The UB Interview: Dionne Gipson Talks ‘Found’ S2

A new episode of NBC‘s “Found” premieres tonight Thursday, October 17th at 10 p.m ET.

On tonight‘s episode “Missing While Lonely,” an elderly widower engaged to a murderer disappears on her wedding day. Trent reveals new findings surrounding the death of Sir‘s mother.

Gabi baits Sir with a game of cat and mouse and navigates the fallout within her Mosely & Associates family.

The cast includes series star and producer Shanola Hampton, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Kelli Williams, Brett Dalton, Gabrielle Walsh, Arlen Escarpeta and Karan Oberoi.

Dionne Gipson has been added to the new season.

As Gina Quinn in “Found” Season 2, she plays such a pivotal role and pops up in Gabi/Lacey‘s flashbacks of their childhood that seep into the current plot as Lacey‘s second kidnapping unfolds.

Dionne “Didi” Gipson is a native of Atlanta, Georgia by way of Peoria, Illinois.

She made her professional stage debut with the hit musical Dream Girls at the 14th St. Playhouse, (Atlanta, Georgia). Some of her most revered productions include Purlie, and The Life and For Colored Girls.

She has sung professionally for Rick Springfield, Wayne Brady and Public Enemy, has written songs for soundtracks and played roles in films such as Josie and the Pussy Cats, Trois and Black Dynamite.

Dionne has co-written along-side greats like Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Raphael Saadiq and Chris Collingwood.

Aries from UB spoke to the multi-talented Dionne Gipson about her role on the NBC series “Found.”

Dionne tells us how she got the role of Gina and how she connects to the story.

She also shares with us what it’s like working on set with the cast and crew.

Plus Dionne dishes on season 2 and gets candid on why Gina is her ideal role and more!

UrbanBridgez.com: Excited to speak with you. “Found” is one of my favorite shows.
Dionne Gipson: Yes, it was mine, too! So excited to be working on it. I was like, I couldn’t believe it. I was like, yes, my favorite show I get to work on.

UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, that’s so amazing. That’s my first question, too. How did you land the role of Gina on Found?
Dionne Gipson: The regular audition process, I received…I guess they submitted me for it. My agents and managers submitted me for it, and then I did a tape audition, and then I got a call.

UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, that’s what’s up.
Dionne Gipson: Yeah, it was really fun. The excitement of it all from when I was told I was in the mix and then when everybody signed off on it, and then I had to leave, get packed right away and head there for a fitting and shoot. It was just so super exciting. Like wow.

UrbanBridgez.com: For those not familiar. Tell us about your character and how she relates to Lacy in the series.
Dionne Gipson: Okay, so my character’s name is Gina, and Gina is Lacy’s mother. And she knows Gabby as well. She became Gabby’s surrogate mom because Gabby’s mother had passed away. And Gabby had saved her child, which her name was Bella, and when she was smaller. And then took in Gabby because of Lacey, she saved her daughter. So they have that dynamic.

UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, I love it. And then you hit on it. But what was it about the series that made you want to be a part of it when you got the opportunity?
Dionne Gipson: Oh, wow. Well, first of all, I love Shanola Hampton. I watched her on Shameless, and I thought when I first saw the series, I saw a billboard, and I saw her face on it, And I was like, oh, my God, finally she’s getting a show. But this girl is so dope. How you see one of those actors and you go, oh, my God, she’s got to have her own show one day. So I was excited that she got her own show just watching her wonderful work on Shameless, I just thought, wow, she deserves her own show one day, and she got it. I was like, oh, I want to see what that’s about. So I watched the first episode, and it was so perfectly written. Like, the introduction of the characters, and then the little surprise at the end when we found out that girl had someone in the basement. It was just really cool. I think maybe about five or six years ago, there was an article. People were talking about how black kids in DC, I think there was a some story about maybe four or five missing little black kids that were in DC. Do you remember that?

UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, I think Tyler Perry addressed it as well.
Dionne Gipson: It was nice that they made a television show seemingly around that issue, which is definitely a big issue, the black and brown and the odd and the forgotten people and the people that aren’t looked for, that people care about them enough to try to find them and bring light in trying to find them. I think that’s amazing.

UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, definitely. What have you enjoyed most about filming the series, shooting your scenes?
Dionne Gipson: Oh, man. They’ve given me some wonderful episodes. I just can’t even lie. It’s been amazing. Every episode has been an actor’s dream to see a character unfold and build their arc about what you’re going to see in these people. I love the set. Everyday, going on set, they have music playing inside. The set is very fun. It’s a very fun and warm atmosphere. Everybody is just so nice from the minute I came on set the very first day. I was greeted with so many hugs and so much love. And Shanola is so fun. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard about how she works … She sings songs, she makes up songs, she gives people nicknames, she keeps the energy going. She’s just a light and so fun to work with. But I was greeted with open arms. And from the cast to the crew, everybody was warm and nurturing. When I met NK (Nkechi Okoro Carroll), she just gave me the warmest hug, and it just made me feel very, very happy to be there.

UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, it sounds like. And I was going to ask about working with the cast, and you touched on it on that question. Do you want to elaborate more about what it’s like working with them? I know you mentioned Shanola…
Dionne Gipson: Everybody’s really cool. Each person has their own personality. I learned a little bit about everybody because I got to work with pretty much each one of the series leads. And they’re like a big family, like a brother and sisters, and they joke and have fun. And I just get to sit back and watch all the crazy fun that they have. And they’ll try to get me in it and take a side. It’s really fun. Arlen is really, really cool. And he really made me feel great on set when I first came. And then Don is always… His real name is Karan. He’s always crack jokes. And then I got a chance to see Margaret preparing for her directorial debut. So it’s been really, really great. Then my daughter, we just got along so well. So both of my the little girls who play Gabby and Bella. Oh, my God. We had so much fun together. And then the Gabrielle who actually plays Lacy, she’s just a really warm person. I can’t complain about anything. Just the production from when I booked it, from the minute I signed everything to the minute I When I find it on set, it was just a very well-oiled machine. They had a down pat, and everybody was just so cool.

UrbanBridgez.com: That’s really good to hear. It’s always good to hear that on set that it’s as good as it appears to be.
Dionne Gipson: It really is. Honestly, I’ll be really transparent and honest. It’s really one of the coolest sets I’ve been on. It’s like one of those… I was on NCIS before, and that was another really well-oiled machine, and they’ve been around a long time. This crew, they’ve only been around, this is their second season, but they work as if this is like their 10th. It’s like really well-oiled machine.

UrbanBridgez.com: I love that. And then you have to tell our readers, they already know, but you have to tell our readers why they need to tune into every Thursday on NBC to watch “Found,” or if they’ve been watching while they need to keep watching?
Dionne Gipson: Okay. So far, I’m doing 11 episodes on the show, or 10 or 11. Now I can’t remember. But so I’ve gotten to see at least the first half of the season. And as a fan as well, I was an avid watcher last year. And if you think that you were in for some excitement and some craziness last season, get ready. Get ready. Strap in is all I have to say. It’s about to go down. Each script is… It just makes my mouth… Every time I got to read the script that was the next script, I was like, Oh, wow. What is… Okay. My mouth would drop like, Okay, out loud. I’d be like, Oh, this gasping and screaming out loud like, Oh, my God. So happy to be a part of the inside to see what’s happening.

UrbanBridgez.com: Definitely. I can say that I’ve advanced screened some more episodes, too. I think I’m up to four or five.
Dionne Gipson: That’s really great!

UrbanBridgez.com: And you’re in this week’s episode, which I love. I’m not going to give it away. But the scene with Bella, and something’s is found in that scene (no pun intended).
Dionne Gipson: Oh, yes. Yeah, the viewers will be like, oh, wow. Things are pretty bad for Bella. This experience has really done something to her mentally and emotionally. It’s really terrified her in ways that a lot of parents who’ve Most parents who have gone through this, you don’t know what to expect when you bring your child back from… If you’re lucky enough to get your child back from a situation like that, it’s you never know what you’re going to get from day to day. And boy, this next episode.

UrbanBridgez.com: Definitely. I love that you stated that. And then before we wrap, I have to ask you, what is your ideal role?
Dionne Gipson: This is a type of role. This is the type of role I’ve been waiting for. It’s deep, it’s colorful, it’s not one noted. She’s super layered. There’s an art for her that is amazing from where we start on the first episode of this season to where you’ll end up with Gina. And you see how she is in that first episode as the time has passed since that happened to her daughter, but you see her get to grow. And a lot of times when you work in television, you get one slice of life, but we get to advance. We get to move through some moments in her life, I would say, and we get to see her grow. So I love being able to tap in to a character like that. I come from the stage. And so a lot of times in plays, you get to… and movies, too, you get to see the character from the beginning to the end of the story. In television, it’s a slice of life. So you just get a day-to-day, but not really a full beginning to the… You know what I mean?

UrbanBridgez.com: Yeah, no doubt.
Dionne Gipson: So I love that I get to have a full arc with her and that’s an actor’s dream to be able to play different layers of a character or get to explore the different layers. This is definitely a dream role. I remember when I was auditioning for it, you get these auditions and you go, wow, I can really relate to that, or this is one I’m going to have to really pull something out the bag on this. And I don’t quite relate to it, but let me get creative on that. This was one of those ones that…after you turn in your tape, you go, Oh, I really hope I get something on this. Or I get a little bite on this one because this seems like it would be amazing. Well, number one, this is one of the shows I loved last year, so that’s one. And just from watching it, I knew that all the characters are so well written, and they have such great scenes and story-lines that I just knew that the story for this one was going to be amazing. NK is just an amazing writer. I watch All-American, too. I always thought that she was killing the game with her writing. And so with Found, I was like, Oh, yeah, I really hope I get this because I think I can really sink my teeth into this.

UrbanBridgez.com: Your character is very important to the story, so I’m very happy that you got that role. I definitely want to thank you again for taking time out to speak with me. Again, big fan of the show. So I hope you continue success and blessings.
Dionne Gipson: Thank you so much!