Drew Sidora’s most memorable work early in her career are her roles on “That’s So Raven” and “The Game.” A wider audience was then introduced to the actress in 2013 when she portrayed Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins in the wildly popular VH1 biopic, CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story. Ever since then, her star has continued to shine brighter, with more opportunities and doors opening. Interestingly enough, the name of her next movie is reminiscent of the hit TLC song, “Waterfalls.” On Mother’s Day, Sidora will star in the TV One film, Chasing Waterfalls.
Based on the “Book of David” from the Bible, the movie follows Olivia (Sidora), an aspiring fashion designer who is strong in her faith. With a responsibility to care for her aging father and the burden of a troubled sister, Olivia eagerly takes a shot at fulfilling her dreams of designing for a clothing brand. As her success rises, she begins to hurt people along the way. In the midst of the cut-throat fashion industry, Olivia must find a way to stay true to herself.
“[Olivia’s] very determined, very passionate and loving,” Sidora told rolling out. “She has to figure out a way to deal with the consequences of her choices and find her way back to that foundation. A lot of people can relate to that story and relate to fighting for what they want.”
The film stars seasoned actors who are no strangers to television. Tim Reid (Sister, Sister, Treme) plays Quincy, Olivia’s elderly father. Jasmine Guy (A Different World, Dead Like Me) is Salma Barrie, a tough clothing line owner. Although Sidora’s been acting for quite a while, she still managed to learned a lot from Reid and Guy and had a blast working with them.
“I’ve known Tim Reid for a while. He really helped me a lot [during this film],” Sidora said. “Jasmine Guy is hilarious. She was so down to earth. She was constantly cracking jokes and kept everybody laughing.”
With such a strong message that promotes morals, faith, and family, Sidora and TV One believe viewers will walk away from the film inspired.
“This film illustrates TV One’s brand promise to represent all facets of Black culture,” D’Angela Proctor, TV One’s senior vice president of programming and production, said in a statement. “It is a modern-day telling of the centuries-old tale of moral seduction, ambition and power and reminds us all of what it truly means to have faith.”
As for Sidora, she’s staying busy. She has two more films coming out this year.
“With every role comes more opportunities,” she said. “I’m very grateful.”
Chasing Waterfalls premieres May 8 at 7 p.m. EST on TV One.
