Photo by FilmMagic/FilmMagic for U.S.VETS
Tia Mowry-Hardrict is speaking out about pay inequality, racism, and biracial stereotypes she faced as a child actress in the 90s; specifically on the set of the fan-favorite sitcom Sister, Sister opposite Tamera Mowry-Housley.
Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
In the latest episode of her web series, Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix, the actress recalls the difference in treatment she received in comparison to those who “weren’t of ethnicity.”
“It was very evident to me when I would walk on sets and see how certain stars or actors would be treated who weren’t of ethnicity — better dressing room, better trailer,” she noted. “Now, I’m like, more aware what that was, which is a budget. But back then I didn’t know what a budget was. It was so clear how you would see one show that didn’t have a diverse cast that just had a bigger budget, so everything just seemed bigger and better. But when it came to my projects and what I was doing, you actually really visually saw the less-than.”
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The 42-year-old also saw less when it came to her paychecks. She asked for a raise after realizing Sister, Sister had become a success. But according to The Game actress, “it was always so hard for my sister and I to get what we felt like we deserved. And our paycheck never equaled our counterparts’ that weren’t of diversity.”
A shocking remark as the show was centered around their twin dynamic and ran for six seasons. To add to her former child star experience, the mother-of-two revealed that her blackness was questioned when pursuing roles, “I’ve been told I’m not black enough which was very odd and weird to me. ‘You don’t look Black enough. I think you would fit more of the Latino role.’ It’s like, what? These were casting directors who did not understand the different shades of Black culture.”
Mowry-Hardrict is using the discrimination that she faced as a motivator.
“How I was treated is why I built my work ethic. I am gonna get to a place where you can’t treat me like that.”
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