Tasha Smith is a larger than life actress who brings an endearing
combination of chemistry, raw intensity, vulnerability and sheer
sensuality to every character she portrays on the big screen. In other
words, she's a consummate thespian who is just loved by the camera. And
her memorable performances in two Tyler Perry pictures last year, ’Why
Did I Get Married’ and ’Daddy's
Little Girls,’ led this critic to name her the best African-American
actress of 2007 in my annual film
Blacktrospective.
Previously, the beguiling beauty has played a wide range of roles in
such feature films as ’ATL,’ ’The Good Mother’ and ’The Whole Ten
Yards.’ Tasha is also well-known for her critically-acclaimed portrayal
of the drug-addicted Ronnie Boyce in HBO's Emmy Award-winning
mini-series, ’The Corner,’ directed by Charles S. Dutton.
She has guest starred on such popular television shows as ’Nip/Tuck,’
’America's Next Top Model,’ ’Girlfriends,’ ’Without a Trace,’ and
’Strong Medicine,’ among others. Plus, she's served as the executive
producer and host of her own talk show for the Oxygen Network, ’Tasha
Vision,’ guest hosted, ’Later with Greg Kinnear,’ and recently appeared
as a field correspondent on ’The Tyra Banks Show.’
Away from the set, she divides her time between sharing her
inspirational life story as a motivational speaker and mentoring
aspiring actors at the Tasha Smith Actors Workshop in Los Angeles (watch
a video about the workshop).
Here, Tasha talks from the heart about both her career and her fears.
The Why Did I Get Married Interview
with Kam Williams
KW: Hey, Tasha, thanks for the time.
TS: Kam, are you kidding me? I am so honored and excited to talk
to you. How are you doing?
KW: No, I'm honored to be speaking with you. In my opinion, you were
the best actress last year, hands down. I'm just surprised your work
wasn't widely acknowledged during awards season. But I guess, like the
way it was for Philip Seymour Hoffman and some other great actors and
actresses, it takes awhile to get recognized. Afterall, Christian Bale
still has never been nominated for an Oscar.
TS: Yeah, I understand that. I really do. I just thank you for
all your wonderful comments.
KW: Those were simply my honest appraisal of your performances. What did
you rely upon to create the characters, Angela and Jennifer, that you
played in those Tyler Perry movies?
TS: Well, sometimes other actors do or don't agree with my
process in terms of the approach that I use and teach to my students.
[Chuckles] But I feel that once you look at and discover what a
character's need is within a script, every character is already in us
based on their need, whether that need be for power, love, acceptance,
forgiveness or something else. You follow me? So, after I discover that
for the character within the script, then I find things within myself
that I can activate that could help me to tell the story of the
character.
KW: Do you research a character, too, or is it all an internal process?
TS: I did do research for Daddy's Little Girls, because of
Jennifer's belief system in terms of selling drugs. So, I spoke to a
bunch of different drug dealers who really didn't want to reform. They
didn't want to change. I was just trying to understand the mentality. We
all have a psychological reason why we have adopted the belief systems
which determine our perspectives and directions in life, and our
actions. I try to understand that mental part of the character in order
to figure out how I might relate it to myself and to similar people I've
seen and experienced. I end up with layers of things, but overall, and I
don't know how people will feel about this statement, overall, I think
that there is a part of us in every character we play, a desperate part
of all of us that we could utilize. Not that, if someone plays a
murderer, there's a murderer within that person, but there's a seed to
get power back within that person.
KW: That makes me think of Javier Bardem's frightening portrayal of the
killer in No Country for Old Men. That was quite a despicable character.
TS: Yes, but, as an actor, you have to stay true to the
character. We can never judge our characters. All we can discover is why
they so badly need to do what they’re doing. And everyone has a reason
why, even a murderer. For example, when I did The Corner, everyone may
not necessarily be a drug addict, but everyone has a vice that's in the
life of a drug. You follow me?
KW: Yep.
TS: Everyone has something that they desperately need that makes
them feel good, that they don't want anything to get in the way of.
Whether it's a man's golf game’ whether it's a woman's cooking’ I have a
friend who has to clean. She's addicted to cleaning. That's her drug.
When she becomes upset and frustrated that she's not getting enough sex
from her husband, she has to clean. So, everyone has their addiction.
KW: I think you also did an excellent job as Angela in Why Did I Get
Married.
TS: Thank you. I tell you that role was interesting for me in
that it helped me get freedom, because I was going through my own
divorce at the time, and I think that we can live vicariously through
our characters. So, the stuff that I might not have been able to say or
do in real life, I could live all that as Angela. And I joke with women
a lot, because they come up to me and say, ’I love the way you spoke up
and got him. My intention was for her to be every black woman's hero. I
wanted her to be that woman who would put every ho in check. You know
how we've all had that kind of woman come into our lives? Well, we
needed a spokesperson, and I wanted Angela to be that for us.
KW: What I liked about your treatment of Angela was the richness you
brought to the character. She wasn't merely the stereotypical, sassy,
superficial, one-dimensional sister we usually see on the screen.
TS: You know what was the best thing to me about Angela? That she
got a chance to say everything she needed to say, because sometimes, as
women, we don't get a chance to do that. She got a chance to say
everything she needed to say, and to allow herself to be frustrated,
angry and hurt, but she still was able to get her man back. That was a
blessing. I love that I was able to do that, because personally, for
myself, divorce was really sad. I felt bad to have to get divorced. I
wasn't proud of that. But, in that role, I got a chance to see what it
feels like to win. It was great to see that these two could have all
their differences, and all the drama’ Hello! Yet, then they had the
restoration. It was wonderful! I was so happy about that, I couldn't
tell you.
KW: I see that you're playing another character named Angela in
Something Like a Business, an ensemble comedy with Keith David, Kym
Whitley, David Alan Grier, Clifton Powell, Kevin Hart and a bunch of
other folks.
TS: You know what? Something Like a Business, I'm going to tell
you Kam, was my ’fun’ movie. That was kind of like me going to the
amusement park with a bunch of my friends. It is a funny, silly comedy.
I play a completely different character. She's a broke escort who moves
from New Orleans to Washington, DC. Her escort company doesn't have any
money, so they’re trying to figure out ways to make some money. It's a
little spoofy and very different, but I think it's entertaining and
people will get a good laugh.
KW: What are you filming now?
TS: Comeback, with Ice Cube. It's a wonderful movie. Keke Palmer
plays my daughter. This film is absolutely fantastic. It's such an
uplifting story. And I'm enjoying it so much because I don't have any
children, and everything is about my daughter. I just love it because I
want to have children one day. So, I enjoy playing this woman Claire
who's trying to help make her daughter's dream come true. It's
beautiful. I think you’ll get a kick out of it.
KW: you're originally from Camden, right?
TS: Born and raised.
KW: When did you leave New Jersey?
TS: I moved out of Camden when I was 18, turning 19.
KW: Do you still go back?
TS: We went back and got the key to the city. I did a little tour
there and spoke at the high schools and at the performing arts schools,
and took a bunch of friends from the ’hood to the opening day of Why Did
I Get Married.
KW: I know you have an identical twin, Sidra. Usually, one twin has a
more dominant personality. Let me guess, it's you in this case.
TS: Yeah, probably me. [Laughs] But she's strong, too. I'm
probably more vocal.
KW: Is she an actress, too?
TS: No, she works behind the scenes. She's a terrific
producer/director/writer. She doesn't want to have anything to do with
acting.
KW: Is she producing anything with you in mind?
TS: Yeah, we have a few projects we're working on right now.
She's actually producing one of
E. Lynn Harris’ books, Not a Day Goes By. we're also working on an
amazing film of hers called A Luv Tale, based on a short that she wrote
and directed about a lesbian relationship between an older woman and a
younger woman, and how it affects everyone around them. And we got
another fun script called Who's Got C-Dog's Money.
KW: Jimmy Bayan, ’Realtor to the Stars,’ wants to know where in L.A. you
live?
TS: I live in Sherman Oaks.
KW: The Columbus Short question, would you describe yourself as happy?
TS: Wow, well how about this: Not only am I happy, but I'm
excited. I'm so excited Kam, I can't even tell you.
KW: Is there a question that interviewers never ask that you wish one
would ask?
TS: Yes, ’Are you ever afraid?’
KW: Okay, are you ever afraid?
TS: Yeah. I talk about this a lot to my students. I remember how
I had to confront the fact that I had fears in my life. There was a time
when I just felt like a superwoman. I was like, ’I got Jesus! I Ain't
afraid!’ But, the truth is, I want to do things right, and sometimes I
am afraid that I'm not good enough, or that I'm not going to handle
something right. And sometimes I'm afraid and asking, ’Am I going to get
married again? Am I going to have children?’ You follow what I'm saying?
KW: Yep.
TS: It's not that I walk around with gripped by fear, but when
you sit with yourself and look in your heart, you sometimes ask
yourself, ’Wow, what were you worried about?’ The root of worry is fear.
If I'm ever stressed out, what's the root of stress? Fear! Do you follow
what I'm saying? If I ever have a little anxiety, what's the root of
that? Fear! You feel me?
KW: Yep.
TS: So, I think sometimes we're not transparent enough. We in
this entertainment industry try to act like we're so super powerful.
we're not being honest, because we're human, and in our humanity there's
a little fear.
KW: I recently reviewed a new book by
Terrie Williams called Black Pain which says that in
African-American culture there's pressure on the brothers to adopt a
macho swagger and on the sisters to be supportive superwomen who often
deny their own needs. She says black people need to let down their
defenses and to show some vulnerability.
TS: I agree with that.
KW: Speaking of books, bookworm
Troy Johnson wants to know what was the last book you read?
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TS: Well, actually, one that I'm still reading is called
Developing the Leader within You by John C. Maxwell. I love a lot of
self-help books, and this one has been wonderful. The one I read before
this was Becoming a Person of Influence, also by John C. Maxwell. I feel
that with these opportunities I have, I want to not just be a celebrity,
but to be an influence. I'd like to help empower and encourage other
people to pursue their purpose, whether it's through me telling the
truth of my life, like what I just shared with you about fears, or just
being open and transparent and encouraging and compassionate towards
humanity in general.
KW: Just the other day, I asked
Sean Combs what book he read last, and
he impressed me when he said it was Good to Great by Jim Collins. That's
a powerful self-help book that I've read and reviewed and highly
recommend.
TS: Well, I'll have to pick that book up.
KW: And I'll check out yours. Now, I see that you were Gayle in
ATL.
Remind me which character was that?
TS: Gayle was the mother to the twins, like my own mother in real-life.
KW: I remember now, the girls who were always on skates. Yeah, that's
funny, since you're a twin.
TS: They were always in trouble, and I had to snatch them out of the
club.
KW: I didn't really know you when I saw ATL. I'm going to go back and
check it out again and focus on your performance. I bet you stole all
your scenes.
TS: [Giggles] It was fun. I tell you, afterwards, everybody kept yelling
at me, ’Hey, Mama, where's the twins at?’ [Laughs]
KW: Tell me a little about your school. How can aspiring actors enroll
to take a class with you?
TS: It's called Tasha Smith Actors Workshop. They can check out the
website at http://www.tsaw.com. It's been going on for almost six years
now. It's been a blessing for our community, that's all I have to say,
because I've seen so many actors with the dream, young people who
haven't had a chance to cultivate their gift. And now I see them on TV
shows, and with agents, and really moving in their dream. And that's
awesome.
KW: Where's it located?
TS: In Los Angeles. We have about ninety people taking three classes a
week. It's wonderful. You’ll have to visit one day when you come out.
KW: Absolutely. And do you actually teach there?
TS: We have three teachers. If I'm not working on a set, I'm there every
Monday and Tuesday. I'm very dedicated to that school. You’ll never
catch me at home on a Monday night. I will be at that class.
KW: Tasha, thanks so much for the time and for being so forthcoming. And
obviously, I'm anticipating even bigger things from you in the coming
years.
TS: Well, I thank you. My prayer is that more opportunities will come
and that I will continue to make people like you proud. You enjoy your
day.
Related Links
Why Did I Get Married? - Film Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/why_did_i_get_married.htm
AALBC.com Interview with Tasha Smith (2010)
AALBC.com Addcited Interview with Tasha Smith (2015)