There’s no doubt Tasha Smith has the looks and talent required to be a leading lady. The potential is evident in her scene-stealing turn as Angela, the tell-it-like-it-is hair stylist who seems intent on emasculating her husband in Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? But Smith, who reprises her breakthrough role in Why Did I Get Married Too? out April 2, has a solid reputation as an ensemble player who can take small but complicated parts and turn them into something special. And while she enjoys the perks of being a movie star—frequently gracing red carpets around Hollywood—Smith’s approach to stardom is all about hard work and hustle.

Smith discovered her talent for teaching when she needed to make some extra cash and began tutoring beginners. Now she is a respected coach, helping established performers prepare for parts. Many Tasha Smith Actors Workshop students, like House of Payne star Lance Gross, have found success in TV, movies and theater.

Despite all the glitz and glam, she’s managed to stay grounded.

And she is experiencing her own success with Married Too? a? In the new film, the vacationing best-friend couples confront more serious issues, and one relationship ends. Add to that the palpable pain of castmate Janet Jackson, who was still reeling from her brother Michael’s sudden death when filming began…

Want more Tasha Smith? Purchase the April issue of upscale Magazine, on a newsstand near you (or subscribe today) to find out how she helped Janet work through her grief, who the new man is in her life and what turned their Bahamas film set into, “Gilligan’s Island, not Fantasy Island.”