Actress Tasha Smith, who is known for her roles in various Tyler Perry films as well as “Empire,” was featured on TVOne’s latest episode of ‘Uncensored.’ During the segment, she opened up about her transition from Camden, NJ to L.A. and all of the struggles she faced to become who she is today.
“As beautiful as Camden was, it was a place where I dealt with sexual, physical abuse, a place where I did all kinds of drugs. I was doing cocaine at the age of 14. I really could have been a crackhead today,” Tasha stated. “It was also a place that gave me a lot of resilience, perseverance, and hustle.”
Tasha and her identical twin sister, Sidra, were born from a 15-year-old single mom in Camden, barely escaping a life surrounded by drugs, violence, and alcohol. She said she and her sister were sometimes bullied had to learn to fight back quickly; even having to carry such things as a hammer, lighter fluid, and matches in her purse.
Tasha said she dropped out of high school at 14-years-old and took odd jobs until her grandfather passed away, which she said led her to a relationship with God. At that moment, she knew she needed to get out of Camden. So, she decided to move to LA with her friend Tisha Campbell at 18.
After arriving in Los Angeles to pursue her dreams, she eventually landed small roles in various shows and films including ”Girlfriends,” ”The Parkers,” ”ATL,” ”Daddy’s Little Girls,” ”Playas Ball” and ”The Steve Harvey Show.”
Smith said, “We all have situations to overcome, but you don’t quit. You keep trying.” Yes ma’am, Ms. Smith!
I’m from Camden too, my mom always taught me to carry something on me since I was walking to school in kindergarten.