‘Riches’ Cast Members on Why Prime Video Series Is ‘Really Special’ (Exclusive)

Riches is the latest original series from Prime Video receiving a lot of praise. The story focuses on a Black British family battling for control over a cosmetics empire after the death of the patriarch Stephen Richards (Hugh Quarshie). PopCulture.com spoke exclusively to cast members Adeyinka Akinrinade, Nneka Okoye, and Ola Orebiyi about the show, and they explained why it’s something that hasn’t been seen before on television. 

“I mean, you ain’t seen this in London before, first of all,” Orebiyi, who plays Gus Richards, told exclusively to PopCulture. “So you’ve not heard it with that accent before, and that’s great. Definitely not seen London like this before, if you’ve ever seen London before. You’ve not seen a Nigerian family really like this before. There’s so many things, there’s so many things. And I really want to say this. The fact that there are some amazing actors in this, the acting is amazing, the people are amazing. So I think there are loads of things that make Riches really special.”

Akinrinade, Okoye, and Orebiyi play the three Richards children who are seeking control of the company Flair and Glory with their mother Claudia (Sarah Niles). The battle is between them against the other children from Stephen’s previous marriage, Nina (Deborah Ayorinde) and Simon (Emmanuel Imani) Richards as they were awarded the company after the will is revealed. 

Akinrinade, who plays Alesha Richards, reveals what she likes most about her character. “I think the best thing about Alesha is how well she is able to perceive herself externally,” she said. “I think she’s a very, very strong character. I think props to her for being so successful on her own, in her own right, with a beauty blogger career. And I think she hides her vulnerabilities really well. And I think that has its positives and its negatives, but I think that’s what I really, really love about her.”

Okoye, who plays Wanda Richards, likes that her character doesn’t apologize for who she is. “She is someone that knows that she’s quite wealthy and privileged, but she doesn’t shy away from it,” Okoye explained. “She sits in it, she leans into it, maybe a bit too much. But at the end of the day she, she’s quite comfortable with who she is. Or so it appears, anyway. So yeah, I think it’s just how unapologetic she is about who she is as a person.”

The three cast members also enjoy having Niles as their mom since she is known for being on the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso“Love Sarah, my mom loves Sarah,” Orebiyi said. “It’s crazy because Sarah is playing my mom. I just love her. She is full of experience, but also full of fun. Working with Sarah, it doesn’t feel like working. But at the same time, you are learning from this experienced woman. Sarah’s awesome.”