Ashlee Simpson-Wentz has confirmed that she will star as a lead on the CW's new version of Melrose Place this fall. T.i. will be her first time back on television series since landing her breakthrough role on 7th Heaven seven years ago.
"I'm thrilled to be joining the cast of Melrose Place and I look forward to being a part of its new generation of residents," Simpson-Wentz said in a statement.
The singer-actress, 24, will play Melrose Place's newest resident, Violet, a bright-eyed but shrewd small-town girl who recently moved to L.A. with a big secret. She is said to be very manipulative, using her girl-next-door charm to get what she wants. Her character is being described as similar to the original series’ Southern belle, Sandy Harling (Amy Locane).
Simpson-Wentz, who joins the previously cast Michael Rady and Katie Cassidy, took a four-year hiatus from acting to focus on her music career. But now she "wanted something stable so she could be close to her baby," a source close to the actress told People.
Meanwhile, Ashlee and her rocker husband, Pete Wentz, will also guest star on the March 18 episode of CBS's CSI: NY as a Bonnie-and-Clyde-like couple who get caught up in a drug deal gone bad.
