Trish Rainone is drawing on Snoop Dogg and Donald Trump for her latest role in a soon-to-be-released sitcom called Pink Is In.
The Saultite and seasoned actor/producer spoke with SooToday recently.
"It's a female-driven comedy set in a women's prison," she said. "I play Top Dog"
Her friend and producer of the show, Lisa Crawford, plays her muscle, her sidekick.
"Top Dog is an egomaniac," Rainone said. "She uses intimidation to rise to the top."
Rainone said she looked for people with confident, cocky demeanours to inspire her portrayal of Top Dog but that the character is surprisingly complex.
"'It's a dog-eat-dog world in there,' I thought. 'What would it be like to be somewhere you had to rise to the top or get taken advantage of?'" she said. "It was tons of fun and the writing is so funny!"
Featured cast members include the fabulous and funny Elley-Ray Hennessy (My Little Pony) as prison Warden Morgan Dungworth and veteran Canadian actress Margaret Lamarre as Ol’ Granny BJ, a former matinee film idol. Jon Welch (No Easy Days) plays handsome prison guard Jigz Festerson while Eileen Li (Jack Ryan) plays an escaped convict on the run. Trish Rainone (My Roommate Is An Escort) appears as the inmate known as Top Dog while Clyde Phillips Sr. (Rookie Blue) portrays sleepy Guard Goodman. Rounding out the key cast is one of the series' main writers, Kim Lombard, as prison CEO Pip Barnett.
Rainone took a break from 180 Sisterhood Productions, the broadcasting and media production company she and Rebeka Herron co-founded in Sault Ste. Marie to film Pink Is In this past summer in Hamilton.
Herron, from Vancouver, worked with Rainone on My Roommate's an Escort and decided to move to the Sault. The duo has been taking up the mantle of local production for the big and small screens.
They are in production of a film that was shot locally this summer, several commercials and a comedy series.
Recently they launched the first annual Sault Film Festival and work is underway on another feature-length film.
Rainone says she is very happy to have returned to the Sault.
"I spent a lot of time in Toronto building connections and gaining experience," she said. "Now I can stay home and audition for roles out of town, too. It's a much more balanced life."
She's also happily promoting the film industry in the Sault, spending time outdoors and with her family.
Catch the first season of My Roommate's an Escort for free on YouTube, find season two on SeekaTV and watch for Pink Is In to be released in January on Bell Fibe TV1.