Were there any difficulties in the character development of Billy?
The most challenging was the scenes with Billy and Prosper. They were very, very tough emotionally, just having to dig and go through and pull up all those feelings and emotions. That was probably the most difficult thing to do, but working alongside Henry made everything very easy. He’s actually my favorite person to work with.
How do you decompress from all of your roles?
I think Black women, in particular, put an extra cape on. We wear two capes. I do a lot of meditation. I do a lot of prayer, hiking, and outdoor activities. That really helps me to kind of ground myself and come back to reality. I have a great support system. My family and my friends don’t see Tammy as the actress; they just see Tammy. They keep you grounded.
What advice do you have for beginning actors and actresses?
I think the best thing to do is to get out there and do as much work as you can. If you’re not booking a job, any kind of acting gigs or union gigs, there’s also independent stuff that you can do. You need to learn, not just the craft, but the business part of it, too. That was a mistake I made when I first started. I just didn’t pay attention to all that. They have great resources that you can find out contractually, what you need to be looking out for and how much you need to be making. How many hours, what your rights are, all that is equally important.
