Tamera Mowry-Housley Opens Up About Her Memoir, 'Sister Sister' & the Character She's Dying to Play

•

Published Jan 17, 2023

Tamera Mowry-Housley is the Jill of all trades.

Not only has she blossomed into a Hallmark queen, but the Emmy winner also co-hosted a major talk show, published a top-selling memoir and produced multiple films. Not to mention the successful winery that she co-owns with her husband, Adam Housley. But while the talented star has her hands full with so many projects, she isn't quick to forget about the iconic role that started it all: the lovably goofy Tamera Campbell from the '90s sitcom, Sister Sister.

While chatting with PureWow about her partnership with Natrol, the actress opened up about what it was like to portray the optimistic teenager.

Jason Mendez/Getty Images

She told us, “Tamera Campbell, to me, is iconic. She was so much fun. I loved her because, if you look back at all the seasons and some of the episodes, she was never afraid to be herself. She was goofy. She was silly. She was boy-crazy. Maybe a little mischievous and maybe did not like school. But she had this zest for life. That was just contagious. She was the life of the party, she loved her family [and] her sister. She loved life. And I just loved playing her.”

The star also explained that Tamera's character helped her tap into her comedic side. She said, “She was the one who taught me that I actually could be funny, because I didn't grow up thinking I was a funny person. I found my [ability to do comedy] through playing Tamera Campbell. Like, I would see the [the script] on the page, and then I would just go. And it was like Tamera gave me permission to just bring my unique characteristics to the role.”

Since Sister, Sister, the star has been working on comedies and family films like The Santa Stakeout, Girlfriendship and, most recently, Inventing the Christmas Prince. But as it turns out, Mowry-Housley is ready to show her range with even different roles.

"I would love to dive into a character that no one has ever seen or would even think of me playing," she said. "I don't know what that character is yet, but something extremely different that is going to challenge me as an actor."

The star continued, "It could be me being in prosthetics, where they won't even know it’s me. [Maybe I'm] playing an older woman. Maybe I’m a superhero or a woman battling with substance abuse. I just want there to be a message in there. Knowing that you're not defined by your mistakes or your past. You learn from them.”

Aside from exploring more nuanced characters, the Twitches star also revealed that she'd love to get into directing. She said, "There is a part of me that wants to direct but I am afraid, and so I'm like ‘Dang it!’ But I have this passion to do it."

Getty Images

While Mowry-Housley is more than willing to step out of her comfort zone, she's careful when it comes to selecting her new projects. In fact, the TV host explained why it's so important for her to be involved in opportunities that spread "hope" and "positivity."

She explained, "I am doing all those things, but I have a common theme to it. The book, the talk show, the movies—I want to inspire and encourage. For all of us to tap into our own unique, special gifts and give back. Spread love, spread joy and help make this world a better place by just sprinkling some hope, faith and positivity in it. And that's what you will find in everything that I touch.”

Anyone who has read her latest book, You Should Sit Down For This, can probably attest to Mowry-Housley's passion for uplifting others (and of course, food and wine). But perhaps the most powerful parts of her memoir involve her insightful "Tamera-isms"—best defined as little nuggets of wisdom and encouragement for those those who need it most.

When asked which one resonates with her the most, she told us, "There's two: ‘You define who you are’ and ‘Life happens for you, not to you.’ Those are the two that I'm constantly meditating on."

She continued, “I feel like instances that happen in my life that don't make me feel good or just didn't go as planned, or there was a plot twist or whatever. I look back and I go, ‘Okay, what can I learn from this?’ So that it doesn't happen again. And that is why I love that saying life doesn't happen. You know, life happens for you, not to us. I don't like playing the victim in things. I'd rather be the conqueror than the victim.”

As for why the second saying hits home for her, she told us, "I have learned people are always going to have an opinion. You can be the nicest person. You can you can try your hardest to please everyone, but there's always going to be that one. You know, someone that's just not gonna like you. You have 80 percent who like you and 20 are not gonna like you, and you can't let them define who you are."

With regards to her partnership, Tamera explained that she chose to work with Natrol because she "believes in their messaging" and values the importance of rest.

She told us, "Sleep is really important. And it's also the same when you travel and you have to be present in your work life. But present for me is being present at my home life, [which] I feel is just as important, or maybe even more. So when they came to me about doing a possible partnership, I said absolutely, of course. I love the fact that you're taking something that is drug free. It works with your natural body cycle, so it was a no brainer for me."

Well, excuse us while we dive into her memoir—complete with wine and cookies, of course.

Nakeisha Campbell

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Writes celebrity news, TV/movie reviews and SEO-focused entertainment articles
Interviews celebrities and covers red carpet events
Has 8+ years of experience covering entertainment topics

read full bio