CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – A 2018 graduate of Coastal Carolina University will soon appear on a hit TV show on Oprah Winfrey’s network.
Nikko Austen Smith recently landed a role on the show called “Queen Sugar,” which is in its third season on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Smith says she’ll be in several episodes during the season.
“Queen Sugar” is based on a novel by Natalie Baszile. It follows the Bordelon family, who inherits a large sugarcane farm in Louisiana.
Smith graduated from Coastal Carolina in May. During her last semester, she quickly traveled to New Orleans for a callback and landed the role.
Her character’s name is Asha, who Smith says is an activist like her.
“She’s very big in the Black Lives Matter movement,” Smith said. “She’s just a force to be reckoned with, she’s fiery, she’ll go the extra mile and she always speaks her mind. Those are attributes that I want to work on in myself personally.”
Smith says she had to travel to New Orleans, learn her part and still finish up her classes at CCU.
“So I’ve been here in NOLA on-and-off since March, trying to be here and also trying to graduate from Coastal,” she said. “So that’s been a journey, but it all worked out for the best.”
Smith also says the “Queen Sugar” cast has been very welcoming to her.
“The catchphrase that we always say is ‘gimme sugar, gimme sugar, gimme sugar,'” Smith said. “So that’s a hashtag that goes along with the show. It’s just been really fun and such a blessing.”
New episodes of “Queen Sugar” air Wednesday nights at 10 on OWN.
Smith says once she’s done shooting this season’s episodes, she’ll go to Virginia in July to be in a feature film.
