Newbies in town! Rachel Bilson and Kaitlyn Doubleday are set to make their Nashville debuts on the show’s midseason premiere, which airs on Thursday, June 1. The stars teased their characters — Alyssa Green and Jessie Caine, respectively — in new CMT videos.
As previously reported, Bilson, 35, plays Greene, a music executive who tries to help boost sales for Highway 65 Records.
“I just thought she was such a cool character. She’s a very strong woman,” the O.C. alum says. “She’s kind of a badass. … She’s also funny. There’s a lot of different layers to her and a character I never played before.”
Bilson warns that Greene doesn’t get the “warmest welcome,” though. “It’s a new person being thrown into the mix telling [the musicians] what they have to do creatively [that they probably] wouldn’t want to do,” Bilson explains. “Bringing in ideas to bring up the sales. I think there’s some interesting twists and turns.”
Bilson and Doubleday, 32, joined the cast following the death of character Rayna James (Connie Britton). The country superstar died following a car accident and had an emotional goodbye with her husband, Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten).
Luckily, Deacon will find comfort in Bluebird Cafe singer Caine — who has her own tragic past. “[She has] been going through a horribly bitter divorce and has lost custody of her son and is coming back to Nashville to take back her life,” Empire alum Doubleday explains of her role. “Deacon and Jessie had been acquaintances in the past and both are going through a pretty rough time and not looking to get involved with anyone. [They] have found some sort of solace in each other in knowing that they can trust with being vulnerable with the other person because the other person is in a vulnerable situation themselves. They’ve found a friend and ally in each other.”
Nashville’s fifth season returns on Thursday, June 1, on CMT at 9 p.m. ET.
