Max's 'Duster,' named for the 1970s muscle car, features a young actress from the Motor City

Yahoo

15-05-2025

Sometimes the universe gives you a sign that you're on the right path. In Sydney Elisabeth's case, that sign was Diana Ross.
The young actress from Detroit, who is part of the cast of the new Max series "Duster," was getting ready to fly from New York to Los Angeles for the show's red-carpet premiere when she spotted the Motown legend in the Delta One Lounge.
Fate — and the plane's seating chart — took care of the rest. 'She was one seat ahead of me on the plane. It was insane!' says Elisabeth, who asked a flight attendant to slip Ross a note explaining how she had gone to Cass Technical High School just like Ross and how the glamorous look she was planning for the "Duster" event was inspired directly by Ross.
After about 20 minutes, Ross turned around and said, 'You're from Detroit?' A full conversation ensued that Elisabeth was still processing as she arrived at her hotel. Then, when she opened the balcony door in her room, she saw a huge 'Duster' poster on the side of a building.
After some initial "freaking out," she says, another feeling took over. 'I felt so peaceful and like I was in alignment. I felt like it was such a sign. I felt I am exactly where I'm meant to be.'
'Duster,' which premieres May 15 at 9 p.m. on Max, is easily one of the most stylish vehicles of the current TV season. With its 1972 setting, retro fashions, cool automobiles and impressive stunt driving, it has a vintage feel crossed with the fast pace and complex plotting of a contemporary show.
The series is the creation of filmmaker and TV producer J.J. Abrams, who has gone from making small-screen hits like 'Felicity' and 'Alias' to directing 2009's 'Star Trek' and 2015's 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' and LaToya Morgan, whose credits range from AMC's history drama "Turn: Washington's Spies" to Showtime's family saga "Shameless."
Abrams told the Hollywood Reporter that the idea for 'Duster' came from an image in his head "of a phone in the middle of the desert and a car driving up, and a guy getting on the phone to find out where he was meant to go next. It implied some kind of crazy intrigue, and I didn't know what the answer was, but I knew it was compelling.'
"Duster" stars Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson as two characters from opposite sides of the law who become enmeshed in that intrigue.
Holloway plays Jim, a driver for an Arizona crime boss, Ezra (Keith David), who is known as 'the Southwest Al Capone.' Jim is so loyal that he is trusted with delivering a new heart for Ezra's ailing son in the first episode.
Hilson portrays Nina, a brand-new FBI agent who faces racism and sexism, but is determined to bring down Ezra's syndicate. Nina enlists Jim's help in the mission and, as a result, Jim's life 'goes from dangerous to wildly, stupidly dangerous,' as the Max description teases.
More: New Max series 'Duster,' set in the 1970s, puts a vintage muscle car in the title role
Elisabeth has a supporting role as Ezra's daughter, Genesis, who defies the stay-at-home stereotypes of the era by owning a bar and who has the cool charisma of a '70s-era action star like Pam Grier.
Plenty of screen time goes to the 1970 red Duster two-door coupe that is Jim's sweet ride and the reason for the title of the series. But it's not the only set of wheels on screen. 'I also have my own car in the show that I learned how to drive, a Firebird,' says Elisabeth, referring to Pontiac's '70s-era competitor to the Ford Mustang.
ln fact, part of Elisabeth's job on the set was learning how to drive a car with manual transmission. She practiced a few hours before having to go in front of the cameras and seamlessly drive the stick-shift Firebird.
'It was only a take or two and not really driving. You know how Josh is driving! I'm literally pulling into a parking lot and then driving off," she says. "But the stunt coordinator did have me drive across the city to have a feel for it. So I can drive stick, technically.'
Elisabeth has been acting since she was a teen in Detroit. She honed her skills at the Mosaic Youth Theatre and in the performing arts program at Cass Tech, where she found a mentor in Marilyn McCormick, the now-retired high school teacher who was honored in 2016 with an excellence in theater education award from the Tony Awards in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University.
At Cass Tech, McCormick guided future success stories like playwright Dominique Morisseau and actress Chante Adams, among many others. Elisabeth credits "MC," as McCormick's students affectionately call her, with helping her understand the depth and artistry involved in acting.
Elisabeth earned her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in New Jersey and spent time in college studying abroad at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
She was accepted into New York University's Tisch School of the Arts' prestigious graduate-level acting program, which takes only 16 students each year. While getting her master's degree, she also studied abroad, this time at the British American Drama Academy in London.
As a grad student, Elisabeth regularly put in nearly 12-hour days six days a week, taking classes during the day and doing rehearsals at night. When she completed the program in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, she had to try out for roles through online auditions, sometimes completing as many as 10 a day.
She landed her part in 'Duster' in 2021 and was busy with filming in 2023 when production was temporarily shut down by the Hollywood writers strike. Filming on the first season's eight episodes finally was finished last year. The May 15 debut represents a four-year journey for Elisabeth, whose previous TV experience was appearing on a 2021 episode of Tracy Morgan's TBS comedy, "The Last O.G."
Although trained in theater, Elisabeth says she likes the process of doing a TV series. 'I really think that there is something beautiful about being able to get deeper into a character and learn more about a character over years. Hopefully with another season with ("Duster"), I'll see how Genesis continues to evolve.'
She says she learned a lot from working with industry veterans like Holloway ('When I first saw him, I was shook,' says the 'Lost' fan) and David, a character actor known for hundreds of movies and TV shows, from the 1982 film horror classic 'The Thing' to 2023's 'Justified: City Primeval' limited series, where he played a Detroit judge.
David and his wife have become her good friends, says Elisabeth, who admires his approach to his craft. 'He really (became) a true father figure in the industry for me now and I'm so grateful I got to learn from him on set.'
Now based in New York City, Elisabeth says she goes home to Detroit often. Her family was just in California with her to attend the 'Duster' premiere. 'I had to bring them to my first one,' she says, noting that her 17-year-old sister, who attends Cass Tech, probably enjoyed the experience the most.
Elisabeth says she hopes to build a versatile career in acting. 'I would love to be on another TV show. … I would love to do movies. I would love to be on Broadway. That's something that's a huge goal for me. I'm also a singer, so I would love to do some music on the side, not necessarily be a pop star,' she says with a laugh.
Whatever is next, she is clear about the big picture. Elisabeth says she wants to 'just continue to do art that makes me happy and makes people feel seen and loved and heard.'
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at [e-mail].
Debuts at 9 p.m. May 15 on Max. Additional episodes arrive every Thursday through July 3.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit actress is part of the stylish 'Duster' series on Max