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Vasi’s career is more stable than ever. She joined the cast of “Single Ladies” in the show’s second season, following the acrimonious and highly publicized departure of original cast member, Stacey Dash. Despite the controversy surrounding Dash’s exit (amid rumors of a fight between she and series mainstay LisaRaye), Vasi insists that there is no excess of drama on the set.
“You’re four or five months away from your family and friends, so you have no choice but to become like family with the people you work with,” she explains. “Sometimes someone is irritated at something. We’re four women — now that we have Letoya [Luckett] joining the show.”
Vasi admits that she isn’t always the sunniest person, but it’s no different than any individual working a demanding job. “I’m not a morning person. So don’t take it personal when I see you in the morning and I’m really quiet and I’m in my headphones and have my cup of tea,” she shares with a chuckle. “And if I’m cranky at any point in the day, just pass me a doughnut and I’ll be your best friend again.
“We all have a bunch of stuff going on in our lives outside of work and trying to balance it while being away from our families [can be] difficult,” she continues. “I was trying to plan my wedding while I was taping ‘Single Ladies’ and [my] Raquel character is really at the forefront this season and it was a lot of work. Someone could say something and I might cry because I was so emotional over the amount of stress or because I missed out and didn’t get the wedding band I wanted, or something silly like that. Overall, generally, everyone does their best to get along and respect each other. Me and [co-star] Charity Shea probably have the closest relationship because we’re also friends outside of work. I go over to her house, we double date. She helped me a lot with my wedding planning when I was in Atlanta. She’s who I’m the closest with but everyone’s really sweet and we do our best to help each other out and make the long days move along.
“ ‘Single Ladies’ really focuses on the relationship between these three women. People come in and out and we have guest stars and storylines that intertwine and change but the show is basically just about these three women. That means there’s a lot more work [for me than ‘All My Children’]. That was the biggest adjustment when I first got to the show. It’s completely different. While I’m in Atlanta shooting, that’s all I’m doing for four to five months. So I don’t see friends, family, very often at all. It’s work, work, work,” she says.
Even if there was off camera drama, it’s clear that Vasi isn’t going to let anything derail her career momentum. While so much in her life is going well, she does admit that her career has taken unexpected turns and she doesn’t get to see her family back in Brooklyn as much as she’d like.
“The biggest sacrifice I ever made was moving to Los Angeles three years ago,” she says. “I started on ‘All My Children’ and a big reason for taking a job on a soap opera was the fact that ‘All My Children’ taped in New York. It was kind of a way to do what I wanted to do but not make the big ‘move to Hollywood.’ But somewhere in my contract, halfway through — a production that was in New York for 39 years moved to Los Angeles and they asked most of the cast to make the move. At first I was kind of freaked out by it; I’m a born and bred Brooklyn girl. My entire family was just a train ride away. I wasn’t sure about what I would do and how I would do it. I didn’t drive. I was quite nervous about it. And discussing it with my team, my manager said something about the girl who’s in middle America somewhere saving up a thousand dollars and thinking that ‘If I move to Hollywood I can make it.’ There are tons of girls like that. Here I was being offered a move with a job and they were offering us packages to move. And it just hit me that it was selfish of me to not consider it just because I was scared. I felt like I had to do it because there were so many girls that would jump at the offer.
“I packed up my bags and I went and that was the biggest sacrifice I made because I left my family and my friends. But it all worked out. I got really lucky. I didn’t spend much time pounding the pavement and looking for the next job,” she adds. “I’ve learned to live a different lifestyle. Every three and a half weeks when I’m not filming in Atlanta, I get an itch and I head out to New York, spend some time with the family, have a night out with the girls, get my fix and I come home.”
Vasi is also excited to be a part of what seems to be a slight shift in television. With shows like “Single Ladies” and ABC’s smash hit “Scandal,” black women appear to be more of a target demographic for networks. And Vasi is paying attention.
“Our cast is a little bit of everything. Each girl represents a different way for the audience to relate. It’s not a whole Latina cast, it’s not a whole Caucasian cast, it’s not a whole African American cast. You can have a show with multiple races. And obviously what Kerry Washington has done with ‘Scandal’ is a big eye-opening call to networks — major networks — to show you that you can have a leading lady carry your entire show and she can be of any ethnicity. I think we all as ethnic women need to take our hats off to her. It’s really a whole new ballgame now. There are definitely more roles for males, but I think that what a Kerry Washington in ‘Scandal’ brings [is a new dimension]; things are [changing.]”
The model-turned-actress and new wife is happy to bask in the glow of professional and personal synergy. Denise Vasi is in a good place — even if it does require that she juggle her time between three different places.
“I’m greatly blessed right now. I’m an actress with a job,” she says matter-of-factly. “Which is not as easy as it looks in this business. I just got married and have a wonderful husband who’s an amazing partner. I’ve got my own version of ‘living the dream.’ Our fence isn’t white and we have four dogs instead of one and our life is chaotic — but it’s the way that I like it. Its enough happening to keep me on my toes all the time. My family is healthy and happy and proud of their little girl. I have everything that I need and the people that I love are in good health and happy. I’m really blessed to be living my version of ‘The Life’ right now.”
