Geoffrey Owens is returning to the small screen with a recurring role in Tyler Perry’s OWN drama “The Haves and Have Nots,” an individual with knowledge of his casting told TheWrap on Friday.
Owens himself also told TheWrap on Thursday that he accepted the role.
Owens will fly to Atlanta, where the series films, to begin shooting next week. He will have a 10-episode arc on the drama, an insider told TheWrap.
Perry offered Owens a job after the former “Cosby Show” actor made headlines over the weekend after a woman photographed him bagging groceries at a New Jersey Trader Joe’s. The photo led to a wider conversation about work ethic and job-shaming.
“#GeoffreyOwens I’m about to start shootings OWN’s number one drama next week! Come join us!!! I have so much respect for people who hustle between gigs. The measure of a true artist,” Tyler Perry said on Twitter Tuesday, referring to “The Haves and Have Nots.” The drama is currently in its sixth season on the network.
Owens called Perry’s offer “generous” in an interview with TheWrap on Thursday.
“It was really generous of him to do that and to do that so publicly,” Owens said of the prolific producer . “It was very bold and courageous and generous of him.”
Owens has been applauded for his attitude toward his work ethic, and said earlier in the week that he doesn’t want an acting gig just because of his unexpected time in the limelight.
“I wouldn’t mind getting auditions … but I wouldn’t feel comfortable with someone giving me a job because this happened. I want to get a job because I’m the right person for that job,” Owens said on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.
He added that “there is no job that’s better than another job,” he continued. “It might pay better, it might have better benefits, it might look better on a resume and on paper. But actually, it’s not better. Every job is worthwhile and valuable.”
Owens played Elvin Tibideaux on “The Cosby” show on the final five seasons of the hit sitcom from 1985 to 1992. He has said since coming into the spotlight that lost residuals from the show after several networks pulled reruns after accusations of rape against Bill Cosby surfaced.
Cosby, who has denied any wrongdoing, was convicted in April of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his Pennsylvania home 14 years ago.