Rings Of Power Star Cynthia Addai-Robinson Should Have Had Her Big Break On This '00s Series
Cynthia Addai-Robinson was introduced in Episode 3 of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" as Queen Regent Míriel. The character is set to appear in six episodes total of the first season, but you might have seen her in any of her other big roles, including the role of Dr. Vicki Glass in "Chicago Med," Nadine Memphis in the short-lived USA series "Shooter," and of course her role as the Arrowverse's version of Amanda Waller.
However, Addai-Robinson didn't originally audition for the role of Míriel. In an interview with NME, she revealed that when she originally auditioned for "The Rings of Power," she tried out for the role of Bronwyn, a role that later went to Nazanin Boniadi. While she was heartbroken that she didn't get the role she auditioned for, Addai-Robinson got the chance to audition for Míriel instead, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Still, in 2006, over 15 years before "The Rings of Power," Addai-Robinson almost landed a part that could have been the actress' big break
She was almost the star of The Game
According to a 2006 report from The Futon Critic, Cynthia Addai-Robinson was originally cast as the lead character of Melanie in the 2006 sitcom "The Game" before being replaced with Tia Mowry-Hardrict of "Sister, Sister" fame at the last minute and with no explanation. "The Game" followed the lives of the girlfriends and wives of professional football players. Mowry-Hardrict played the lead role on the show up until the end of Season 5, and the show continued on without her (though she did make a guest appearance in the series finale, "Pow Pow Pow!!"). "The Game" ran from 2006 through 2015 on The CW. Paramount+ launched a reboot of the show in 2021, which is still going.
In an interview with TVLine, Mowry-Hardrict confirmed that there are no plans for her to return for the show's revival. "For right now, there have been no conversations about me coming back, and I'm good with that," she told the outlet. "I'm doing so many things. As I've gotten older, I try to do things that have impact and that are purposeful and inspirational in some kind of way in my life. There are things I like to focus on, and those are the things I put time and energy into."
After being replaced in "The Game," Addai-Robinson found herself taking a lot of smaller roles, including a guest spot on "CSI: Miami," another on "CSI: New York," and two appearances in the short-lived Courtney Cox vehicle, "Dirt." Her more recent roles have gotten bigger, but she almost had a chance to become the star that she is now back in 2006. It just goes to show how much luck is involved with show business success.