Tahj Dayton Mowry is an American actor, dancer, and singer best known for his role as T.J. Henderson on The WB sitcom, Smart Guy, and as Wade on the animated comedy, Kim Possible on the Disney Channel. Tahj Mowry recently is on the new ABC Family comedy Baby Daddy as Tucker. He is the brother of identical twins Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry.
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» All Actor InterviewsHey! You might know me from the ABC Family Comedy BABY DADDY or my past work on SMART GUY or KIM POSSIBLE. And my new single, "Flirt," drops today - http://www.tahjmowryofficial.com
Victoria's helping me out today. AMA!
https://twitter.com/Tahj_Mowry/status/593085346222579713
update: Thank you so much. I love all of my fans, and being able to talk to you directly is so fun. I try my best to take some time to respond every now & then, but I love you guys, and make sure you check out "Flirt" - it's on iTunes, Amazon, and tweet me and let me know what you think of it! And look out for the video, too: https://www.youtube.com/user/TahjDMowry
Hey Tahj, I don't have a question, I just want you to know that I still have nightmares about internet predators because of [this] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRwpvRjh-Tw) episode of Smart Guy
Oh man. I remember that episode. Well, I guess it did its job - because the whole message was to warn people about predators?
if they asked would you do Fuller House ?
I think yeah. That was a huge part of my childhood, and I had a blast on that show, so I'd love to see all of them again.
Why do you think so many child stars have problems later in life?
I think (A) Home life is very important, and it's not necessarily that person's fault if they go off the deep end - some people don't have a good core group of people around them, like friends OR family, and that's important to have. Because they keep you grounded, they look out for you, and I think that's the main thing of why so many go off the deep end. And they didn't treat their job as a job - I know that what I can do is a little crazy, but it's not my entire life - this is just a fraction of what I'm about. And my family and friends are important to me, and I think it's important to be around good people.
Thanks, I wasn't sure if you'd recognize one of your own one-liners :p you're definitely the highlight of that show (my younger sister is a big fan and can't believe you're talking to people right now). I've loved you since Smart Guy. Keep up the good work!
Oh wow! It always means a lot when people have watched me for so long. It's such an honor.
Hey Tahj!
So, I'm gonna let my nerd flag fly on this one: What was it like being on the set of Star Trek: Voyager?
OH MY GOSH! Honestly, that job was still to this day one of my favorite jobs ever. I got to sit in the makeup chair and get this weird alien thing on my face! And the props are so cool, and they had the coolest set - I had a blast playing with the props! It looks so realistic. So that's what i was doing that whole week.
If you could have dinner with Jesus or Gandhi, what would you order?
I would definitely want to order pizza with Jesus, for sure.
I'd probably go to In-n-Out with Gandhi.
Hey Tahj,
I loved your voice work on Kim Possible. Do you have any memorable or funny stories about working on that show?
Yeah! Actually, it's funny, I get a lot of adults that love KIM POSSIBLE - more so than younger kids! I think it's hilarious, SO many people love that show. So many people recognize my voice from the show - it's insane! It's pretty cool. I thinK I worked on that show for 5 years? And it was great. It's usually just you in the room, recording. The best memories were that sometimes it was the 3 of us in there, recording, because you get to play off of each other & hang out. So those are probably my favorite memories, when we'd all be in the same room together.
Hey Tahj, I just wanted to say Smart Guy is one of my all time favourite shows..ever! It really meant a lot to me growing up. I wanted to know how much was what was said on the show was improvised? You, Marcus and Moe had some of the most memorable lines I've heard seen on tv. Such as the little things like "Do your thang big baby!" 'Peace Eazy"...Do you have any favourite improvised lines from either yourself or the other actors?
Also do you keep in touch with any of the cast? You all had such great chemistry...really great performances all around.
Thanks man :)!
Oh my gosh... honestly, that was like pretty much all the writers - the writers on the show were AMAZING. They were so in-touch with what people were saying. And I think that's what makes a good writer - if you can dive into who's playing your characters, make them relatable, it was family-driven but we still talked about real-life issues. Favorite quote... oh my gosh... the whole theme song change was a thing in itself, so that was awesome!
I talk to Jason every now and then, and JJ, and I haven't seen Essence in a while - the only one I haven't seen in quite some time is Omar. He's probably the guy I haven't seen in the longest. But everyone's doing great.
When acting for shows with a child audience, how did you prepare yourself to be more relatable even though you were often older than the audience yourself?
I think that's part of what you do when acting, is go fully into the character and be fully invested in it so it's believable, and do your best. And it's funny, that happens a lot - normally in a lot of movies & TV shows, everyone is playing a little younger than they really are. But I think it's all a part of - that's what you have to work towards so it's believable. And that's why people watch shows, because they find it relatable. And I think that's the main purpose of it. I think we're doing a good job of that with BABY DADDY!
Alright, I'll allow it. Who would you most like to do a collaboration with? Dead or alive.
Oh wow. Jeez. I'd love to work with Lenny Kravitz, Janelle Monae, Drake, Usher... and then acting-wise I'd love to work with Will Smith, I think that'd be amazing, Mark Wahlberg...
Hey Tahj! Do you have any funny memories from working with Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, John Stamos et al on "Full House"?
They were - honestly, it was such a fun set to be on. Every memory was awesome - being in school with the Twins, getting tutored and all that, it was awesome. A lot of fond memories. Me and Bob Saget have the same birthday!
Wow this is huge! How can I do to remix Flirt? The vocals are out of this word!
Aw! It's funny that you said that, because I purposefully did many of my songs so people could remix them, because I feel like music is fun in that way - you should be able to take a song and remix it. So if you want to be creative, go ahead and remix it, tweet it at me, and I'll totally listen to it.
Was it hard to balance your life with all the movies you were involved in as a child? How did this affect your relationship with your sisters?
Actually, it wasn't that hard to balance it. My parents made sure we were very grounded. I went to "normal" school when i wasn't working. I played sports, I had my friends at school, friends on my football team, so my childhood was very, very balanced, and I think that's a testament to my parents. And I came out okay, so thanks Mom & Dad! And my faith's very strong, so that's very important to me. And my parents are AWESOME.
Some of your fave artists from this past Coachella?
Oooh, that's a good one! I love Flosstradamus, he's a really cool DJ. And Chet Baker.
Hi Tahj!!!
Obligatory: I'm a huge fan!!! I loved a lot of the Disney projects you were involved in, are you involved in any current or future Disney movies/tv shows? Seems like their reviving a lot of old successful shows from my youth with a twist, it would be awesome if they could do something with one of your many roles. Also, cats or dogs?
Hahaha! First off, I'm a dog person, for sure.
Definitely a dog person.
And ABC Family is a part of Disney, so I guess that would be the current Disney show that I'm working on right now, but I loved working with Disney and I'll definitely do more Disney projects in the future, it's a great company.
If you had to choose between acting and music, which would you pick and why?
Ooooh. This is a hard one. They both give me something completely different. Acting is pretending to be a character, and stepping out of the real world a little bit, and with singing, it's your chance to be YOU and artistic in your own way, so more personal so to speak! So I don't know if I can pick one. I am going to choose both. They both complete me in a way, half and half, so it's hard to choose.
What was your favorite movie/show you were in from your disney days?
Oh wow.... I'd probably have to say HOUNDED. That was a pretty fun one for me. I got to work with some crazy dogs in that one! I probably had the most fun on that one.
if you were granted one wish, what would he wish for and why?
Ooooooh. Can I wish for more wishes? If I'm allowed to do that, I'll do that!
Oh man, no, I'd get enough wishes for each person in my family- I'd do one for me, and let them do each one on their own, also.
Hi Tahj, I am a big fan of Baby Daddy. Tucker is a hilarious character and he's definitely my favorite character on the show. However, he's always the butt of the joke and the show repeatedly makes jokes about his height and his ethnicity, which indirectly applies to you because you're his portrayer. Do you ever feel bothered or insulted by these jokes?
Aw, that's sweet! You know, we make fun of every character on the show - that's what you have to be willing to do when you're doing a sitcom. When you're on a sitcom with Melissa Petersen - we're all being hilarious, it's all in fun. Chelsea (Melissa's character) gets called all kinds of things, so we poke fun at everyone.
What was the most memorable moment on the Smart Guy set? As a kid I would always get way too stoked when that was on TV. You were hilarious!
Honestly, everyone on that show was family to me. Still is - I was so young, and did that show for 3-4 years of my life. Every day on that set was a blessing. It was such a great set to be on, as a child, you know what I mean? Just a great experience, great memories all around.
could you be friends with someone like Tucker in real life, even though your personalities are so different?
I think - honestly - I could be friends with Tucker in real life, because overall he's a really good friend. He looks out for his friends. He's letting his best friend's baby stay in his house, so he's a good person, he's just a little crazy, know what i mean?
Do you ever find yourself saying things that you think won't connect with the audience but you do it anyway because it's in the script? I ask because when I watch shows with my nieces I really can't connect to the characters but they do. Writing for children's shows must be a gift or something.
I feel like the writers on our show are so great, and they really have a gift. And they hang out with us off-set and everything, so sometimes the things they write can be an actual story that happened in real life!
Thanks so much for replying and being so cool with your fans!! I totally agree with you on PLL, how awesome would that be?! Can't wait to see and hear more from you in the future!
Thank you so much! That's very sweet.
Hey Tahj,
I just saw you on THE REAL and you looked so good. #LicksLips haha! You're singing now & I love it :) Your dance moves were where it's at, also. My question is: ARE YOU CURRENTLY DATING ANYONE ?!?
Hahaha! Oh my gosh. Thank you, first. No, my music is totally my main focus right now, and I feel like I want to do it right, and be focused on that, give the fans really good music. So I guess I'm dating my music.
What superhero would you want to play that hasn't been seen in a Marvel or DC movie or TV show yet?
ooh! I'd love to play Static Shock. I think that'd be really cool.
Hi Tahj
I'm a big fan of baby daddy I just wanted to ask how would you describe your character Tucker?
Oh wow. Tucker - first of all - has no filter. He is very honest, to a fault. He says what's on his mind, without thinking before he speaks, which is awesome because I get to play someone like that, so I get to say really hilarious things every day - so that's fun! He's a great friend. He loves Emma to death. He thinks he's a ladies man, but he doesn't know much about anything.
Hi Tahj. If you dont mind my asking, how did you get into acting so young?
Well, it's funny, because I was so hyper as a child, and I would memorize the TV commercials that i saw on TV, and re-enact them for my family, and my mom said "We gotta do something with this kid" so she put me in acting. And she managed all of us, at one point!
How did you and your producer Excel beats meet?
Well, we honestly - he's like the other half of my brain musically. He's one of my best friends, and it's great to be able to work with someone that you look at as a best friend, and he's such a genius, and he gets me musically. And we just met randomly - I was looking for a young producer that was my age that would get what I wanted to do, and I found that in Excel!
Tahj when are you dropping the flirt video and do you follow fans on twitter if so could you follow me @iamroyalki17?
At one point, I followed all of my fans on Twitter, but then my DM box got a little crazy, so I had to back off on that. And the video for "Flirt" premiered today with a clip on The Reel, and the video will be available TOMORROW on my Vevo channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TahjDMowry
What was it like meeting and working with Destiny's Child on that episode of Smart Guy? Huge fan of that show btw! Hope for much continued success in your acting and music.
Oh, thank you, much appreciated. That episode was SO fun. It was when they were like first bursting out onto the scene. It was awesome to be able to work with them. It was the late 90's. We got to hang out with them between takes. Cool to be able to say I did that.
loved smart guy growing up. whats your favorite food?
My favorite food - I love Soul Food, so collard greens, macaroni, all the fattening dishes.
What is your favorite memory and why?
I haven't been on a tour yet, so hopefully I'll have some of those soon. I am going to go on a tour, but i haven't been on a tour yet!
What is it like to work with Reba?
OH MY GOSH, Reba's awesome! I was just texting her yesterday! I love her, she's awesome. She's just an amazing person all around, and working with her was like a dream come true. A, she's the biggest country star EVER, and she was in THE LITTLE RASCALS movie, she handed the trophy off! She did like, a cameo! So I love her, she's amazing. She's a friend now, in my normal life. My normal life is insane to me. So cool. She's like the sweetest. She's just perfect.
Hey Tahj!! I love your character on Baby Daddy so much, I love every little detail you put into playing him!! So I was wondering if you have any funny stories from working with the Baby Daddy cast? and if you could guest star in any other current ABC Family tv show, what would you choose and why?
Well, I probably would choose PRETTY LITTLE LIARS because i feel like that show is SO dramatic - there's never a dull moment on that show ever, so I just want to be on that show! And then honestly, thank you first of all for saying that about my character, because I enjoy playing him - I get to add my own things here & there, and really create him from the ground up, and it's fun for me, we're laughing constantly at work. It's hard to do a scene with any of my castmates because everyone is so funny. We just laugh nonstop.
Hi Tahj how are you? I loved you on Smart Guy! Do you think there will be a "adult" sequal of Smart Guy? And will you ever go back to Disney to movies? Have a blessed day!
Oh, you're so sweet!
I definitely want to do more features. And definitely doing a Disney feature would be awesome. And I feel like at some point there should be a SMART GUY reunion type thing! That would be pretty cool.