'Precious' Star Gabourey Sidibe Joining 'C Word'

Not many actors or actresses get Oscar buzz surrounding their debut performance, but Gabourey Sidibe is such a revelation as the lead in 'Precious' that Hollywood had no choice but to take notice. Now, Sidibe is looking to take that positive energy with her to Showtime's forthcoming pilot for 'The C Word.'

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sidibe is negotiating to appear in the pilot as a summer school student in the classroom of Cathy (three-time Academy Award nominee Laura Linney), a a suburban family woman and teacher who becomes diagnosed with cancer. It's pretty heavy subject matter, but the series is being billed as a dark comedy. Cathy chooses, rather than succumbing to her diagnosis, to find the lighter side of her situation.Not many actors or actresses get Oscar buzz surrounding their debut performance, but Gabourey Sidibe is such a revelation as the lead in 'Precious' that Hollywood had no choice but to take notice. Now, Sidibe is looking to take that positive energy with her to Showtime's forthcoming pilot for 'The C Word.'

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sidibe is negotiating to appear in the pilot as a summer school student in the classroom of Cathy (three-time Academy Award nominee Laura Linney), a a suburban family woman and teacher who becomes diagnosed with cancer. It's pretty heavy subject matter, but the series is being billed as a dark comedy. Cathy chooses, rather than succumbing to her diagnosis, to find the lighter side of her situation.

There's also the possibility that the role could become recurring. And while it's not clear what kind of a character she'll play, funny or darkly serious, Sidibe should be able to bring that magical sense of raw reality to it, as she did with a very challenging role in 'Precious.'

Sidibe's performance in 'Precious' got critics buzzing when the movie first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009. The film has already won several awards and it hasn't even reached wide release yet. It is expected to hit theaters nationwide November 6, 2009



Not only has Sidibe proven her acting chops, it can't hurt promotion of 'The C Word' to be able to announce the addition of a major awards contender like Gabourey Sidibe to their cast, even in a recurring capacity.

While not likely to win an Academy Award for his role in 'The Hangover,' HBO nevertheless was able to use the buzz surrounding Zach Galifianakis' performance in that film to promote their new series 'Bored to Death,' and it's met with success (a lot of it based on the response to Galifianakis). It never hurts to have a high-profile film connection when you're launching a new series in a crowded TV market.