'Dexter' Star Julie Benz Lands Role on Hit FOX Series
The 9-1-1: Lone Star family is growing, with Julie Benz joining the series. Benz is best known for playing Rita on Dexter and Darla on Angel. Her Angel co-star Amy Acker will also appear in the show, but they will not be in the same episode together.
Benz's first appearance will come in the Season 3 premiere, which airs on Fox Monday, Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. ET. She plays Sadie, an artist who lives in a cabin next to Rob Lowe's Owen Strand in the hill country. Her skills as a naturalist will be tested when Austin is struck by an ice storm.
It's not clear if Sadie will appear in more than one episode, but executive producer Tim Minear teased a possible romantic connection between her and Owen. "Saide is there for this first adventure... and she absolutely could come back at some point, Minear told TV Insider. "Owen and Sadie are not really a romantic coupling so much as two formidable self-assured people who find each other in a moment of crisis."
Acker will play Catherine, the chief of staff for the Texas governor in the Feb. 7 episode. She was booked for multiple episodes. Catherine will come into Owen's "orbit," Minear said. They have an instant connection, and a "super fun and sexy" dynamic.
Benz appeared as Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. She played Rita Bennett, who appeared in the first four seasons of Dexter. The character eventually married Dexter (Michael C. Hall) and was killed off at the end of Season 4. Benz is not involved in the new miniseries Dexter: New Blood, which debuted on Showtime in November.
Benz's other TV credits include Love, Victor, On Becoming a God in Central Florida, Hawaii Five-0, Training Day, Defiance, A Gifted Man and Desperate Housewives. She also starred in Rambo, Saw V, Punisher: War Zone, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, and the Lifetime movie Secrets of a Gold Digger Killer.
9-1-1: Lone Star is the first 9-1-1 spin-off and stars Lowe as Owen, a former New York City firefighter captain who moves to Austin, Texas to become a first responder with his son, TK (Ronen Rubinstein). The cast also includes Sierra McClain, Jim Parrack, Brian Michael Smith, and Gina Torres. The first season ended with the 126 being closed and Owen punching Deputy Fire Chief Billy Tyson (Billy Burke).