Actress Jennifer Sears has been the 3rd person this year that we have connected with when we were originially supposed to converse years ago, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we all know, there was a lot happening at the time and a lot of plans didn’t pan out the way one would have liked.
It’s very rare that I take issue with circumstances like that and while I may briefly feel disappointed in the moment, I always look at most matters like the timing was wrong and that their will be other opportunities in the future because what is meant for you will be for you.
Jennifer seems to share the same sentiment overall and I believe that we all must do so in order to make it in this world, especially within the entertainment space. I don’t know her as a person outside of our conversation but knowing what I know about her film and television career, I can’t help but to root for her.
Going and growing, Jennifer Sears definitely has a story to tell. We discussed her humble beginnings as an actress, her experiences working with film and comedic legends along the way, and her first series regular role as Bridgette in Tyler Perry’s “Divorced Sistas”, which is currently airing on Paramount+. “OK, Jen. We need you on your mark.”
It’s funny how we ended up here today. I was going through our files and came across an interview we had written up for you that we never got around to completing. Someone originally reached out to us on your behalf in 2020 but, you know….Things happen when they are supposed to.
Exactly. I am a firm believer in that. God’s timing is perfect. I’m curious. Was that for Greenleaf or for Coming 2 America, the sequel? (The sequel) Yes. That created a lot of a lot of buzz, actually. That was a fun project to work on, as you can imagine, with all of those comedic legends, all in one on one film. I felt like they were trying to outdo each other with the comedy and trying to make each other break character, which was great for me to sit back and watch the legends work. I’m glad that we were able to make this happen now, 6 years later….but perfect timing.
Yes, ma’am. So, let’s start off with your most current project, Tyler Perry’s “Divorced Sistas”. Tell me all about it.
I mentioned Coming 2 America being fun, but this is fun in a different way because we’re telling different stories, right? It’s 5 women living 5 totally different lives. Naomi. Crazy Naomi (played by Porscha Coleman) and Rasheda (played by LeToya Luckett), who is the rock/pillar of the group with her religious background, being a first lady, and being also a therapist. You have Tiffany (played by Briana Price), who is the voice of reason. She’s always so very stoic and graceful but she has gone through divorce and the other girls are still married, outside of Naomi.
As people have watched, Naomi has gone through a very bitter divorce and bitter is the key word, right? She’s still hanging on to a lot of anger, unresolved feelings, and things that she’s working through in her own Naomi way. Then you have Geneva (played by Khadeen Indréa), who is also going through her own struggles like marital struggles with William (played by RonReaco Lee) and her affections for Javon (played by Robert Christopher Riley) who, unfortunately, she cheated on William with and (unbeknownst to William) is likely the father of their child.
Then you have my character Bridgette, who is the comic relief of the show. I would say she brings a lot of childlike wonderment in a sense that she’s always trying to figure out what’s going on. Not in a messy way. She’s just trying to figure out what’s going on in the lives of her friends so she can help. She’s a helper. She’s a fixer. She’s the person that all her friends call on when they need something done, because they know that Bridgette is going to execute. She is first lady Rasheda’s right-hand woman. She is her assistant at the church and she herself has her own relationship issues that she’s trying to figure out.
She has this man child, Vaughn (played by Pierre V. Johnson) that is living in her house that she is taking care of. She is basically trying to help him step into his own power, helping him get jobs that he keeps quitting. I think she has reached her breaking point at this point in the season because everyone has their breaking point, right? You take on so much of other people’s struggles and burdens that it gets to be too heavy for one person to bear. So, around episode 14, she’s finally starting to step into her power, use her voice, and set and uphold boundaries, which is something that we all can learn to do.
I am very much like Bridgette in a lot of ways, so much so that when my friends and family are watching the show, they’re recognizing moments where my character says something that I would say or that they’ve heard me say. I’m grateful that Tyler gives us that creative liberty and freedom to really step into the role of the character and bring the characters to life using our own experiences or personalities. He allows us to do it in a very collaborative way to where if there’s something that is written on the text, don’t go and change the script, change the context of the script. If there is content that we feel would sound more natural for us and for the character to bring the character to life in a better way then he gives us that freedom to do so.
Gotcha. This current project is a lengthy one in terms of episodes you’ve participated in but you’ve been involved in quite a few projects over the years, overall. Let’s go back to the beginning. How was your journey navigating through Atlanta leading up to the pandemic and everything that came with that?
Well, my TV and film career began with Tyler (Perry). He gave me my first role. I auditioned for Madea’s Family Reunion in 2005. We filmed that in 2005 and it was a box office hit in 2006. Now, Tyler and I have a 21-year working relationship. He was the origin of my TV and film career and now I’m working with him in my first series regular role. In that time period between my first and current projects, I’ve been blessed to work on so many amazing projects with so many amazing people who I never even dreamed to be working with like Miss Cicely Tyson (Madea’s Family Reunion). Legend.
I’ve worked with Miss Lynn Whitfield (Madea’s Family Reunion), who I was reunited with 10-15 years later when I worked with her on Greenleaf, where she played Lady Mae Greenleaf. My character, Tara James came in towards the end of the series. She was mentioned throughout season 5, but she actually came to fruition when the ownership of the Greenleaf home was being challenged. So, there was an intense battle for that home and a lot of back and forth between my character (who was the rightful owner of the home) and the Greenleafs. So, that gave me a lot of juicy moments with Miss Whitfield. She put on a masterclass every scene that she and I shared together.
The same with Keith David, who is another legend that I grew up watching. He has such a commanding presence, especially with his voice, but also has a way of making you feel like you belong here, you earned this place, you earned this role, and you’re going to bring so much to the character and show. He was very encouraging and was a very generous scene partner to where he made me feel comfortable. He would ask, “Am I giving you enough? Do you need anything different from me?” and it’s just like, “Dude, I can’t even believe I’m here sharing this scene with you! So no, you are perfect. I don’t have any notes for you, Keith David, you legend you!”
Oh gosh, we have Bessie (HBO Films) as well where I worked with Mo’Nique (Gertrude) and Queen Latifah (Bessie Smith), my New Jersey native sis. Queen Latifah and I were reunited again after working on Bessie (2015) when I worked on Star (2018). So, there were a lot of reunions occurring throughout my storied 20-plus-year career. They tend to trust you after working with you more than once, you become a family, and it is less like work because you’re playing opposite a friend or someone that you have grown to trust because you’ve worked for weeks or months on other projects with them.
Did you have a background in acting, prior to?
When I auditioned for Madea’s Family Reunion, I didn’t have an agent, manager, nor an acting background. I studied political science. I was a pre-law major. I didn’t even have a headshot nor resume, which they were asking for. I literally walked into an open casting call, empty handed. They took a Polaroid picture of me and I confidently walked in with my Polaroid or walked in as confident as I could be, because I didn’t know what to expect, right? I wasn’t an actor at that point so I really didn’t have any nervousness or anything like that because I didn’t know what rejection felt like at that time. So, I wasn’t nervous and I booked that role.
There have been so many opportunities leading up to Coming 2 America. Working alongside Arsenio Hall and opposite and sharing the same space as Eddie Murphy, Tracy Morgan, and Leslie Jones was mind blowing. I grew up watching and following them in their stand-up comedy careers and on SNL (Saturday Night Live), which I absolutely love. Coming to America (1988), was actually the film that inspired me to act. I wanted to act ever since I was six years old. It’s beautiful to see how God works.
Awesome. You said you were from New Jersey, originally? What brought you to Georgia?
I’m originally from Paterson, New Jersey. That’s where my roots are. My family relocated to Dublin, Georgia and that became a second home. Dublin welcomed us and that’s where I got my southern hospitality. I have a southern mother. So, I’m fortunate to say I have the urban tough street upbringing and the street smarts as well as the southern hospitality that Dublin, Georgia afforded me.
Being in the Atlanta area for awhile, I’ve met so many people that have gotten their start here, starting with background roles and then moving their way up so to hear you say you started with Tyler Perry and now you have a series regular role is amazing to see.
Right?! I still sit and wonder how that happened. When I tell people and other actors my story it’s like, “Wait, wait, wait. Your first role was a speaking role?” and not only a speaking role, but the film was a box office hit! Who can say that?! It still blows my mind because I remember being on set and not knowing what base camp was, or who a PA was and what they do. I was calling everybody a producer. I had to learn the terminology, the language, and the linguistics of the industry and know what my mark was. I felt like such a novice when they would say, “OK Jen, we need you on your mark.” and I’m sitting there and looking at them like, “Here?!”. They had to basically take me by the hand and guide me. But, they were so patient because they understood that wasn’t my background.
I remember when Mr Perry found me at the wrap party for Madea’s Family Reunion. I had been there for awhile with my friend Moesha and he came in and said, “Jen, don’t go anywhere.” I was so scared. I thought I did something wrong. I thought I did a horrible job and that they were going to take me out of the movie. My mind started running, trying to figure out what I did. And so my best friend Mo goes, “What did you do?!” I was like, “I don’t know!” He circles the room making his rounds and saying “Hi” to people and then comes to me and goes, “I need you to do me a favor.” I’m like, “Yeah, anything. What is it?” and he goes, “I need you to go to the bar.” I’m thinking he wants me to get a drink for him because he’s too busy. He is Tyler Perry, you know? He goes, “I need you to dig way deep and make sure it’s cool.” I started laughing like, “Oh, I see what you’re doing. You’re doing the scene from the movie.” Lol, he was very encouraging and told me he understood this project was my start but not to stop here and to keep going because I had a bright future ahead of me. He said, “Nothing is given. Everything is earned.” At that point I understood what he was saying.
So, after Madea’s Family Reunion, I didn’t book another role for about 10-12 years, so I used that time to become a sponge and student of the craft. I studied everything from Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen, to Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner and Konstantin Stanislavski. All of the methods, right? I studied improv. I also did sketch comedy for 7 or 8 years. I just did anything and everything that I thought would help me become a well-versed actress with lots of tools in her toolbox so I could pull out anything a character required of me.
Now, in reference to Tyler Perry’s “Divorced Sistas”, when and where does the show air?
The show is streaming on Paramount+ on Wednesdays. For those who haven’t seen it, you have to prepare yourselves because we start off with a bang and that drama intensifies with each episode each week. It’s something that I believe everyone can get something from, like the wit and humor of Bridgette. Bridgette also goes through her dramatic moments where she needs her girls, right? She needs her sisterhood, her tribe. There are a lot of lessons that you can pull from. You can learn forgiveness, healing, and letting go of the bitterness. At the same time, the entire focus isn’t just about the romantic relationship aspect of the show, but also about the importance of friendship. People will see that buried underneath the drama there’s a lot of friendship and love there.
To keep up with Jennifer Sears, follow her on Instagram @iamjensears.
Photo by Marie Thomas
Words + Interview by Tyrone Davis
