A Field Guide To Teyonah Parris

Autumn is upon us, and with it, the arrival of a whole new slate of TV shows – and a whole new slate of nude scenes. We're keeping an eye on all the promising new shows – and one that's already caught our eye is "Survivor's Remorse," a new Starz comedy backed by LeBron James that tells the tale of a talented twentysomething who gets thrust into the spotlight after signing multi-million dollar basketball contracts. Sure, it might not sound like a buffet of boobies – but given that it's a Starz show, we suspect it'll have much more nudity than you'd guess at first glance. And if we had to pick a lady we're hoping to see naked? Teyonah Parris all the way.

Granted, there are quite a few female cast members who we'd love to see getting sexy (Erica Ash – from "Scary Movie 5" and "Real Husbands of Hollywood" – most definitely comes to mind, and we wouldn't mind getting to know Tichina Arnold (remember her in "Martin"?) a little better), but Teyonah's had our eye ever since she debuted as Dawn on "Mad Men." As Don Draper's secretary, her character follows in the footsteps of the one played by the show's resident sexpot Christina Hendricks – and though her charms differ quite a bit from those of Christina, we think Teyonah is equally delectable.

A delightful Southern belle, Parris grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, and started drawing attention to herself from a very early age. As early as freshman year, she'd secured the title of Ms. Lower Richland High School, breaking not one, but two, barriers as both the first African-American and the first freshman to win the competition. But there's always been more to Teyonah than just a beauty queen: in addition to winning coveted pageant titles, she spent her youth playing softball, cheerleading, and performing in her school's step and dance teams. Oh, and she also spent some time establishing a modeling career (though with a face like that, how could she not?).

After graduating from South Carolina Govenor's School for Arts and Humanities, Parris moved to New York to attend the prestigious Juilliard School (like so many of her talented actress peers!). Juilliard put her on an early path towards excellence, pairing her with distinguished professors who helped her hone her skills – and got her well on her way to a successful career. Not long after her days at Juilliard, Parris landed her first big screen role, appearing alongside none other than Reese Witherspoon in "How Do You Know" (Parris had the pleasure of playing Witherspoon's BFF). from there, Parris secured the role that really put her on the map: Dawn Chambers in "Mad Men."

Unlike Christina Hendricks, whose role on "Mad Men" has been defined by her sex appeal, Parris has garnered far more attention for her status as the show's first black cast member (as well as a symbol of the era's changing attitudes towards race). Most of her wardrobe has left a lot to the imagination (as she told Zap2it, "My character comes in the first episode and has a skirt below her knees that is wool fully covered with ruffles.") – but don't think for a second that real life Parris is as buttoned up as Dawn Chambers. In an early interview, she cited the always alluring Beyonce as a style icon (and given her softball shaped physique, we would absolutely love to see her rocking some Beyoncesque togs).

Those interested in seeing a sexier side of Parris would do well to check out "Dear White People," a smart critique of race on elite university campuses that showcases Parris as the life of a party that goes a little bit awry. It's that kind of performance that has us hoping she'll be the source of the inevitable adult content that Starz works into its programming. 

A little more about that role, by the way: as we mentioned above, "Survivor's Remorse" is the story of Cam Calloway, a basketball talent who gets signed and moves to Georgia to kick off his career; bringing a bit of his family along for the ride. Parris plays Missy, the wife of Cam's cousin Reggie, described as "the kind of gorgeous, put-together woman who commands immediate attention... Penn-educated, wealthy, suspicious and has never lost an argument. She doesn't shrink in Reggie's presence and is his equal in every way and he knows it." Or, in other words, our dream girl.

Granted, it remains to be seen if Parris actually sheds some layers for "Survivor's Remorse," but something tells us that even if she remains fully clothed, she'll be bringing a whole lot of sexiness to the project. And, well, let's just put it on the record that if and when she does decide to go nude, we'll be eagerly awaiting and ready to applaud (or whatever else is the suitable reaction).