Mekia Cox was born on November 18, 1981 in Christiansted on the island of Saint Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands). Growing up surrounded by the vibrant culture and music of the Caribbean, it is no surprise that Mekia started performing at a very young age. According to multiple sources, young Mekia performed solo song and dance from as young as 2 years old. It was also at the age of 2 that Mekia started studying dance. When she was 7 years old, the family moved to Orlando, Florida (U.S.), which is home to some major entertainment attractions, like Disney and Universal Studios. In 1989, Mekia's talent was attracting attention and she was asked to participate in Disney's Magic Kingdom Christmas Spectacular. In later interviews Mekia described it as a dream come true and that she was dancing on stage with iconic Disney characters, like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. For Mekia this was the start of a lifelong connection with Disney. In later interviews she mentioned that after performing at Disney World as a child, her dream was to once return as a Disney princess. 

While her career took off, Mekia balanced professional television work with serious training in dance, music and theatre and conventional schooling. In the 1990s Orlando was one of the major production centers for children's television. One of the major networks was Nickelodeon, and they operated from their famous studios at Universal Studios in Orlando. Soon after the Cox family settled in Florida, Mekia began booking jobs at Nickelodeon. She had (minor) guest roles in shows like "My Brother and Me," "Kenan & Kel" and "All That." Mekia attended Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando and during the late 90s, she was part of the school's Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) Magnet Program. (one of the most respected arts-focused public school programs in Florida). The specialized program was designed for students who wanted serious training in the arts, while completing a regular academic education. While Mekia focused on vocal training, she also studied music, stage performance and other acting related disciplines. Mekia graduated high school in 1999 and went on to study at Florida State University. At FSU, she was accepted into the school's highly regarded Musical Theatre program. During college Mekia also worked in summer theatre. In 2003, Mekia graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in Musical Theatre. Because of Mekia's decision to do both performing and education, she was already experienced in singing, dancing and acting by the time she graduated college. All of this experience was the reason that Mekia immediately started working professionally in touring musicals like "Fame" and "Smokey Joe's Cafe".

Mekia was ready for a stage based career and expected to move to New York eventually, but all of this changed when she went on a short trip to Los Angeles. She decided to audition for a couple of projects and ended up getting the job. What was supposed to be a short stay turned into a more permanent stay. Once she settled in Los Angeles, Mekia booked small guest roles in network shows like: “CSI: NY” (2005, Kia Rowe), “Half & Half” (2005, Alicia), “One Tree Hill” (2006, Faith Banks), “Bones” (2008, Celeste Cutler). In 2009, she worked as a dancer in Michael Jackson's documentary film "This is It". Although it never came to the expected concert tour, Mekia is featured in the documentary (especially in the "The Way You Make Me Feel" part. Also in 2009, she had her first breakthrough, when she landed the role of Sasha in 7 episodes of “90210” (which served as a sequel to the popular TV series “Beverly Hills 90210”). She appeared as a recurring character in season 2 and returned for 1 episode in season 3. 

Mekia’s first major regular role came in 2010 in J.J. Abrams’ spy drama “Undercovers”. She played the role of Lizzy in 11 episodes of the series first and only season. In 2011, Mekia played Tracy Tufuga in 1 episode of “The Mentalist”. In 2012, she played the role of Zetty Liston in 2 episodes of the romantic comedy series “Necessary Roughness”. In 2013, Mekia plays the role of Anya in 3 episodes of “Mob City”, created by Frank Darabont. In the years that followed, she played roles in shows like “Almost Human” (2013–2014, Anna), “Gotham” (2014, Dr. Thawson), “Grey’s Anatomy” (2015, Blair Unson), “Modern Family” (2016, Angie), “Impostor” (2016, Jasmine Evans) and “Secrets and Lies” (2016, Amanda Warner). In 2016, Mekia also lands the role of Robin Charles in “Chicago Med”, a role she would play for 27 episodes from 2016 until 2025.

In 2017, Mekia’s dream to become a (Disney) Princess comes true when she lands the role of Sabrina / Princess Tiana in “Once Upon a Time”. Tiana (from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog) is one of Disney’s most beloved modern princesses and Mekia played the role in 22 episodes in 2017/2018. She quickly grew out to be one of OUAT’s fan favorites. In 2019, Mekia had her definitive breakthrough when she joined the cast of “The Rookie” as Det. Nyla Harper. Her character was introduced in season 2 and she had some rough edges. Nyla enters the show as a former undercover agent, who had been psychologically affected by the job. Her character was written into the show as the replacement of the popular character Talia Bishop, which made viewers skeptical at first. Over time she grew out to be one of the show's most popular character. Now, after 122 episodes, she is an essential part of the show and Mekia will return in season 9 of the show, which was announced recently. That means we haven't seen the last of Nyla (and Mekia) yet ... Whoop whoop!

Did you know?

Did you know that Mekia auditioned for the role of Michonne in "The Walking Dead". Eventually it was between Danai Gurira, Mekia and one other girl. Eventually the role went to Danai Gurira, but can you imagine Mekia in that bad ass role?

Deric Augustine was born on April 3, 1990, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Deric Augustine Sr. and Donna Augustine. He has a twin brother, Deven, who is two minutes younger. The Augustine household was strongly shaped by their mother, Donna, whose influence played a central role in the boys’ early creative development. Deric was introduced to the entertainment industry at a very young age. When he and his brother were still toddlers, their mother encouraged them to model and perform, helping them secure print and catalog work throughout the early 1990s. As a child, Deric balanced a wide range of interests, including sports, academics, theater, and performing. Growing up in New Orleans exposed him to the city’s vibrant artistic culture — live music, storytelling traditions, and expressive creativity. At age thirteen, Deric became truly fascinated by acting, though the performing arts had already been part of his life for many years. During his early teens, he became increasingly involved in theater and discovered that acting offered him a meaningful way to express his emotions (deeper than modeling could ever do).

During his freshman year at high school (Deric was 14 or 15 years old) tragedy struck the Augustine family, when mother Donna suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. This tragic event made Deric reconsider his priorities. He temporarily stepped away from acting so he could help care for his mother, while also focusing on school and athletics. He later mentioned that this experience made him mature faster and really shaped his sense of responsibility.Deric had to change his future plans. Instead of leaving Louisiana to attend elite acting universities like Yale or Juilliard, he attended the University of New Orleans so he could stay near home to support his family during his mother’s recovery. It was during this time that football became very important in Deric’s life. Playing football offered him the much needed structure, discipline, emotional release and a new route towards scholarships and stability. Acting however never disappeared from his life, so even during these years he still participated in theatre and kept on developing his performance skills.

The years after his mother’s stroke were very hard, but they strengthened his resilience, patience, discipline, and sense of responsibility. The experience also deepened his bond with his mother even more.He graduated from the University of New Orleans with a degree in theater arts, and he also completed business‑ related coursework. His mother encouraged him to study both areas so he would understand the artistic side and the business side of the entertainment industry. At one point an injury stood in the way of his football career and after graduation, Deric moved to New York City to continue his professional acting training. In New York, he studied at the Negro Ensemble Company (founded in 1967 by actor‑producer Robert Hooks) and at the William Esper Studio, a renowned Manhattan acting school known for teaching the Meisner technique. During this time, he auditioned regularly, slowly building experience, honing his technical skills, and becoming more confident. Eventually, his hard work paid off and he began landing minor roles in films and series, including: "When The Game Stands Tall" (2014, as Senior #2), "The Vampire Diaries" (2016, as Frat Guy) and "Side Chick" (2016).

It was also during his time in New York, that Deric’s mother sadly passed away. He took some time off to mourn and come to terms with the loss of his mother. He went into therapy and founded a non profit organisation named Augustine’s Love Foundation in honor of his mother. When a show he was working on moved production to Los Angeles, Deric also moved to Hollywood. Before he started to land bigger roles, he worked some side jobs to help him make ends meet. One of these side jobs was a job as a food delivery driver. In later interviews Deric talked about how he used to deliver food to Nathan Fillion’s house not once but twice. Mind you this was years before he became Nathan’s co-star on “The Rookie”. Deric also said that Fillion was a generous tipper. Deric kept on auditioning and kept on getting minor roles in movies and TV shows like: “Where I Stand” (2017, as Young Lawrence), “Saints & Sinners” (2016-2017, as Young Levi), “Secrets” (2017, as Chris), “Criminal Minds” (2018, as Ray Murphy), “Cloak & Dagger” (2018, as Rockwell). Somewhere around 2018–2019, Deric was cast as Muhammad Ali in Godfather of Harlem, a major leap forward in his career. It was a challenging role because of Ali’s iconic status, but it also gave Deric the opportunity to work alongside established television actors such as Forest Whitaker, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Giancarlo Esposito. Deric ultimately portrayed Ali in four episodes between 2019 and 2025.

The role brought new attention to Deric as a serious actor capable of carrying major dramatic scenes. As a result, he began landing larger and more recurring roles. In the years leading up to his breakthrough, he appeared in several films and series, including Shameless (2020–2021, as Milton), Swagger (2021, as Lester Davis), and All American (2021–2023, as Clay). Deric’s big breakthrough arrived in 2024 when he joined the cast of The Rookie in the show’s seventh season. The show runners were looking to introduce a new generation of rookies, among them former Texas police officer Miles Penn, played by Deric. He was warmly welcomed by the cast and crew. When Miles was introduced, he was intended to be a recurring character. Miles grew out to be a fan favorite very fast and his character became more and more important throughout the season. For season 8, Deric was promoted to series regular, which can only mean we certainly haven’t seen the last of him yet.

Did you know?

Deric wrote a young adult fantasy novel, called "Nawlins", which revolves around Nawlins School of the Gifted. Nawlins is an all-black academy for gifted young wizards. It intertwines the vibrant culture of New Orleans with ancient powers. It was self published in 2025, with ISBN: 9798218880255

Oliver Stark was born Oliver Leon Jones on June 27, 1991, in London, England (UK). There isn’t much to be found about his family (Oliver tends to keep their names a secret), but we do know he has an older brother.Oliver was an athletic and energetic child, and his biggest passion was football. He grew up in North West London and his early life was quite ordinary.Oliver attended Hendon Secondary School in London, and it was in school that he gradually became interested in the performing arts. He took acting classes at the North London Performing Arts Centre, but in this early stage he did not consider acting a serious career choice. When Oliver graduated Hendon, he was originally going to study economics at university. He aspired to be the owner of some (construction) businesses. After some time to overthink it, he decided he did not just want to do something he was good at… he wanted to do something he loved. He decided he wanted to give acting a try and his parents were very supportive and told him to go for it. 

While trying to build up a résumé and break into the entertainment industry, Oliver worked a broad scala of jobs to make ends meet while chasing auditions. During this period, he worked as a call centre operator, a door‑to‑door salesman, a computer‑game salesman, a cleaner, and a nightclub promoter (among others). While working these jobs to pay the rent, he trained at the North London Performing Arts Centre and played in small theatre productions and short films. He also had to face a lot of rejection during these years. In later interviews, he talked openly about the anxiety and self‑doubt he experienced because of this. His first professional acting job came with the UK Film Council–funded short film “Follow.” It was also around this time that Oliver adopted the surname Stark. This happened when he joined the British Actors’ Union and discovered that the name Oliver Jones was already registered. He decided to take on his grandmother’s maiden name.

Oliver gradually built his early résumé through a series of British television roles, appearing in "Casualty" (2011, as Kyle DeNane), "Community" (2012, as Pack Leader), "Luther" (2013, as Shaun Butler), and "Dracula" (2013, as PC Barraclough). He also took on film roles, including "Montana" (2014, as Cal) and "Hard Tide" (2015, as Alfie). By the mid‑2010s, Oliver no longer felt creatively challenged in the United Kingdom. Auditions became scarce, and opportunities felt limited. Determined to push himself further, he made the bold decision to relocate to Los Angeles — the most competitive entertainment market in the world. It didn’t take long for his screen presence and emotional intelligence to draw attention. Soon after arriving, he secured his first major role in the post‑apocalyptic martial‑arts adventure series "Into the Badland"s, portraying Ryder across 16 episodes from 2015 to 2017. It became one of his earliest substantial recurring television roles and firmly placed him on the industry’s radar. In 2016, he also appeared as Gregor in the fantasy film "Underworld: Blood Wars".

But things still didn’t go as smoothly as you would think and after he landed his role as Ryder, he went through a year without work. At one point a casting director who always let Oliver audition, refuses him because he is not being consistent. This inspires Oliver to take up an acting class and his teacher helped him realise that he has been doing things wrong. Oliver always used to try to be the “perfect” actor until his teacher showed him that he had to go into auditions showing them his unique self. A month later his manager gets him an audition for a new show called “9‑1‑1”. For the audition he got just three scenes (no character breakdown). During the audition Oliver decides to bring a piece of himself to the role. It works and Oliver lands his breakthrough role as Evan Buckley in “9‑1‑1”. The show premiered in 2018 and now 8 years, 9 seasons and 143 episodes further the show and the character of Buck are still immensely popular, and a 10th season is coming up.

Did you know?

One of Oliver’s most unique and recognizable features is the birthmark around his left eye and eyebrow. An acting teacher once suggested he should have it removed, but he never even considered doing it, because he was never insecure about it. Oliver simply calls it a part of him