EXCLUSIVE: Multi-hyphenate and Empire alum Tasha Smith is returning to work with Lee Daniels on his Netflix untitled exorcism thriller.
Oscar nominee Andra Day plays Ebony, the mother of an Indiana family whose children purportedly became demonically possessed in a thriller inspired by an actual case. Smith will play Asia, who is Ebony’s best friend.
Deadline first told you about Daniels’ new horror movie which Netflix scooped up in a bidding war for $65M, the pic also starring Oscar winner Octavia Spencer, Oscar nominee Glenn Close, Rob Morgan, Caleb McLaughlin and recent King Richard Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis.
Smith was mentored by Lee and played the role of Carol Hardaway on Fox’s Empire across 31 episodes. She also directed two episodes on Daniels’ co-created Fox drama series Star.
Smith is also a director and producer. She recently directed the fifth episode of Peacock’s Bel Air, and she executive produced alongside 50 Cent the Starz series BMF which she also directed three episodes on, including the premiere and finale. BMF follows two brothers who rose from the decaying streets of southwest Detroit in the late 1980’s and gave birth to one of the most influential crime families in the country.
Smith is also the EP for the BET Documentary, Strip Down: The Naked Truth, on which she also serves as host and narrator. The BET Original is an in-depth examination of stripper culture and features real-life stories of female strippers from around the country-providing a look at a lifestyle that is often misrepresented and glorified in pop culture.
Other TV episodes that Smith has directed include Big Sky, 9-1-1, Black Lightning, Tales, and TV One’s When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, starring recording artist and actress, Lil Mama.
Smith’s feature credits include Why Did I Get Married? and its sequel, Why Did I Get Married, Too? as well as the character of Angela in Tyler Perry’s OWN series For Better or Worse. That part earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination as Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series.
Other feature credits include Jumping the Broom, Couples Retreat, The Whole Ten Yards, and Dolemite Is My Name.
Smith nurtures and mentors new talent through her Tasha Smith Actors Workshop (TSAW).
Smith is represented by Verve and Marsh Entertainment.