You know Tamera Mowry-Housley — Hallmark movie star and executive producer, former co-host of The Real, and one half of the most iconic ’90s duo to ever ’90s, Tia and Tamera.
Well, I recently got a chance to sit down with the multitalented actor and mother of two — virtually, that is — to chat about the importance of representation in TV, how her family will spend the holidays,
and of course,
those Sister, Sister revival rumors we ’90s kids desperately hope are true:
“I feel so blessed and so honored!” Tamera tells BuzzFeed. “When my sister and I were doing the show, we didn’t realize what it was going to become — we were just these two young girls achieving a dream of ours, but being authentically ourselves in the process. So now, fast forward over 20 years and my mind is BLOWN. I didn’t know it was going to be this classic!”
And what the show’s new reach does for representation for women of color is just as important, Tamera says.
“(When we filmed Sister, Sister), I remember my sister and I saying that it is important that we be who we are. Being biracial, we didn’t see a lot of people who looked like us growing up. Now we do see more and more biracial people, but back then, the only person I saw who looked like me was my twin! So in everything that I do professionally, I make sure everyone knows that representation is important to me.”
Tamera tells BuzzFeed that the magic of Sister, Sister isn’t just in the show having an all-Black cast, but that “people all over the world have been able to watch the show, look past any stereotypes, and see themselves in it.” And the impact of the girls wearing their signature natural curls on the show isn’t lost on her, either.
“I love that young girls of color can see Tia and I and go, ‘They’re wearing their natural curly hair, see? That’s dope!'” Tamera says.
It’s no secret that Sister, Sister fans all over the world would love to see a revival happen with Tia and Tamera as adults — and when asked what she would want the show to focus on, Tamera has a few ideas.
“I envision a Sex and the City kind of vibe — something that’s sexy, of course funny, modern, and fashionable,” she says. “Maybe one of the girls is a parent, and maybe one not, because not everyone has to have kids to be successful. But even if one of the characters was a mom, I’d love it to focus on who they are character-wise, maybe how being a parent — or taking a detour — has changed them. And it would be cool if maybe the girls had lost touch as sisters, and then some kind of event forces them back together. That’s what was so beautiful about Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell — that they were so different. It even says that in the theme song!”
Speaking of family, Tamera tells BuzzFeed she looks forward to spending time with hers over Zoom this holiday season, and when it comes to gifts for 2020, she’s been working with Moose Toys to promote one of her faves:
“I’m obsessed with Squeakee The Balloon dog! I know it’s for the kids, but still! It’s part balloon dog, part robot, and you can make it sit and do tricks, and it can use the restroom — but when it does, this cute little yellow light shines on the floor, and my son thinks it’s hysterical,” she says. “And the best part for parents is that you don’t have to clean up after him!”
Find a link to Squeakee the Balloon Dog in our latest kids’ holiday gift guide — which is full of other kids’ gifts you can’t go wrong with!
And you can catch Tamera in Christmas Comes Twice on the Hallmark Channel December 13th, in episodes of her family’s YouTube show, The Housley Life, and — if you’re anything like me — endless episodes of Sister, Sister on Netflix, because when it comes to my ’90s TV, ’tis always the season.
