Acting alumna Amber Chardae Robinson ’15 appears as a series regular on Apple TV’s Palm Royale, which premiered in March, 2024 and has just been renewed for a second season this month. She plays the role of Virginia.
Palm Royale follows an ambitious woman (Kristen Wiig) as she plots to become the Queen of America’s most exclusive table: Palm Beach high society circa 1969. The series is based on the novel Mr. & Mrs. American Pie (Inkshares, 2018) by Juliet McDaniel. The series creator, Abe Sylvia (Dead to Me and George and Tammy) has assembled a star-studded cast including Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Kaia Gerber and Carol Burnett.
Virginia is a Black feminist bookstore owner in Palm Beach, Florida, who struggles to fit in with the high society culture focused on social status and fundraising. While local residents are engrossed in the Shiny Sheet Newspaper’s coverage of elite events and socialites, Virginia’s interests and identity set her apart from this world.
“Virginia’s a fish out of water. It was fun for me,” Chardae Robinson told The Albuquerque Journal. “Virginia is trying to navigate all [the] energies that don’t really mix with hers. Being in 1969, as a Black woman, is a very specific time for us. To be able to see someone that looks like me, in an environment where there aren’t many people that do look like me, is a good thing. (Virginia is) also trying to be a beacon of light for women and lead them to the water on being independent. The thing I struggled with was seeing myself in the feminist movement today.”
Amber Chardae Robinson was born and raised in Port Arthur, Texas. Amber is a proud graduate of Prairie View A&M University (BA Theatre 2012) and Columbia University. Recent film credits include: Judas and the Black Messiah, Moving On, 80 for Brady, So Help Me Todd, Loot, Stuber, Always a Bridesmaid, The Neighborhood, Hell On Wheels. Theatre credits include: off-Broadway: The Comedy of Errors, Light, Fen, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Classic Stage Company); regional: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (California Shakespeare Company).
