Jennifer Jason Leigh, 'Fast Times At Ridgemont High' Actress, Added To ABC's 'Revenge' Cast

By Robert Ottone | July 23 2012 11:22 AM

ABC's drama Revenge, about a young woman seeking to destroy the rich Hamptons family that sent her father to prison, is adding a new cast member according to TV Guide/Yahoo TV. Jennifer Jason Leigh, best known for her roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Weeds and The Machinist, will be joining the cast playing star Emily VanCamp's mother. The show will be entering its second season, as well as moving to Sundays at 9/8c.

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ABC’s drama “Revenge”, about a young woman seeking to destroy the rich Hamptons family that sent her father to prison, is adding a new cast member: actress Jennifer Jason Leigh best known for her role in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."

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On the show's season finale, VanCamp's character (aptly named Emily) discovers that the mother she believed was long-dead is revealed to be alive. The show is well-known for its many twists and turns, as well as its relatively dark subject matter. Leigh made her mark on Hollywood early, in films like Fast Times At Ridgemont High opposite Sean Penn, the comedy Easy Money starring Rodney Dangerfield, and the horror-thriller The Hitcher, with Rutger Hauer and C. Thomas Howell.

Viewers, as well as lead character Emily, will be seeing psychological damage that her mother has in herself, according to Mike Kelley, creator and executive producer of Revenge. Leigh is known for playing characters that often suffer from psychological scarring in some way. Her character in Single White Female was a bit of a sociopath, obsessed with her roommate to the point of wanting to become her. Leigh was trained by Less Strasberg, legendary method actor, at the age of 14. Other notable Strasberg-trained actors include Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman as well as director Elia Kazan.

English actor Barry Sloane will also be joining the cast as a shady character from Emily's past. Sloane starred in the UK's Hollyoaks series, as well as Holby City.

Revenge returns this fall to ABC.