An Oakland-based web series is adding a Hollywood actress to its cast when it returns for its second season in November.
Rosario Dawson, best known for her role in 2005's "Rent," appeared in a cameo at the end of the first season of "The North Pole." She'll return for the second season and is also an executive producer.
The comedy web series' seven-episode first season debuted in 2017.
It follows friends played by Santiago Rosas, Reyna Amaya and Donte Clark and their lives in their North Oakland neighborhoods.
It also attracted appearances from filmmaker and rapper Boots Riley, who received accolades for his debut film set in Oakland, "Sorry to Bother You," and rapper Mistah F.A.B.
The series gets its name as the young people of color in the neighborhood refer to themselves as "polar bears" because they feel like they're becoming endangered in their neighborhood through the forces of gentrification.
Dawson appears after a cliffhanger ending when Rosas' character, Benny Ramirez, is arrested and threatened with deportation. She plays his immigration attorney.
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The series creators raised $11,135 on Kickstarter last year to produce the second season. It will continue where the first season left off, with Ramirez running for sheriff to avoid deportation.
The seven-episode second season will debut in November. There will be a premier screening at Oakland's Grand Lake Theater on Sept. 4.
More information about the show, and a trailer for the series second season, is available at www.thenorthpoleshow.com.
