Why Lieutenant Seager From Chicago Fire Looks So Familiar
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"Chicago Fire" has been on fire during Season 10, with the writers and cast unleashing a firehose of drama in the wake of the surprise exit of fan-favorite character Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) earlier in the season. Between the introduction of good-guy-with-a-checkered-past Lieutenant Pelham (Brett Dalton) and the search for an arsonist who started a church fire, there's been no shortage of fires to put out.
But one of the more intriguing developments of the show's landmark 10th season is the return of a character last seen in Season 8 — a character that already has some fans sounding the alarm because of her apparent romantic interest in the recently engaged Severide (Taylor Kinney). That character is Lieutenant Wendy Seager, and whether or not she ends up playing a role in breaking up Severide and Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), Seager definitely has the devoted "One Chicago" fan community's attention.
Seager is once again played by actress-musician Andy Allo, and if fans are wondering why she looks so familiar (besides her character's introduction two seasons ago), they may be surprised to learn all the places they may have already seen her — or even just heard her.
Andy Allo was in a band with rock legend Prince
Long before her successful acting career, Andy Allo had equal success as a musician. Born in Cameroon, Allo moved to Sacramento, California, when she was just 11, according to a profile in Sactown Magazine, and she now holds dual citizenship in both the United States and her birth country. Attending college in Sacramento, her band Allo and the Traffic Jam played on street corners for tips, and eventually, she released her first album, "UnFresh," in 2009.
Allo's music career took a major turn when she joined forces with the late rock legend Prince, playing guitar and singing in his backing band New Power Generation and appearing on two of his albums. While touring with Prince, she began writing with him, and the two collaborated on three songs that appeared on Allo's 2012 album "Superconductor," a hit that debuted at No. 1 on Amazon's Soul and R&B charts (via Noise11).
It was around this time that Allo began getting her feet wet as an actress. Her first brush with TV success came with a recurring role on the hit sitcom "The Game." In 2011, shortly after the former UPN series was revived for BET, Allo played Allison, the girlfriend of Tee Tee (Barry Floyd). Still, Allo at that time was primarily focused on her music, and after teaming with Prince, she released more albums on her own, including 2015's "Hello" and 2017's "One Step Closer." But her experience on "The Game" proved to be a precursor to a second career as an actress that would garner Allo even more recognition.
Andy Allo broke through as an actress in Pitch Perfect 3
Allo's breakthrough role as an actress was a natural one for her since she was able to utilize her singing talent in a major movie franchise all about music. Allo played Serenity, a member of the hilariously-named group Evermoist, in the 2017 blockbuster sequel "Pitch Perfect 3," acting and singing alongside fellow Evermoist member Calamity, played by future Batwoman Ruby Rose. The Anna Kendrick-Rebel Wilson movie, like its two predecessors, was a huge hit, raking in over $185 million, according to The Numbers.
In a treat for fans of her music, Allo even shows up on the "Pitch Perfect 3" soundtrack, which features Evermoist's performance of "How a Heart Unbreaks." And as mentioned, "Pitch Perfect 3" achieved massive success — certainly, it was bigger than the little-seen movies Allo had done leading up to it, such as 2015's "Warrior," 2016's "Hacked," and 2017's "The Hero." Needless to say, Allo was poised for bigger and better things as an actress.
Andy Allo again played a musician on Black Lightning
Andy Allo's exposure in the "Pitch Perfect" franchise led to a prominent role in two 2018 episodes of the popular CW superhero series "Black Lightning," playing — you guessed it — a musician. Her character, Zoe B., becomes romantically involved with Black Lightning's daughter Anissa (Nafessa Williams), also known by her superhero monikers, Thunder and Blackbird. The character's episodes were part of Season 2 of the series that starred Cress Williams as the hero whose powers involve controlling electricity and magnets (not to mention some pretty cool martial arts skills).
Although Allo's appearances as Zoe B. were brief, her character made an impression on fans and once again showcased a talent that was ready for larger roles. It was around this time that Allo also made her debut as Wendy Seager on "Chicago Fire," but her time at Firehouse 51 was short. This was in part because Allo took a regular role on a new series, finally joining a TV series main cast, and this time, she wasn't even playing a musician.
Andy Allo gained her widest TV exposure as a main character on Upload
Allo's biggest role to date came in the ambitious Amazon Prime series "Upload." The 2020 comedy came from the mind of Greg Daniels ("The Office," "Parks and Recreation," "King of the Hill") and starred Robbie Amell as Nathan, a dead man whose soul is uploaded to a virtual afterlife following a suspiciously premature death. Allo plays Nora, a living, human customer service rep who helps keep the whole operation going and bonds with Nathan. Her work on the show won her wide praise, with THR enthusing, "Allo, primarily a musician previously, is shockingly natural on-camera playing out this atypical romance. ... Allo is the breakout here."
Amazon has renewed "Upload" for a second season, but no release date has yet been announced. The production schedule has clearly afforded Allo enough time to return to "Chicago Fire," where her character of Wendy Seager has been a major presence as Season 10 has unfolded. What's next for Seager, Nora of "Upload," and Allo herself isn't clear yet, but one thing is for sure: fans will be watching Andy Allo's career in TV and music continue to heat up like the smoldering blazes she investigates on "Chicago Fire."