Words, Interview and Images by
DeWayne Rogers
Reagan Gomez is also hot, because … well, she’s just flat out hot. But every pubescent teen knew that way back in 1995 when she first appeared on the scene as Zaria in the popular Robert Townsend sitcom “The Parent ‘Hood.”
But she’s a long way from Zaria, as evidenced by the ring on her finger, and the two beautiful kids in tow. Yes, she’s all grown up, and the beautiful woman who appeared on the set for our exclusive shoot was still “hot” in so many ways, ranging from her kindness to her countenance.
Here’s what rolling out learned when we sat down with the talented star for a special Mother’s Day interview about how marriage and motherhood have affected her “hotness.”
What have you been up to?
I have been staying busy. I’m a mom now. I have a 4-year-old daughter and my son is going to be 1 in a couple weeks. So I’ve been busy just being a wife and a mom. I also voice one of the characters on the “Cleveland Show,” which is a spin-off of “Family Guy.” The show comes on every Sunday on Fox, and I voice Roberta. I also have a film out right now in select cities, called Dysfunctional Friends. It’s with myself, Stacey Dash, Wesley Jonathan, Jason Weaver, Meagan Good, Vanessa Simmons and a bunch of other people. I also just did a David E. Talbert play called What Goes Around, Comes Around with myself, Jonathan Wesley and Tony Rock. I also did a film with Eva Marcille, called 
If You Really Love .
Wow. You have a lot going on. How do you balance all of that with marriage and motherhood?
It’s hard trying to balance everything and my family, because my family is my first priority. So you never really see me out a lot at clubs and that kind of stuff, because I’m at home with my children.
I have no idea how I balance it. I just kind of do it every day and I hope I’m doing it right. I have to leave from here and pick up my daughter from school and figure out what I’m going to make for dinner. Although, I think since the hair and makeup [are] done, I think me and hubby might have a date night and the kids might have to figure out dinner with their Nana.
But back to what you were asking, I don’t know how you balance it … you just have to do it and I have a very supportive husband. He’s in the business also, so I have a lot of help and his family — especially his mother — is a godsend. She lives like 10 minutes from us, so if I do have something last minute, she takes her grandbabies and I don’t have to worry about them. Actually, the last job I did in January, I had to go to Atlanta and I wanted to take my son with me and she took off and came with me to Atlanta, so I have a very supportive family.
You’ve been a very active participant in social media. Give your thoughts on social media’s place in your life.
Let me just say, I’m addicted to Twitter. A lot of people say that when they first get on, but I’ve been on there for three years and my phone is still right here. I keep it under my pillow when I sleep, as soon as I wake up I have to look and see what’s going on. I didn’t know I was going to like Twitter so much, because I don’t have a Facebook or Flickr [and] all that kind of stuff. Even with Myspace back in the day, I wasn’t really on it like that. … I like talking about politics and Obama and what’s going on now and what the Republicans are trying to do now, and even … the Trayvon Martin case. All that stuff is so interesting and I think social media has been a really an important part of getting all these important issues out to the people. … Twitter has also been great for getting in contact with people and letting people know where you’ve been, because so many people are like “what happened to Zaria, where has she been?” It’s a great voice for me to be like “I’m still here. I’m a mom and I’m still working.” It’s been really great.
Since you’ve clearly mastered the art of success, what are some tips that you can share with others?
I think [there are] three things you need to be successful. You need to be persistent, you need to be confident and you need God in your life. There are a bunch of other things you could have also, but I think those three things are really key. You’re going to have a million people telling you no. … If you keep knocking on that door and knocking on that door and banging on that door, sooner or later you’re going to get through. You have to develop tough skin, not just for Hollywood, but just life in general. It’s not easy and if it was easy, everybody would be successful. You have to know who you are — and even when those people are telling you, you can’t, you suck, you’re not good at this, there are people better than you — you have to be the one in your mind telling you they don’t know what the hell they are talking about. So you just have to keep at it, and keep God first and keep God in your life.
Let’s talk about the future. What are your thoughts on what the future holds.
I’m excited about the future. I’ve been writing and producing like I said. Two years ago I wrote and produced a short film called This Time, I starred in it as well. I wrote and produced a Web series that we shot a couple weeks ago called “Almost Home.” The next chapter of my life is writing and directing — that’s definitely what I want to do. I’m in my thirties, so that’s definitely the plan for my thirties, and just working with other women of color in the industry. I’m really excited about that. It’s something I wish I [had done] more of in my twenties. My mom is a published author, so I have it in me. I’ve been writing for a long time. I would write scripts here and there in my twenties and give it to my representation at the time and they would say, “oh it’s cute.” But they didn’t really take me seriously, [and] I didn’t really pursue it or force it on them. It’s definitely what I want to do, so I’m doing that now and I’m really excited about the future.
And to the people who continue to support you, what would you say?
Thank you guys so much for the love and support over the years. Some of you have been riding with me since you’ve been a teenager or younger, and I really appreciate that love and support. I’m so thankful to still be in this business after all of these years, and I hope to still be in this business for years and years to come. So keep a look out for me as I still have a lot more to do.
Lastly, let’s talk about your morning inspiration. What do you when you wake up in the morning to get you focused before you start your day?
To be honest with you, I don’t even have time to take that minute. Those few minutes I just get up, check Twitter, and then I get my kids. Sometimes I don’t even have time to get up, because somebody’s hitting me on the head with the pillow talking about they want cereal. You just have to take it day-by-day. Even in those times, it’s such a blessing because I have two beautiful healthy children and an amazing husband. I love my life … I love my house … I’m in a very good space in my life right now, so every day that I wake up, it’s such a blessing for me.
