Former Rescue Me star Denis Leary has joined the season 3 cast of TNT’s hit drama series Animal Kingdom, which is set to return this summer.
Leary will be recurring on on the drama, joining series regulars Ellen Barkin, who plays the matriarch of the Cody clan, along with Scott Speedman, Shawn Hatosy, Ben Robson, Jake Weary, Finn Cole, Molly Gordon and Carolina Guerra. Leary will play Billy, Deran’s (Weary) drifter dad who Smurf (Barkin) kicked out years ago.
Inspired by the 2010 Australian movie of the same name from David Michôd, Animal Kingdom centers on teen Joshua “J” Cody (Cole), who moves in with his freewheeling, criminally inclined relatives in their Southern California beach town after his mother dies of a heroin overdose.
“Denis Leary’s extensive and successful career playing complicated, flawed characters makes him the perfect addition to this badass Animal Kingdom family,” said Sarah Aubrey, EVP of original programming for TNT.
Leary is joining Animal Kingdom as one of the series’ original male stars, Speedman, is eying an exit although he is expected to appear in a few episodes of Season 3 to wrap up the story of his character Barry ‘Baz’ Blackwell.
