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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 2012)
Arts & Entertainment Tamala Jones: The ‘Castle’ Interview alongside Nicole Ari Parker, Keith Robin- son and Wendy Raquel Robinson. Kam Williams: Hi, Tamala, thanks for the interview. Tamala Jones: My pleasure! Kam Williams Special To The Skanner News T amala Jones has created a varied career based on her prodigious talent, working steadily in comedic and dra- matic projects for both film and television. At 20 she made her feature film debut in “How to Make an American Quilt” as the great-grandmother of Maya Angelou's char- acter. That same year, she racked up television roles in “The Wayans Bros.,” “The Parent 'Hood” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” as well as a recurring role as Joanie on “ER.” From there she joined the regular cast of the ABC drama “Dangerous Minds,” which gave her a chance to show her dramatic chops as a teenage mother fac- ing parenthood and an abusive spouse. In 1997 Jones landed a supporting role in the popular comedy “Booty Call” and a recurring turn on “Veronica's Closet.” She was next featured in the teen comedy “Can't Hardly Wait.” That same year she was cast in a more grown-up role as a divorcee on “For Your Love,” showcasing a winning combination of irreverent moxie and sur- prising sweetness. Jones was featured in both the romantic drama “The Wood” and the action comedy “Blue Streak,” then was seen in the musical drama “Turn it Up” and the comedies “The Ladies Man” and “Next Friday.” On televi- sion, she amassed credits that included a turn as Lucille of rock song fame in the biopic “Little Richard.” In 2001 she renewed her focus on the big screen in supporting roles in the African- American ensemble features “The Brothers” and “Kingdom Come,” which gave her the opportunity to create characters while working alongside more experienced performers. Later that year Jones was one of the women being schooled in the manage- ment of men by Vivica A. Fox's savvy but stumped character in the comedy, “Two Can Play That Game,” and in “On the Line” she had a turn as an ambitious and controlling advertising executive who clashes with the idealistic hero, portrayed by *NSYNC's KW: What interested you in Castle? TJ: Playing a doctor because it was some- thing that I’d never done before. And Nathan Fillion. I’d watched him and fol- lowed his whole career. He’s a great guy! KW: Tell me a little about your character, Dr. Lanie Parish. TJ: She’s sassy, she knows her stuff, and she doesn’t play around. Tamala Jones Don’t feel like you have to change who you are to be successful. As long as you’re true to yourself and you never give up, you will succeed Lance Bass. In 2003 she worked opposite Chris Rock in “Head of State” and had a co-starring role as the wife of Traci Morgan in the self titled “Traci Morgan Show.” Since then, Jones has co-produced an independent movie, “Nora's Hair Salon,” and starred in several more films, two of which were “Daddy Day Camp,” with Cuba Gooding Jr., and “Janky Promoters,” opposite Mike Epps. In late 2009 she appeared on the big screen in the Oscar-nominated feature “Up in the Air,” with George Clooney. In 2010 she completed post production on another independent film she co-produced entitled “35 and Ticking,” in which she also stars Santa Claus is Coming to: The Miracles Club 4200 NE Martin Luther King Blvd, Portland, Oregon 97212 Date: Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012 Time: 2:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m. Ages: Infant—16 Years Old (Must Be Accompanied By a Parent) Page 6 The Portland Skanner December 12, 2012 KW: What type of research did you do to prepare for the role? TJ: I read a lot of coroner books and I also watched a lot of reality crime shows like “Dr. G: Medical Examiner,” “The First 48” and “Forensic Files.” KW: During the show’s third season, Lanie had a relationship with Detective Esposito, but they later broke up. Is there another romance in store for her this sea- son? TJ: I really don’t know. [Executive pro- ducer and screenwriter] Andrew Marlowe is very secretive about what he has in store, so I have to wait and see what’s going to hap- pen along with all you guys. KW: You’ve done a lot of movies and TV shows. Which is your preference? TJ: I love them both; I don’t have a pref- erence. I wish I could do them both at the same time. KW: How about drama versus comedy? TJ: I love comedy, because I’m naturally a very silly person. KW: Who would you like to paired oppo- site in a romantic comedy? TJ: Bradley Cooper! KW: What film director would you like to work with? TJ: Steven Spielberg. I love him. I respect him. And he gave us E.T. KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid? TJ: Yes. I’m afraid that I won’t do a good job when I go into an audition. KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy? TJ: Yes! KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh? TJ: Just the other day. A friend of mine made me watch a video on Youtube, “Hot Cheetos and Takis.” I don’t know what a Taki is but those kids were rocking out and that was so funny to me. KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure? TJ: Laying in bed and sleeping all day. KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson ques- tion: What was the last book you read? TJ: “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. KW: The music maven Heather Coving- ton question: What was the last song you listened to? TJ: Tammi Terrell’s “All I Do Is Think about You.” KW: What is your favorite dish to cook? TJ: Macaroni and cheese. KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you? TJ: Hopping on a plane and going to dis- cover a new island I haven’t been to before. KW: The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer? TJ: I love Yves Saint Laurent. I love Chanel. And Versace! Such beautiful gowns! Read the rest of this story online at www.theskanner.com
