Poker Face's "A New Lease on Death" Guest Stars Explained: Awkwafina, David Alan Grier & More
Get to know the guest stars in Poker Face's latest Season 2 episode!
In New York State, about a million units are rent stabilized, limiting how much and how often landlords can raise the rent. An even smaller set of houses are rent controlled, more or less maintaining their rents for decades.
Rent control applies only to buildings which were constructed before February 1947 and tenants who have been in continuous residence since at least July 1, 1971. Today, there are a lucky few folks paying hundreds of dollars a month for apartments in the city, while their neighbors pay 10 times as much for similar digs. And if the tenants ever move out, those apartments become decontrolled. The only exception is for qualifying family members who inherit tenancy.
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With that sort of money on the line, a rent-controlled apartment in the Big Apple is the sort of thing a person would die for, and maybe even kill for, as you can see in Poker Face's latest guest-star packed episode, "A New Lease on Death." Fortunately, Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) has set up shop at the New York apartment of her CB radio friend Good Buddy (Steve Buscemi), which just so happens to be in the same building. And she’s going to crack the case or die trying.
Poker Face Season 2, Episode 9, "A New Lease on Death" is loaded with guest stars
The ninth episode of Poker Face Season 2, “A New Lease on Death,” opens on Anne Saint Marie (Lauren Tom), an elderly woman with a rent-controlled apartment in Brooklyn. She’s lived there since the ‘70s and pays peanuts for the privilege. She’s hoping to adopt her granddaughter Maddy, (Awkwafina), so she can pass the apartment on.
Lauren Tom plays Anne Saint Marie
Tom was born in Highland Park, Illinois, and her career began on the stage, where she was cast as Connie in a touring company of A Chorus Line.
She’s had a decades-long career in the movies and on television, beginning with a couple of episodes of The Facts of Life in 1982. Afterward, Tom appeared in everything from a 1986 episode of Saturday Night Live, to Quantum Leap, to Homicide: Life on the Street. Not to mention a starring role as Lena in the 1993 film The Joy Luck Club.
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In the second half of her career, Tom has focused largely on voice roles in things like Kevin Smith’s short lived animated Clerks cartoon, Rick and Morty, Teen Titans Go!, and Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Awkwafina plays Maddy Saint Marie
Born Nora Lum in Stony Brook, New York, Awkwafina is an actress, comedian, and musician. She got her start with a few hit songs on YouTube before releasing albums and lending her talents to the big and small screens.
You’ve seen her as Constance in Ocean’s Eight, Peik Lin Goh in Crazy Rich Asians, Sisu in Raya and the Last Dragon, Katy in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Rebecca in Renfield, and the voice of Tarantula in The Bad Guys.
Alia Shawkat plays Kate Forster
During a visit to the fruit stand, Anne has a meet cute with a woman named Kate (Alia Shawkat). Unfortunately, Kate is a career villain with a prolific criminal record and a hat trick of warrants. Seizing upon an opportunity to snatch up a rent-controlled apartment for herself, Kate weasels her way into Anne’s life and sets up a situation to get Maddy out of the picture.
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Born in Riverside, California, Shawkat is most well-known for portraying Maeby in 84 episodes of Arrested Development. She’s also played Dory Sief on Search Party, and Gwendolyn Y in two episodes of Severance, to name a few of her roles.
David Alan Grier plays Otto the landlord
You’ve seen him all over your TV screen for decades. Grier has appeared on Saturday Night Live, Comedy Bang! Bang!, and multiple roles on In Living Color.
On the stage, Grier performed in Dreamgirls and was Tony nominated for his role as Jackie Robinson in The First. He later won a Tony for his role in the 2021 revival of A Soldier’s Play. He played Charlie Addison in The Patient (opposite The Office’s Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson, star of the upcoming Office spinoff, The Paper). Most recently, Grier portrayed Ron on 18 episodes (and counting) of St. Denis Medical.
Catch new episodes of Poker Face Thursdays on Peacock, where you can also stream all the previously aired episodes right now!
