Tia Mowry-Hardrictis loving her role as Cocoa McKellan on the Netflix seriesFamily Reunion, especially because she gets to work alongside “legends” in the entertainment industry.
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According to Mowry-Hardrict, the light-hearted, authentic way Roundtree, 79, and Devine, 72, carry themselves serves as endless inspiration.
“They’ve been in this business for such a long time,” she said. “And they’re very confident in who they are, and just their talent [is amazing].”
“I feel like when you’re young, and especially if you’re new in the game, to have some sort of sense of focus is really important, but it’s all about finding that balance,” she added. “And I’ve learned a lot from them to just not take things too seriously. Just be your best, do your best and have fun.”
“I text her on the regular and I’m always like, ‘I’m not bothering you, am I?’ Because I am obsessed with her,” she noted. “She’s so giving on and off-camera and I feel truly blessed to be working with both of them.”
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Mowry-Hardrict describes the cast as a whole as being friends on and off-camera. And she takes her relationships with her young costars to heart for the most personal reason.
“I am constantly in communication with Talia, who plays my daughter Jade on the show, mainly because I empathize with her being a young, Black woman in this entertainment field and growing up in the industry,” she said. “I just feel very much like a mother hen to her; I’m always wanting to protect her and see what she’s thinking and how she’s feeling, how she’s navigating fame in this journey.”
The NAACP award-winning show, which premiered part four on Aug. 26, taped much of its latest installment during theCOVID-19 pandemic. While Mowry-Hardrict found the experience to have its pros and cons, the time on set did allow space to take a mental breather away from thoughts of the virus and quarantining at home. “When you went to set, your mind was taken away from that, which was a nice break,” she said. “But you were quickly reminded that you are working through a pandemic. So, there were lots of tests.”
In addition to getting tested three times a week and wearing masks until the director called action, the actors all worked through new challenges to connect with one another once the cameras started rolling. “We didn’t really see each other’s faces and expressions until shoot day,” Mowry-Hardrict noted. “Not that the rehearsals weren’t needed, but it changed the game once all of the masks came off and it was like, ‘Oh, okay. You’re saying the line that way. Well, let me change it up this way.'”
When guest stars made their appearances on set, it took even more of an adjustment to get used to engaging without the masks, but it got better over time.
You’re like, ‘Let me get through the shock first. And then, can we just take a moment before we say action?'" she recalled. “It was an interesting experience.”
source: people.com
