Tasha Smith: Actress ignites Hollywood

As one of the most consistent talents in the new age of black Hollywood, actress Tasha Smith has been a scene-stealing presence in such movies as “Daddy’s Little Girls” and “Couples Retreat.” On screens large and small, Smith’s sassy, jazzy flair has left an indelible mark on dozens of projects. For audiences in 2010, however, her staging of “Boom” — in the Tyler Perry smash “Why Did I Get Married Too” — is seen as something of a breakout performance. The spoken-word piece was delivered with such timing that it may come as a surprise to learn that it was not planned.

“When I said ‘Boom’ in the movie, it was not in the script — it just came out of the character, Angela, that I was playing,” Smith revealed in an interview with Black Image. “I would describe my acting style as being true to who I am. We (actors) always have to create from who we are as artists. I am not saying that everything we are should be a part of the characters we play. We must be aware of the part of  ourselves we should leave out of a role, and the parts of ourselves we need to  incorporate.”

Smith has taken her success to another level in business — by starting her own  school in Los Angeles, with plans to open franchises of the Tasha Smith Actors Workshop (TSAW) around the country. “My acting school has ongoing classes, and after receiving many requests from aspiring actors around the world, we do acting tours,” she said. “We have just conducted workshops in Miami, New York, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. We are working on our fi rst European workshop in London and in South Africa, which I am very excited about.”

As the New Jersey native sees it, the acting school is the fulfi llment of a high calling. “TSAW is all about empowering people to pursue their purpose in the arts,” she said. “This is our mission, and it is my goal to make those dreams into a reality.”

The craft of acting, she insists, is not just for those who want to pursue it professionally. “Acting classes can help everybody with self-esteem and confi dence to win in life,” she said. “But if it is your passion or your dream, then I think it should be pursued. God shows us our future through our dreams. So if acting is your passion, instead of feeling that you can’t, do it! Take some classes and study acting and see if it is something you really want to do.”

Soon to start production on the film “Jumping the Broom,” with producers Tracey Edmonds and T.D. Jakes, Smith believes she has been blessed to work with the best talent in the movie industry. “Tyler Perry is wonderful to work with, and I also had the grand pleasure to work with Charles Dutton on a show called ‘The Corner.’ It was a wonderful experience working with him,” she said. “My favorite leading man has to be Michael Jai White, who played my husband, Marcus, in ‘Why Did I Get Married Too.’ He is the man!”