disorder, Byers said "I researched everything I could on paper." The actor also studied two separate cases of "manic episodes," both extremes, but total opposites; the first person was "very fast, so fast that he induced a stutter... Another one was really mellow, not depressed, though, still in a manic state, but just really, really slow." Byers wanted to find a balance for Andre between the two. Most significantly, during the filming of the movie Selma, Byers attended a family reunion in which he witnessed his uncle "talking to himself for an hour, almost in a different voice. It was very disturbing, coming from this brilliant man -- he's a genius outside of his disorder. It really caught me off guard, and later I found out that my character is bipolar as well, so that really served me." Relationship with Rhonda In his quest to rise to the top of the company, Andre has his wife Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) by his side. Byers described the dynamic between the two as a "modern day Macbeth." While there is an initial belief that Rhonda has ill motives, Byers said "I don't think that she does." He agreed with the show creators' assessment that the relationship between Andre and Rhonda "is actually the most pure, fully functional [one] on the show." While the relationship can appear to be very "twisted," they are "ride or die." Rhonda only serves as an "instigator" to keep him motivated as he goes against his family. Andre sees a kindred spirit in Rhonda because "They both had to work for where they are" and they have a "similar background." Of the pairing, Byers said "They're actually the greatest love story on this show. They're the only two people who genuinely love each other and have each other's back through it all."After Rhonda faced a terrible death in Season 3, Andre was heart-broken and weak without her, because of his Bipolar Disorder, she returns to him in hallucinations. References External links Andre Lyon at the Internet Movie Database Empire (2015 TV series) Fictional African-American people Television characters introduced in 2015 Fictional characters with bipolar disorder Fictional attempted suicides Fictional characters from Philadelphia Fictional characters from New York City Fictional businesspeople American male characters in television