‘Sister, Sister’: Jackée Harry Thought Being Cast in the Iconic Show Meant Her Career Was Over
Though there was no shortage of incredible sitcoms in the 90s, Sister, Sister has continued to stand the test of time. Featuring a dynamic cast, the show made Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry-Housley household names while providing people of all ages with lots of laughter. And the show continues to be well-loved to this day. Currently, talks of a reboot are in the works and the show is finding new audiences every day since Netflix acquired the rights to the show.
Sister, Sister follows twins, Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell who were separated at birth and placed up for adoption. A chance meeting at a clothing store allows them to meet for the first time and eventually they (along with their parents Lisa Landy and Ray Campbell) move in together. Over time, the twins discovered the joys and pains of cohabitating together, especially given their wildly different personalities.
Jackée Harry nearly turned down her role in ‘Sister, Sister’
The show was wildly successful, spanning 6 seasons and 119 episodes. Furthermore, the cast got along very well and many of them are still in contact today. Knowing the legacy of Sister, Sister, it’s hard to believe that one member of the cast wasn’t initially excited about being on the show. But Jackée Harry nearly turned down the role completley.
Harry, of course, was one of the best parts of Sister, Sister. Cast as fashion designer, Lisa Landry, the Emmy Award winner lent the show her expert comedic timing. Her character has become a legendary TV mom and, today, she has very fond memories of the show and has shared that she’ll consider reprising her role should the reboot ever get off the ground. So why was Harry hesitant to accept the role at first?
The Emmy winner was afraid the show signified the end of her career
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Harry revealed that she didn’t originally want to join the cast of Sister, Sister because she didn’t want to play a mom. Though she loved Mowry and Mowry-Housely, the actor shared that she didn’t think of herself as a mother. To her, she was just a “funny woman with curves.” She was also worried that if she played a mom, the industry would typecast her as a mother.
“I had to test for it, I didn’t want to do it, I didn’t wanna be a mom, I didn’t,” Harry shared about nearly turning down her role in Sister, Sister. “I said, ‘That’s the end of my career,’ because, in those days, it was like, your career is over, which is true back in the day.” Harry also added that she wasn’t sure that people would even like the show considering how unusual the premise was.
Why Harry eventually joined the ‘Sister, Sister’ cast
But what changed for Harry? Why did she end up finding a place in the Sister, Sister cast? According to the actor, meeting Tim Reid, who played Ray Campbell, changed things for her. When she got to the final stage of the audition process (which is called the “test” in the industry) she was paired up to read with Reid. Harry confessed that the pair “clicked right away” and that their natural chemistry was awesome. “It went bam!” Harry shared about their chemistry. We’re sure fans are pleased that both Harry and Reid said yes to being in Sister, Sister. We truly couldn’t imagine any other people in their roles.
