Hollywood can be a fickle town when it comes to making or breaking talent, but some actors withstand the shuffle and show promise of longevity. Tasha Smith is that chick. Some might recall that the statuesque beauty once busted guts on the comedy strip in Los Angeles. Most will remember Smith as Jennifer, the vindictive ex-wife, in Daddy’s Little Girls or from her days as a crack addict on HBO’s Emmy Award-winning gritty street drama, The Corner. No matter where the Camden, New Jersey-born actress banks screen time, she is a bonafide scene-stealer.

This month, Smith co-stars in Tyler Perry’s latest film Why Did I Get Married? as Angela, a feisty entrepreneur who is trying to mend her marriage during a weekend getaway with three other couples. Essence.com caught up with the fire starter to talk about the power of “ghetto” women, her past drug abuse and paying it forward.

Essence.com: In the film, your character Angela handles her business and husband. Her mama-don’t-take-no-mess attitude could be perceived as “ghetto.” Do you think real women who express themselves unapologetically are wrongfully deemed uneducated?

Tasha Smith: I don’t think it’s a lack of intelligence, but a lack of truth. People are so used to not being transparent with their feelings. Angela is smart, fearless and keeps it real because she’s not pretentious. It’s a shame that some people might identify that transparency as “urban” or “ghetto” because there are a lot of wonderful businesswomen who are truthful, transparent and confrontational. And I don’t mean “confrontational” in a negative way, but more like, ‘This is what this is, let’s deal with it.' Angela is our mother, our auntie, our neighbor and our mail lady. Trust me, there will be more women who identify with Angela than not.

Essence.com: So, would you recommend this film to women whose marriages are in crisis?

T.S.: A woman told me, ‘A group of my friends are going through some marital problems and we are going to see the film together.’ And I said, ‘No you need to go with your husbands to see the film. Don’t go with a bunch of chicks thinking that you’re going to get validated by your girls to give up on your marriage. Instead, go with your husbands and hope that something is going to be spoken that will make you guys say, `Hey baby, why did we get married? Let’s talk about that and the good things we have and how much we love each other so we can stop harping on everything that made us angry and unforgiving.’

Essence.com: Great advice. Are you concerned that brothers might view this as a man-bashing film?

T.S.: I’m so proud of Tyler (Perry) and the wonderful balance of voices that he gave the film as far as sharing the male and female perspectives. People might think, it’s going to be a male-bashing movie, but it wasn’t about that. It was about real issues and circumstances that sometimes we don’t talk about within our marriages. People are going to identify with it and I hope they will be inspired and encouraged to fight for their marriages and trust that there is redemption. If the marriage is over, then know that at the end of that situation is the start of something absolutely brand new.

Essence.com: You're known for playing a lot of strong women. Do you ever worry about being typecast as the “angry Black chick”?


T.S.: I don’t think it hurts Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, Angela Bassett or Angelina Jolie. People identify with an essence that we have and it sells. I’m sure different opportunities will come, but no, it’s not a fear of mine. At the end of the day, I like to develop characters and I’m attracted to strong women. I’ve always loved strong women. I was raised by my mother, grandmother and my great grandmother and they were all strong women so it’s just a part of my essence. But if right now, people are thinking, Hey, she can be our voice for strong women. I don’t mind owning that for a moment.

Essence.com: Did your character in Married mirror your own life in any way?

T.S.: Yeah. Well, one the difference between Angela and I is that I’m divorced. I was married for two and a half years and got my divorce papers the first week I was working on the set of the film.

Essence.com: I’m sure you had plenty to talk about with Jill Scott and Janet Jackson on that matter.

T.S.: Oh yes. Half of us (in the cast) were going through it or had been through it.

Essence.com: Would you marry again?

T.S.: I can’t wait! I believe in marriage. My divorce did not discourage me against marrying again, but it inspired me to be smarter the next time. I believe in love and marriage. I was celibate for about seven years prior to getting married so it was disappointing that it didn’t work. I fell in love with the cast and their characters and was so inspired when I left about life, marriage, relationships and all the emotional things we experience. Sis, it was the best work experience I ever had in my life. I cried when I left.

Essence.com: I hear you are a Christian. Do your religious beliefs ever influence the roles you choose?

T.S.: No, they don’t because I know who I am and I don’t have any kind of guilt or condemnation when it comes to that. I’ve had some religious people come and confront me about my work but I just say, ‘Sit your lil’ religious tails down and stop acting like you been saved all your lives.’ As actors we show you humanity and there are many aspects of humanity and every character I might play is not a Christian. I choose to live my personal life that way, but as an actor I have the right to show different parts of life and celebrate all kinds of people through the arts. I can’t get into the judgmental part of Christianity. I’m committed to being a Christian and equally as committed to being an artist so neither one of them interferes with the other.

Essence.com: Is there any role you would refuse to tackle?

T.S.: I won’t get butt naked. I have a thing about nudity because I speak to so many young people. Not that I wouldn’t want to just be free and have a good old time, but I don’t want these kids that I’m speaking to having my titties on pause. I don’t want anyone TiVoing my breast or saying, ‘Did you see the crack of her tail? Miss Tasha had a pimple on her left cheek!’ I don’t know how I would feel about that or if they will look at me the same way.

Essence.com: What misconceptions do people have about you?

T.S.: Maybe that I’m loud or that I’m mean because of some of the roles I’ve played. People often tell me when they meet me, 'You’re so much prettier in person.' I’m thinking, First of all, Did you think I was really on crack when I did The Corner? I was acting—it’s called character work!

Essence.com: Hilarious. I understand you are an acting coach and have an actor’s workshop called TSAW.

T.S.: Yes, it stands for the Tasha Smith Actors Workshop and we workshop the actor in every form. There’s nothing like going into my acting classes and witnessing so many lives changing. I don’t only teach people how to act, but how to live and empower themselves so they can pursue their purpose in the arts. We teach them everything they need to know to be successful as an actor and human being.

Essence.com: What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?

T.S.: I’m an inspirational speaker. I fight for abstinence and celibacy for young people. I was a comic for seven years before I began acting. And I have an identical twin sister, Sidra. Oh, I also used to do drugs every day. I smoked two packs of cigarettes a day; weed every day; and sniffed cocaine at least three times a week.

Essence.com: Was that a difficult journey for you?

T.S.: Yes, it was. I used between the ages of 19 and 25. That’s when the grace of God pulled me out of that dark hole.

Essence.com: What was the turning point?

T.S.: I thought I was gonna die, honey. When you’re so high that you think your soul is being ripped out of your body and you’re hallucinating and crazy, you just need to stop.

Essence.com: When you reached the point of no return, were you alone?

T.S.: I was with a few friends. It was a rough night and I didn’t want to see that night again. I was scared straight. Trust me, when I tell you I threw an 8-ball of cocaine down the toilet. I remember getting rid of my weed. I had to cut everything because it was all connected—the weed was connected to the cocaine, the cocaine was connected to the cigarettes—so I had to go cold turkey.

Essence.com: So how hard was it to detox solo without the help of a facility?

T.S.: I had anxiety attacks because I was so used to my drug that would keep me chill. When I wasn’t getting high I had to just deal. At the time, I didn’t know I was having anxiety. I remember going to the hospital whining, ‘Something’s wrong with me, something’s in my chest. I can’t breathe!’ I begged this doctor to give me an X-ray and while I’m waiting just knowing I had something in my chest. He brings the X-ray and says, ‘You’re fine, Miss Smith.” I’m crying, ‘Let me see!’ He shows me the X-ray and says, ‘See there’s nothing in your chest.’ And I started freaking out and pointing, ‘Ohmigod! What is that?’ And he says, ‘It’s your heart!’

Essence.com: (Laughs) That’s truly a blessing. You just needed a different vice and thankfully it was acting.


T.S.: It is such a blessing. That’s why motivational and inspirational speaking is so important to me because I am so grateful to be where I am today. It’s no joke because I know where I could be and I’m here.

Essence.com: I appreciate your honesty and I’m sure it’s the exact reason you are able to mentor youth with such conviction.

T.S.: If I want to be able empower young people I have to be transparent. They want to identify with you and want to know that you identify with them. If I try to go before them and act like I’m perfect, they won’t respond. One time I was speaking at Inglewood High School in California and this young girl said to me, ‘I hear what you saying, but you don’t know what I’m going through with my mom being on drugs and you don’t know how hard it is for me to stay focused.’ And I said to her I do know what that’s like. I’m telling you that when God has a plan for your life it doesn’t matter what your current circumstances look like because they change like the weather and a new season will come when you’re going to put on a new coat. I hugged her and we cried together. 


Essence.com: Do you see yourself with your own ministry in the future?

T.S.: That’s a big fat Y-E-S! People think that you have to be in the pulpit to preach and that’s a problem with some people in church who are always trying to make it into the pulpit instead of trying to step out into the world like Jesus did, ya feel me? I believe we can take the same ministry and the love of God into our other communities. Acting is a ministry because we minister humanity. We show you life, real people, real problems and real circumstances. At some point I want to do missionary work and help some of the folks in other countries. I love people and I can’t help myself. 


Essence.com: When all is said and done what do you hope your legacy will be?

T.S.: That people will say that Tasha did everything she could do for her neighbor and community. I want to affect people’s lives. I hope that my community work and activism will be appreciated so when I get to heaven God says, ‘Well done.’


Photo Credit: Courtesy of Tasha Smith