‘Sister, Sister’: Jackée Harry Recounts How She Originally Didn’t Want The Role
Emmy award-winning actress Jackée Harry is admitting that she initially wasn’t interested in playing the role of Lisa Landry in the sitcom Sister, Sister starring Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry-Housely.
Appearing on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Thursday (Feb. 16), Harry, who was the first Black woman to win the Emmy Award for “Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series” for her starring role as Sandra Clark in 227, had no interest in being a comedic actress and wanted to follow the paths of “serious” actresses like Diahann Carroll, Rosalind Cash and Diana Sands.
“I wanted to be like them, a great actress and I was going to be in terms of drama. Then, I just happened to be funny. I got ‘227.’ I was so mad,” she explained, Harry was also nominated for a Golden Globe for the role in 227.
“I was gonna be a serious actress and win Tonys and win Oscars and be all that and be powerful. Then, I just happened to be funny.” Admittedly, this partially led her to not want to partake in Sister, Sister at first.
Adding, “I didn’t want to be nobody’s mama. I was hot, sexy. I still had it going on. I didn’t want to be somebody’s mama and then I met those girls and fell in love. I met them when they were 13, just wonderful and I loved it. It turned out to be—believe it or not—even more successful than 227.”
Sister, Sister ran for six seasons from 1994-1999 and also starred Tim Reid and Marques Houston.
