Why Frankie From Animal Kingdom Looks So Familiar
If there's one thing you learn from watching "Animal Kingdom" on TNT, aka the family crime drama you need to binge, it's that being a criminal means you genuinely can't trust anyone around you. The Cody family learned that the hard way in Seasons 3 and 4 with the introduction of Frankie, as played by Dichen Lachman, who used to date Billy (Denis Leary), but strikes up a brief romance with Craig (Ben Robson). While it looks like she could be a valuable asset to the Codys' criminal organization, it's all for naught, as she soon turns on the family so that she can get her own robbery ring going.
Frankie's poised to have an even bigger role on the series as we move into Season 5, and with Smurf (Ellen Barkin) out of the picture for good now, there's a power vacuum anyone could step into. Coming off a voice role in Disney's "Raya and the Last Dragon" as well as a recurring role on "Severance," big things are in store for the actress. Here are some of the other big roles you may recognize her from.
Dichen Lachman took a trip to the Dollhouse
"Dollhouse" is a show grappling with themes related to personhood, consent, and identity. The basic premise involves a corporation that rents out humans known as "Actives" who no longer have their original memories. Instead, they receive personalities and memories based on whatever mission the renters desire — whether that involves corporate espionage or assassination. Sadly for fans of high-concept science-fiction, the series only lasted for two seasons, but that was enough for Dichen Lachman to make her mark.
She plays Sierra, an Active who was originally a painter by the name of Priya Tsetsang. Priya's in love with another Active, Victor (Enver Gjokaj), and despite the fact that their minds continually get wiped, they find themselves constantly attracted to each other. While a lot of pain and suffering accrues throughout the show, the two wind up together by the series finale, in which they reconcile and agree to raise their child together.
In an interview with The Los Angeles Times Blog, she praised her role on the series, stating, "She's done things that I never thought would come up. It's sort of an actor's dream to have a role like this because you are playing a different character every week."
She showed a whole new side of herself on Shameless
From mega dollhouses to the South side of Chicago, Dichen Lachman looks right at home anywhere, which is why it was such a treat to see her pop up in the Season 4 finale of "Shameless" as Angela. It was clear she was going to be an important figure moving forward, considering she was driving in a car alongside Jimmy (Justin Chatwin) aka the ex-boyfriend of Fiona (Emmy Rossum). Starting in Season 5, it's revealed that the two are business partners of sorts.
At first, she's the one communicating with Fiona, leaving her $200 tips in the process, but soon, Jimmy makes it known that he's still alive, and while Fiona swore she was over him, the two nonetheless hook up. This causes problems, because at this point in the show, Fiona is married to Gus (Steve Kazee), and as expected, it's not long until the marriage deteriorates entirely. Angela leaves the series shortly thereafter, but she and Fiona leave off on relatively good terms; Angela even mentions that she likes Fiona.
It's still a shame she didn't come back before the series ended after 11 seasons.
She played an important role on Agents of SHIELD
When "Agents of SHIELD" first came onto the scene in 2013 after the massive success of "The Avengers," the show had a lot of questions to answer. The Inhumans were supposed to play a prominent role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward, effectively serving as the studio's answer to the X-Men, since the film rights to those characters were still in the hands of 20th Century Fox at the time. They were initially introduced on "Agents of SHIELD" as Skye's parents — Calvin (Kyle McLachlan) and Jiaying (Dichen Lachman). They're both Inhumans, and as fate would have it, Skye turns out to be an Inhuman as well, with her full powers unlocked in the "SHIELD" Season 2 finale.
Lachman's character may have met her end by the season finale, but it wasn't the last time Lachman appeared on the show. She came back in the Season 7 episode, "Stolen," when the team traveled back in time to 1983.
What's next for the talented actress? The horizon's brighter than a Terrigen crystal.