Tasha Smith’s evil side wreaks havoc in ‘Daddy’s Little Girls’

Kam Williams

One of a set of identical twins, Tasha Smith was born on Feb. 28, 1971 in Camden, N.J., where they and their younger sister were raised by their single mother. Smith and her sister Sidra got an early start in show business, both modeling and performing in community theater. At the age of 18, Smith moved to Los Angeles, supporting herself by taking odd jobs while trying her hand at standup comedy.

She made her big screen debut along with Sidra in 1994’s “Twin Sitters,” following that up with supporting roles in “Playas Ball,” “The Whole Ten Yards,” “ATL” and “You, Me and Dupree.” The versatile Smith also appeared on a variety of television shows, ranging from comedies like “The Steve Harvey Show” and “Girlfriends” to edgier fare such as “Nip/Tuck” and the HBO mini-series “The Corner.”

Away from the set, Smith devotes her time as a motivational speaker for kids from disadvantaged communities, and enjoys cooking, rollerblading, working out and travel.

“Daddy’s Little Girls,” written and directed by Tyler Perry, may prove to be Smith’s breakout role. She plays Jennifer, a vindictive woman caught up in a custody battle with her ex-husband over their three daughters. Smith took a few moments recently to catch up with the Banner about her character, the film’s talented cast and what it was like to work with the multi-talented Perry, whom Business Week magazine last year named the most bankable male star in America.

Tell me a little about your character.

I play Jennifer. Jennifer is what I call the devil of the script. Anytime there’s a God, there has to be a devil. And anytime there’s good, there has to be evil. And the evil sometimes is the best! (laughs) Jennifer is a mom seeking revenge and power, the control that she feels she may have lost. And Monty (played by co-star Idris Elba) is going to have to suffer as bad as she can make him suffer. So I had a lot of fun playing Jennifer. I hope that people hate her, literally. (laughs) If they do, then I’ve accomplished my job.

How would you describe Jennifer and Monty’s relationship?

My character loves him — was in love with him. It was just one of those deep down loves that didn’t work out. And because of whatever reasons it didn’t work out, resentment, anger and bitterness developed, out of hurt. It’s like, “If I can’t have you, and if you can’t be happy in my life, I’m going to make your life hell.” And I think that she still wants Monty, if she could have him. But it’s not going to happen, so therefore, she has to go far to the left, baby.

How was it working opposite Idris?

Mr. Idris Elba is amazing! He happens to be British, but what’s funny about him is that when he’s speaking in his American dialect, he looks like he’s a brother from the ’hood. But as soon as he brings out that English thing, I’m like, “Woo! You look like you’re from London. Oh my God!” It’s like everything on him changes. He’s the coolest. He’s so supportive. He’s so present. He’s just a professional actor. And on top of that he’s funny too. He’s a good guy to hang around. He’s just so unselfish. I loved working with Idris. I hope to work with him again, too, because he’s so amazing.

How about the actress playing your other adversary in the movie, Gabrielle Union?

Gabrielle is so funny. She is like a goofball. She has such a great personality and brings such great energy to the set.

What was it like being directed by Tyler Perry?

He’s just so giving. He gives you an opportunity to create. You can ask, “Tyler, are there any notes?” And he’ll say, “Yeah, hit your mark.” (laughs) Hit your mark. Okay, well, I guess that must mean I’m doing something good. He just gives you freedom to be loose. He gives you room. And to me, that’s kind of cool when the director trusts the actors’ instincts and gives them room to do what they do.

What would you say is the message of “Daddy’s Little Girls?”

I feel like this story is going to celebrate fatherhood, I really do. I feel like this is something that we need. We need to see a good father, a father that’s willing to fight for his children, and who’s willing to do whatever he has to do to make it happen. You know how you usually see the mother always trying to get the children, and the mother being the good guy? Well, in this movie, the father is the good guy. And I feel like it’s going to make fathers out there want to be fathers, want to fight for their children, want to take care of their children and want to be in their children’s lives. That’s a story that I just feel we need to hear and that we need to see. It’s so beautiful, because I’ve never seen it, especially in an African American story.