‘Empire’ season 2 spoilers: Marisa Tomei joins cast as successful billionare

“Empire” has done nothing other than completely blow people out of the water with some of their guest casting, and this is not going to change at all based on some of the latest casting news that we’ve got for you today.

According to the latest report coming in now via Deadline, Marisa Tomei has been brought on board for a recurring role in season 2 as Mimi Whiteman, a billionaire venture capitalist who somehow finds herself involved in all of the various in-fighting within the Lyon family. Given all of the money she already has, why in the world is she wasting her time here? That’s a worthy question. Some of it apparently stems from her hip-hop music, which means that she may just want to be someone who is right in the middle of the music scene.

The casting notice also makes it clear that she is a lesbian, which means that at some point along the line this season there could also be a love interest. GLBT issues have been a part of “Empire” since the beginning, but they have always been presented in a very organic, matter-of-fact way.

Filming for season 2 has already begun, and we have seen Terence Howard filming with one of the other notable guest stars of the season in Chris Rock. We know that Lenny Kravitz has signed on to play a part, and there is at least some interest in getting Oprah Winfrey. Whether or not that actually happens, on the other hand, remains to be seen.

Like casting of Tomei here for the part? Let us know, and take a look at some of our other “Empire” coverage to prepare for the September 23 premiere! Also, you can sign up now to score some additional TV updates on all we cover, courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Fox.)