She previously spoke of having a “gut feeling” about acting; how she studied dance as a young girl; and how important academics was to her. Fast forward two years, and those same values still hold true. However, something has changed: What was once a “gut feeling” has turned into something great for the young actress. She admits to having a lot of “firsts” within the last couple of years––the most recent being cast in her first TV series, Being Mary Jane.
A BET original series, Being Mary Jane doesn’t need an introduction at all. Even if you haven’t had a chance to watch the show, social media, previews and the media in general have done a great job of informing viewers about the groundbreaking series that gets the “conversation” started––conversations about love, infidelity, family, relationships and careers.
Latarsha’s character, Dr. Lisa Hudson, is a successful OB/GYN and childhood friend of Mary Jane, who is played by actress Gabrielle Union.
“Throughout the series, there is a lot to learn about Dr. Lisa Hudson and Mary Jane’s relationship,” Latarsha comments.
Being a regular on a show like Being Mary Jane is exciting for Latarsha because she gets to work on a project that is about real people dealing with real concerns and experiences.
“You get to see that we all have flaws and life experiences that we don’t always see,” she admits. “Now, we have some insight.”
While Latarsha contends that she’s no different from every other working girl, and that “today is just like any other day” where she’ll pay bills, clean her apartment and go to meetings before work––there are still some of us who would love to trade places with her, even just for the day. However, Latarsha remains grounded. She appreciates every opportunity, especially getting to work on her talent on a consistent basis.
“With the hills and the valleys of this career, I still love what I get to do,” she says. “You can’t help but to grow in your work when you get to do it all the time.”
What’s next?
Cora’s Place, which is set in the 60s, is about a woman who has the courage to overcome domestic and racial abuse. Latarsha admits that it was a very emotional project, but she’s excited to see how it’ll be received during its upcoming festival run.
Oh, and three years from now when we check back in with her?
She will be fluent in German and Spanish, Being Mary Jane will still be successful and still in production, Cora’s Place will have received great accolades and she’ll be coming off production of some amazing feature films.
“Overall, I will be happy and more comfortable in my skin.”
