Writer and producer Lena Waithe recently made a name for herself as an actress after appearing in Aziz Ansari's Netflix series Master of None, playing the role of Denise, main character Dev's deadpan best friend, originally written as a white and straight character, before being rewritten as a black lesbian.

The 31 year old has received rave reviews for her role in the series, which picked up the Critics' Choice TV Award for Best Comedy Series this year. As a screenwriter, Waithe worked as a staff writer on the TV series Bones, and also has producing credits for the films Dear White People and I Will Follow. She is currently working on a drama pilot for Showtime, executive produced by Common, with the network's president David Nevins saying he was 'blown away' by her script when he first read it.