Tasha Smith Looks Back at Her Most Iconic Roles, from 'ATL' to 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die'
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Welcome to Look Back At It, a column where some of the most iconic Black actresses in Hollywood reminisce and reflect on the roles that made them stars. In this installment, Tasha Smith breaks down her career—from ATL and Why Did I Get Married? to her most recent film, Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Tasha Smith’s characters tend to stick around long after the credits roll. Take Angela from Why Did I Get Married?, for example. “That film was a huge tipping point for me in my career,” says Smith when we speak on a late May afternoon. “After the film came out, we all went to the House of Blues to see Prince perform. I remember walking in, and the entire club began to clap. During that time, we didn’t really have social media like we have today. So to go into that space and get a standing ovation was really shocking. That was the role that made people really see me. I’ll never forget that.”
Smith has been leaving an indelible mark on the big and small screens since the early ’90s—from brief stints on classic TV shows like Girlfriends, The Parkers, and The Steve Harvey Show to an array of feature films that include ATL, Daddy’s Little Girls, and Jumping the Broom. In more recent years, she’s taken her talents behind the screen and has directed episodes for P-Valley, Bel-Air, and Mayor of Kingstown, to name a few. While she won’t be returning for the upcoming season of Bel-Air, it’s for good reason. “I was busy directing Harlem,” she says. “Season three is going to be fire. I did two episodes of that and then I was also getting prepared to work on Survival of the Thickest. I didn’t want to burn myself out and take on too many jobs.”
Below, Smith took some time out of her packed acting/directing schedule to chat about her most iconic roles and her new film Bad Boys: Ride or Die, out today.
Gayle in ATL (2006)
“I don’t know if I can tell you everything about filming this one. [Laughs] But what was fun was that I already knew the twins who play my daughters, Malika and Khadijah, so we felt like this was the perfect opportunity. We went into the room together to audition and the chemistry between us was incredible. Then I got a chance to meet Lauren London and T.I. and we’re all great friends ‘til this day. I’m actually going to be making my special garlic crab this Sunday for Malika, Khadijah, and Lauren because they love my cooking. But working with Chris Robinson [the director] was wonderful; he’s such a legend. At the time, we didn’t know that this was going to turn out to be a cult classic. When you think about all the people that were in this movie, we had a really, really good time. I just love that scene where I tell the twins to get their asses in the trunk. I think that may have been an improv moment. And people laugh and remember that other scene where my character was laying on the sofa and the kids come up trying to get the money. It was a lot of fun. We had such a great time, and they’re all still my babies.”
Jennifer in Daddy’s Little Girls (2007)
“I met Tyler [Perry] through a mutual friend. He would come visit my acting classes and he asked me to do a table read. And whenever a director asks you to do a table read for them, you have to look at it as an opportunity to audition and show what you could do with the role. So I remember I worked really hard on that part with my acting teacher. I wanted to be prepared. I didn’t feel entitled or anything for Tyler to give me the part. I really wanted to prove myself to him. So I came into that table read like I already had the job and then I got it. And we all just thought Idris [Elba] was the finest thing. I used to tease Tyler and be like, ‘Can we see when they made their kids? Can we have a flashback? Put me in a love scene with his fine ass.’ But no. [Laughs] Idris is like a brother, and I loved working with him. He’s such an actor’s actor. And we did some improv before scenes which helped us also inform the characters.
“And I gotta tell you, I was so broke when I got Daddy’s Little Girls. I think I may have had $100 in the bank. I needed that job so bad. My rent was backed up; I owed maybe two or three months. My electricity had gotten cut off during that week. That job really helped save me.”
Angela in Why Did I Get Married? and Why Did I Get Married Too? (2007 and 2010)
“Tyler had hired another person to do Angela and I was sick. So I learned the lines, went to dinner with him, and started reciting the lines to him. He was like, ‘Are you trying to audition for this part right now? Are you trying to get this other actress out of the way?’ That actress ended up falling out because I think she ended up getting another job, so the part ended up coming to me. I remember when I had gotten the job, they were still trying to find an actor to play my husband, Marcus. I said, ‘What about Michael Jai White?’ People knew this from back in the day, but Michael and I used to date so we already had a level of intimacy. And great friendships came out of this movie. Jill [Scott] and Janet [Jackson] became two of my dear friends. We were all just one big family. There was such great camaraderie with all of us.”
“... You know, I fought Tyler so hard on that [dinner] scene. I was like, ‘This is so wrong. Why does Angela gotta be like that?’ And he was like, ‘Just trust me.’ And when I say ‘Boom!,’ that was something that just came out of me after winning in that scene. I wanted to make it about me one-upping him. I never thought that that would last. It’s shocking. When you’re in the middle of making something, you don’t know how it's gonna come across. I thought that Angela would be criticized and judged, so I was resisting it a little bit. But then I had to just give in and trust Tyler as our filmmaker and leader on the set and he was right. It turned out perfect and people loved it.”
Shonda in Jumping the Broom (2011)
“Jumping the Broom was special because Salim Akil [the director] is like a big brother and mentor to me. I met him years ago and I became very good friends with him and his wife Mara [Brock Akil]. So when he was directing this, he wanted me for it. I didn’t even have to go through the auditioning process. When he gave it to me, he said that he wanted to soften me up a little bit and make me more vulnerable by putting me in a relationship with Romeo [Miller]. And I loved working with Angela Bassett and Meagan Good who are some of my best friends. For all of us to be together, it felt like a vacation. We filmed in Nova Scotia during Thanksgiving and Angela and I got together and cooked a big soul food feast for everyone. It was awesome.”
Angela in For Better or Worse (2011-2017)
“Tyler came up with the idea to give Angela and Marcus their own show. It was great to be able to have that extension of our characters. We worked our butts off on that show. I think we probably did over 160-something episodes in a very short period of time. But we had a very good time doing it. It was a great cast. Wonderful experience.”
Carol in Empire (2015-2020)
“Empire came right after For Better or Worse. This was really me wanting to do something in another space and for people to see me in another way. I took literally no money for this, but I just wanted to be a part of it. I was a fan of Lee Daniels and Taraji [P. Henson]. And during the time of me doing this job, that’s when my directing career blossomed. So they kept me as a recurring character so that I could continue to direct. And Taraji is now a good friend. We deeply bonded through our experience on Empire. I bonded with everyone, but she and Gabby [Sidibe] are probably the two that I talked to the most.”
Savannah in First Wives Club (2022)
“First Wives Club was interesting because I hadn’t acted in a few years. After Empire went away, my directing career had picked up so rapidly that I really didn’t have time to act. I was going from one directing job after another. So this was my first time back in front of the camera after being off for a very long time. And I got to do it with my girl, Jill. It was so special that we got a chance to work together again. This is also when I met Michelle [Buteau]. We had one tiny scene at a funeral, but I was such a fan of hers. I just thought she was so beautiful, so hot, so funny, so vivacious, and so confident in everything. In that scene, I was watching her in awe. And now I’m in her show Survival of the Thickest. And we met in that one tiny moment on First Wives Club. That opened the door for me to have this incredible run with her.”
Marley in Survival of the Thickest (2023)
“We’re about to shoot the second season and I’ll also be directing two episodes as well. You know, I loved my character on Empire and I loved Angela, but Marley has become one of my favorite characters. She has such a beautiful arc and so many things that I never got a chance to do before as an actress. Marley is really trying to figure out her life and her sexuality. It’s been so much fun to play and I'm so excited about the second season and the things that we’re going to explore. But back to Michelle Buteau, I’m just in love with her. I could just bite her. I can’t sing her praises enough.”
Theresa in Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)
“This was such a blessing because it came out of nowhere. My agent at the time called me and said that they were looking to possibly replace the Teresa character [formerly played by Theresa Randle]. And mind you, I know Will [Smith] and I’ve known Martin [Lawrence] for a very long time. Some friends were like, ‘Well, why don’t you just call them up?’ I said no and that I would audition. One of my acting school students who’s now a teacher helped me with it and put me on tape. I sent it in and then I ended up getting the call that I got the job. It all happened so fast. I think I got called on a Saturday morning, was on a plane on Sunday, and filming by Tuesday. It was a whirlwind. I just wanted to do a great job for Will and Martin, and show up for them. When you replace someone, you just pray that the audience responds. I really hope people like the movie.”
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