Why Robin Charles From Chicago Med Looks So Familiar
NBC's "One Chicago" universe may have begun with "Chicago Fire," but the addition of "Chicago Med" to the lineup in 2015 added a new flavor to the franchise. The series focuses on the staff and patients of the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center as they navigate the day-to-day trials and tribulations of being a large hospital in a major metropolitan area.
One of the key recurring characters on the show has been Robin Charles. The daughter of Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt), the head of psychiatry at Gaffney, Robin is initially diagnosed with schizophrenia and is admitted as a patient in Season 2. She is put through a series of tests after it's suspected that her illness is physical and not psychological, and a tumor is eventually discovered and removed. However, concerns remain about the possibility of her schizophrenia returning, as well as the side effects of the treatment. Then, in Season 3, she is caught shoplifting.
If the actor who plays Robin Charles looks familiar, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you; this TV actor has appeared on more than one hit series. The "Chicago Med" character is played by Mekia Cox, and here's why she looks so familiar.
Cox first made her mark on the 90210 reboot
Mekia Cox rose to fame on The CW series "90210," a reboot of the '90s teen drama "Beverly Hills, 90210." Cox plays Sasha, a DJ who meets Dixon Wilson (played by Tristan Wilds) at a pizza shop in Season 2, Episode 3, "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat." Dixon, who is still in high school, pretends to be older and in the music business, keeping up the ruse with the help of his friends at a boat party he attends where Sasha is the DJ.
The two strike up a relationship, but Sasha soon becomes suspicious, leading her to follow Dixon. She spots spotting him with his adopted mother, Debbie Wilson (Lori Loughlin), and believes Dixon and Debbie are married. Sasha talks to Debbie and discovers Dixon is her son and is in high school, leading to their breakup. Dixon, however, keeps pursuing Sasha, and the two soon reignite their relationship despite the obvious issues around an adult dating a minor. However, it's Sasha's controlling nature (she refuses to go anywhere together due to not wanting to be spotted together) that pushes Dixon to break up with her. Following this, she becomes erratic, hoping to win him back by telling him she is pregnant — a lie Debbie uncovers and tells her son.
Cox ended her seven-episode run on "90210" when her character returned in Season 3, Episode 4, "The Bachelors," to tell Dixon she is HIV positive, encouraging him to get tested.
She played a duplicitous character on Secrets and Lies
Following appearances on the short-lived "Undercovers," "Key & Peele," "Gotham," and "Grey's Anatomy" (via IMDb), Mekia's Cox's next major television appearance was in the crime drama "Secrets and Lies." The ABC series was short-lived, running a mere two seasons despite its intriguing premise: To present a new case each season with the same detective investigating each season. Cox is part of the show's second season, where she plays Amanda Young, also known as Amanda Warner, the younger sister of Michael Ealy's Eric Warner.
In Season 2, Eric is accused of murdering his wife Kate (Jordana Brewster) after the police rule she was pushed off a rooftop. Amanda, a seasoned lawyer, is not only connected to Eric through blood but is the one responsible for introducing her brother to his late wife. With so many personal connections to the case, Amanda becomes Eric's legal counsel in the investigation conducted by Detective Andrea Cornell, played by "Yellowjackets" actor Juliette Lewis.
In the season finale, "The Truth," it's revealed that Kate and Amanda were both on the rooftop on the fateful night that kicks off the Season 2 story. Audiences learn that Kate shares that she was pregnant with Amanda, whose marriage was falling apart due to her own fertility issues. The conversation leads to a fight between the close friends, and Amanda is revealed to be the one who pushed Kate off the roof.
Cox portrayed a Disney princess on Once Upon A Time
Mekia Cox hopped from one genre-driven series to the next after "Secrets and Lies." In 2017, she joined ABC's fairytale shared universe series "Once Upon A Time." The "Chicago Med" actor made her first appearance in the Season 7 premiere as Sabine, a character later revealed to be Princess Tiana. If that name rings a bell, it's because Tiana first appeared in the 2009 animated Disney film "The Princess and The Frog."
Tiana is introduced as suffering from financial ruin due to the King's iron grip on the land, and she sells most of her belongings alongside her mother, Eudora (Robin Givens). She realizes that most of the land is suffering due to the King's tyranny and starts a resistance to overthrow him. Tiana recruits Cinderella (Dania Ramirez) to her cause, as well as Regina (Lana Parrilla) and Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue). Tiana ultimately becomes queen, and when she's informed of an alligator putting people's lives in danger, she leads the hunt. She joins forces with Prince Naveen (Jeff Pierre), who has a spear that can kill the alligator, and the two engage in a fight with the beast in which she kills the animal using the spear.
The curse makes Tiana become Sabine, a woman who bakes beignets for comfort and works as a caterer. Once her memories are returned, she retreats to making beignets again to clear her mind and ultimately decides to work on helping her people cope with the sudden change that came from the return of their memories.
Cox went from Chicago Med to The Rookie
Following her turn on "Chicago Med," Mekia Cox hopped into the ABC police procedural "The Rookie," starring Nathan Fillion as the titular LAPD rookie. The actor joined the show in its second season. She plays Nyla Harper, the training officer for John Nolan (Fillion), after fellow rookie Talia Bishop (Afton Williamson) quits the force.
It's revealed that Harper was undercover for four years before returning to the LAPD and had her choice of where she would've liked to be reinstated. She chose to be a patrol officer, a decision that confuses other police officers. It's subsequently revealed that Harper has a daughter and is fighting for shared custody with her ex-husband. Nolan discovers this and supports her fight, and she credits his support with helping her win the case and get shared custody of her daughter. In Season 3, Harper runs into trouble for assisting with an unauthorized investigation into a crooked officer and slowly rekindles her dating life. When Nolan gets promoted in the show's fourth season, Harper takes on training Aaron Thorsen, played by Tru Valentino.
Cox remains a key member of the cast of "The Rookie." The actor regularly shares updates about her time on the show on social media, too. In mid-February, she thanked "The Rookie" showrunner Alexi Hawley and the show's writers for incorporating her real-life pregnancy into Harper's Season 4 arc (via Instagram).