How do you know you’ve found your ideal co-star for a TV show? In Martin Lawrence‘s case, his determination to land Tisha Campbell for “Martin” led him right to her mother’s front door.
Campbell recalled the moment she learned she would be part of Lawrence’s FOX TV show for a recent episode of the “Taboo’s Comics & Kicks” podcast. According to the “Boomerang” actress, she had recently signed on for a 13-episode series for ABC, while “Martin,” despite Lawrence’s hosting of “Def Comedy Jam” and roles in films such as the first two “House Party” movies and “Do the Right Thing,” had only secured a pilot episode.
Lawrence, who starred with Campbell in three films before landing “Martin,” already knew it was she whom he wanted for his TV girlfriend. He wasn’t willing to let TV executives’ lack of faith sway his opinion that Campbell needed to be part of the show.
“He was like, ‘Nah, nah, I’m coming over your house. Where do you live?’” Campbell recalled around the three-minute mark of the interview. “I was like, ‘I live with my mom.’”
Lawrence’s desire to have Campbell play a role on “Martin” led him to her mother’s front door, where he did even more convincing to ensure she would be part of the cast.
“I really want you to play this role,” Campbell recalled Lawrence telling her. The 13-episode series would have guaranteed Campbell a steady paycheck, having been a recurring guest star on “A Different World,” “Blossom,” and “Roc.” But instead, she opted to bet on Lawrence, resulting in one of television’s most enduring comedies and an on-screen duo that has endured for more than 30 years.
“God kept telling me, ‘You got to go with Martin,’” she said. “I was like, ‘That’s a lot of money I’m giving up.’”
It turned into one of the more enduring roles in sitcom history. Although Campbell would famously leave the show after its fourth season, “Martin” aired more than 132 episodes from 1992 to 1997, becoming one of the all-time greatest sitcoms on TV and is still running in syndication today.
“We never would have thought that we would be like ‘The Brady Bunch’ or ‘I Love Lucy’ and our show would be playing over and over for generations upon generations. We never looked at it like that,” Campbell said. “The entire cast, we was just like, let’s just make some money for our families and make each other laugh. And that was our goal every single day.”
