's reimagining the role for 2021.
"I definitely had to make it my own because it's 2021," she told ET's Rachel Smith. "A lot changes in three or four decades. But there's a bit more humor than the original. But she is my personal inspiration, like Diahann Carroll the woman more so than even Dominique Deveraux the actress."
Michele has always loved taking on tough characters, but with Dominique she likes to have fun.
"The cops, docs and lawyers, the tough women, I always liked," she shared. "But I said now was the time for me to have a bit more fun. Fun and sass. Dominique gets to be sassy and fun and I can live in it because mama has lived for several years. So I can bring a bit of that in this type of role. It's fun. Fun's the operative word. I'm having fun."
Dominique, meanwhile, will stop at no end to make sure her son is taken care of. The same goes for Michele and her 17-year-old son, J. Brandon, who is ready to head to college. She's preparing to be an empty nester.
"He's my buddy. I tell him he's my No. 1," she expressed, before sharing the benefits of being on their own. "But I'll get a little bit of myself back when he goes to college, which will also be fun. But I'm looking forward to seeing him grow into the young man I'm sure he will become."
Michele, meanwhile, promised a lot of "shocking" moments on Dynasty's season 4 finale -- and she delivered. With the fourth season completed, she can't wait to get back to Atlanta to start filming the fifth.
"I am [excited] and fortunately it's close to home so it's a quick flight. But we're ready to go," she shared. "We had a brief little break, but we're ready to get back."
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