After teasing fans about his role as Frederick Douglass last September, John Legend will finally debut his portrayal of the iconic abolitionist on the this week’s episode of WGN’s “Underground.”
During the special episode titled “Whiteface,” Legend will appear as the historical figure alongside a group of prominent abolitionists attending a Philadelphia party hosted by the show’s character Cato (played by Alano Miller), according to a press release for the episode.
Known as a world-renowned leader and human rights activist, Douglass escaped from slavery at age 20 and went on to become one of the most distinguished leaders of the abolitionist movement. He would later document his years as a slave in the 1845 memoir Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, followed by the release of two autobiographies My Bondage and My Freedom in 1855, and The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass in 1881.
According to Legend, who also serves as an executive producer of the WGN America network drama series, portraying the legendary author, and orator was a huge honor and humbling experience.
“I looked at it as an honor, to be able to do that, to represent someone that I had been reading about since I was a little kid,” he said during a January interview with Variety. “It’s humbling to take on that role, but I felt like it was a huge honor and I wanted to do what I could to help the show.”
The special episode of “Underground” will air on April 5 at 10 p.m. EST on WGN America. Check out a preview of John Legend’s appearance in the clip above.
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