Ana Villafañe to Star in CBS’ Comedy Pilot “To Whom It May Concern”

Ana Villafañehas reason for concern

The 29-year-old Cuban and Salvadoran American actress has landed a series regular role opposite Michael Angarano and Briga Heelan in To Whom It May Concern, CBS’ comedy pilot from Gail Berman’s The Jackal Group and CBS Television Studios

Ana Villafañe

Mark Cendrowski willdirectthe pilot, which will also star Raymond Ablack, Michael Cassidy and Taylor Dearden.

Written by Mike MetzTo Whom It May Concern centers on Evan (Angarano), who with the help of his group of 20-something friends, sets out to accomplish a list of challenges he wrote for himself years ago in an effort to turn around his banal life.

Villafañe will play Lea Carter, an elementary school English teacher, who’s breezy and cool – like the Pittsburgh weather never is. Life decisions have always come easily, but when she reconnects with Evan and friends, she wonders for the first time if there’s more out there. The ever-smitten Evan has hoped that means him… since 9th grade.

Villafañe is best known for originating the role of Gloria Estefanin the Tony Awardnominated hit bio-musical about Estefan’s life, On Your Feet. She was most recently seen off-Broadwaystarring in the critically acclaimed production of Collective Rage.

Last year she booked the CBS pilot History of Them

Ana Villafañe Signs Talent Deal with ABC Studios/ABC Entertainment

Ana Villafañe has a new deal…

The 29-year-old Cuban and Salvadoran American actress and singer has a signed a one-year overall talent deal with ABC Studios and ABC Entertainment.

Ana Villafañe

Under the pact, ABC Studios and ABC will target comedy and drama projects for Villafañe.

Villafañe made her Broadway debut portraying Gloria Estefan in the TonyAward-nominated hit musical On Your Feet!, earning the 2016 Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut Performance.

On the screen, she played the female lead in Max Steel and has appeared on Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle.

Most recently, she starred in the Sony Television Studios/CBS Studios/CBS half-hour multi-camera pilot History of Them, written and executive produced by Gloria Calderon Kellett.

Villafañe will return to the New York stage later this month in a new comedy by Jen SilvermanCollective Rage, being produced by MCC.

Ana Villafañe Lands Lead Role in CBS’ Comedy Project “History of Them”

Ana Villafañe is ready to make history

The 28-year-old Cuban and Salvadoran-American actress/singer, the star of the Gloria Estefan Broadway musical On Your Feet!, will star as the female lead in CBS’ comedy project History of Them.

Ana Villafañe

From One Day at a Time co-creator/executive producer Gloria Calderon Kellett. the semi-autobiographical project is a multi-cultural (Latinx & white) romantic comedy about how two friends, Luna (Villafañe) and Adam, fell in love, narrated by their future daughter, using the couple’s social media from present-day (Instagram/Twitter/Facebook) as a guide.

Villafañe’s smart and spunky Luna runs a successful Latinx food truck business with her parents. Despite this, she struggles with what she wants and doesn’t feel like a fully-fledged grown up yet. She wants to find love and figure out who she is separate from her very tight-knit family, and her journey will be full of bumps and bruises as she navigates the rest of her twenties.

Director Pam Fryman, who helmed several episodes of Netflix’s One Day at a Time reboot, including the key opening one, has come on board as director/executive producer.

History of Them, from Sony Pictures Television Studios and CBS Television Studios, landed at CBS in August in a very competitive situation with a big pilot production commitment. While it hasn’t been formally picked up to pilot yet, attaching Villafañe and Fryman, combined with the size of the commitment, a green light is expected.

Kellett executive produces via her Glo Nation banner alongside Marc Provissiero of Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment and Fryman.

Villafañe made her Broadway debut as Gloria Estefan in the hit musical On Your Feet!, earning the 2016 Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut Performance. On the screen, she played the female lead in Max Steel and starred in the Hulu original series South Beach. Her other credits include Los Americans, Rizzoli & Isles and Mozart in the Jungle.

History Of Them marks Kellett’s return to CBS and to the hybrid comedy format. She began her writing career as a staff writer on the network’s hybrid comedy series How I Met Your Mother, which was executive produced and directed by Fryman.