The Gifted Casts Skyler Samuels in Recurring Role

Skyler Samuels has joined The Gifted TV show cast in a recurring role. In both comic and film versions of The X-Men, the lines between good and evil have not always been clear. While the persecution of mutants by a fearful human population is an ongoing theme, as it is in FOX’s new series The Gifted, it is always revealed that these mutations often bestow extraordinarily dangerous powers. Even those with good intentions can cause harm unintentionally, and wielding uncontrollable power can do damaging things to a person’s psyche.

Another prominent storyline of The Gifted is Reed Strucker’s change in perspective about mutants when his own children develop powers – powers that cause them to be hunted by the government’s deadly Sentinel Services. Formerly an attorney that prosecuted mutants, Reed switched sides to protect his family and help the Mutant Underground. As we’ve seen in the trailer for the upcoming episode, “threat of eXtinction”, Reed will soon learn that his children weren’t the first members of his family with mutant powers.

Family secret bombshells won’t be the only thing going on in this Monday’s episode. Deadline reports that Samuels (Scream Queens) will be taking on a recurring role in The Gifted, and the official synopsis for “threat of eXtinction” includes her in the guest cast list. Samuels will play Esme, a “refugee mutant with telepathic abilities and a mysterious past.”

Skyler Samuels as Grace in Scream Queens

That description sounds suspiciously like Esme Cuckoo, a Marvel Comics character created by Grant Morrison and Ethan van Sciver that first appeared in New X-Men #118 – Germ Free Generation Part One. Esme was one of five psychically-linked sisters trained by Emma Frost at the Xavier Institute. The synopsis for The Gifted‘s “threat of eXtinction” notes that the flood of refugees coming into the Mutant Underground contains a spy for Sentinel Services. There’s no way to know if Esme will be that spy, but in the comics she did eventually turn evil and seek revenge on her sisters, Emma, and later – Magneto.

After appearing on a succession of teen shows, Samuels appeared on the big screen alongside Mae Whitman and Robbie Amell in The DUFF. TV viewers probably recognize her best from her role as Grace Gardner in the first season of Scream Queens, and as Bonnie Lipton in American Horror Story: Freak Show. She should do well at portraying all the mysterious and frightening qualities of a possibly morally-conflicted and powerful mutant in upcoming episodes of The Gifted.

The Gifted continues with “threat of eXtinction”, which is scheduled to air on Monday, November 20 at 9pm on FOX.