‘The Chi’: Why La La Anthony Says She ‘Can’t Completely Vouch’ for Dom’s Choices
Actor and personality La La Anthony joined the cast of Showtime’s The Chi in season 3. On the show, she plays an aspiring chef named Dom, who often finds herself in sticky situations.
La La recently spoke to Showbiz Cheat Sheet about what’s next for Dom on The Chi. She also shared why she doesn’t always agree with Dom’s personal life.
Why La La Anthony agreed to play Dom on ‘The Chi’
La La started acting during her time on the MTV show TRL. During the hosting gig, the New York native landed supporting roles on Two Can Play That Game and Sex and the City, per IMDb. After working on her reality show, La La’s Full Court Life, La La continued to book other roles. In 2014, she landed a regular part on Starz’s Power as LaKeisha Grant.
Although La La joined Power as the supportive, best friend to Tasha (Naturi Naughton), her role on the series expanded. While working on Power, another show, The Chi, caught La La’s attention.
“Even when I was on Power, I just thought The Chi was such an incredible show,” she says. “I love Lena Waithe, and I think she writes, you know, for us and understands us and just does a great job. So I was always paying attention to The Chi. I always told Lena, when the opportunity presents itself, this is a show I would love to be a part of. So the role of Dom came up, and I auditioned, and I got the part, which was amazing.”
How La La Anthony feels about Dom’s decisions on ‘The Chi’
The Chi fans first met La La’s character Dom in season 3. During that time, she connected with Emmett (Jacob Latimore) about running a late-night restaurant at his job, Sonny’s. However, their professional relationship went awry in season 3, episode 9, “Lackin’.” Dom and Emmett slept together in the episode, even though he’s dating his son’s mother, Tiffany (Hannaha Hall).
After Emmett proposed to Tiff, he and Dom broke off their affair. Nonetheless, she started dating his father, Darnell (Rolando Boyce), in season 4. When asked about Darnell and Dom’s romance, La La tells us she “can’t vouch” for the relationship. However, she says many people can relate to Dom’s choices.
“I think Dom is like a lot of women in the world who are looking for love, and it’s kind of like, ‘alright, well, this is what it is for now,’ La La explains. “Kind of just take it and, you know, it sucks just to settle because you feel like, ‘well, there’s nothing else out there.’ But I think in some ways, that’s what she’s doing. [Darnell is] just there. He’s present. It’s convenient. That’s why she’s doing it, but I don’t know how long it’s going to last.”
What La La wants ‘The Chi’ fans to take away from Dom
As The Chi Season 4 continues, La La says fans will have to wait and see what’s in store for Dom and Darnell. Although she doesn’t always agree with Dom, the mother of one hopes viewers will focus more on her ambitious drive and entrepreneurial spirit.
“I love how Dom’s a girl who has dreams of, you know, becoming a chef and starting some kind of business,” La La declares. “And she’s like, Look; I’ll work at Sonny’s for now until I figure it out. And so many of us are just trying to figure it out, you know. And I think that’s what makes the character relatable.”
