'Castle' Cast News, Update: Executive Producer Alexi Hawley Talks About Toks Olagundoye as Haley Shipton

By Arvin Donguines, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, August 20, 2015

A new casting update from Entertainment Weekly featured the latest newcomer in ABC's hit action drama TV series "Castle" Season 8, Toks Olagundoye.

According to the publication, the "Neighbors" alum will debut in the series premiere as the "free-spirited and quick-witted independent investigator Hayley Shipton."

"[Toks] plays a really dynamic, fun character," showrunner Alexi Hawley told EW. "It's a voice that the show doesn't have. What's great about her is Castle [Nathan Fillion] has been investigating cases police-adjacent, so it's always about doing things the way police would. She doesn't do things that way, so that fun dynamic of, 'No, we break in rather than get a warrant,' is kind of fun."

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Hawley further explained to the media outlet that despite the fact that Castle will be spending more time with Hayley now that Beckett (Stana Katic) has been promoted to captain, the newbie will also serve as a "mentor to Alexis (Molly Quinn) in a way that Beckett has been" as a "little bit more of an older sister."

Speaking of Alexis, the EP went on to divulge to EW that Season 8 will also feature the growth of the character that has been on the show for seven seasons.

Now that she's a grown-up, fans should expect Quinn's character to be "more sophisticated" and that her "relationship with her father will change because she's not a little girl anymore."

Meanwhile, another latest scoop from TV Line's Matt Webb Mitovich cited co-showrunner Terence Paul Winter teasing about the lingering presence of Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan) in Season 8. Winter explained that despite her absence, Martha still remains "very much a part of Castle's life."

"Don't think that just because she now has her own place and is doing well on Broadway that we're not going to see her sharing her wisdom with her favorite and only son," Winter said (via TV Line).