Reality TV Veteran Tami Roman Talks Generational Wealth, Acting, and More!

Tami: So you’re saying how do I differentiate the two?

Ashley: Yes

Tami: Okay. So because they are two completely different things, right? So unscripted is really just me being myself, and you know, bringing my stories, my truths, whatever they may be, to whatever the project is. When we’re talking about ensemble type, unscripted programming, a la — you know a Real Housewives of Atlanta, when it’s that type of environment. When you’re talking about unscripted as in Caught In The Act: Unfaithful, which is more of a reality based but I’m hosting, for me that’s very easy because I legitimately care about people. So that show is about relationships and whatever people are going through. I really just bring all of my life experience, my wisdom, my ability to counsel and advise, and try to uplift and empower people through whatever trials they’re going through. With scripted programming, I was trained in that field by a lady named Chip Fields, who is Kim Fields mother. I studied with her for three years, and she’s one of the best acting coaches in the world. So, I feel like I’m able to bring whatever is necessary for the character. Scripted allows me to play other people outside of myself. So I always remember the difference. Here I get to be other people, and on the unscripted side all I have to do is be Tami.  

Tami:  I wouldn’t call anything that I have been involved with, even if I didn’t like the experience as much, a regret. I feel like I was there, and I absolutely learned something. Either about how I interact interpersonally with other people in that dynamic, or about myself. So I don’t regret anything, do I wish that maybe I would’ve handled certain situations better? Yes. However here again, we can only be who we are, and sometimes that’s just what it is. Meeting a person where they are, and how they handle those situations in that moment is a testimony to who they are at that time. So you present yourself with the ability to learn and grow, about yourself. In hindsight yes, I would handle it differently now, because I know better now. But I don’t regret anything.

Tami: Well Haus of Vicious was actually created by my producing partner Jill Ramsey. So it’s really based on, you know, a culmination of experiences and people that she’s come across over the course of her life of being in the entertainment business for over twenty-five years. With me playing Chantel, that wasn’t initially our goal. We were going to cast that role, and then she asked me if I wanted to play it. So once I decided that I would take on the role of Chantel, for me it was really about showing people that I can act. I love the craft of acting and I love scripted programming. People haven’t seen me in that genre in quite some time, even though that’s really how I tried to hone my career. After coming off of the Real World in 1993, I went into scripted programming. From 2010 up until 2018, I hadn’t really done much scripted. So for me, it was about showing people that I am a trained actress and that I respect the craft, and I’ma give you all I got! You got this! You know what I’m saying? And so, I wanted to deliver every time I was on screen. I felt I did, and that was important to me.

Tami: Well the blessings of the Lord are upon me, because you know that season two of that show has just gotten picked up for an additional twenty more episodes. So that is definitely gonna take a bulk of my time to film that show, and we anticipate getting more seasons after this one. So yes, to answer your question specifically, I do see myself doing more hosting.I love that show here again, because it incorporates real people along with myself, being able to talk about my experiences as it pertains to relationships, and it’s really like a hybrid to me. That’s how I view Unfaithful: Caught In The Act. If I could have my druthers, I’d have my own talk show. So this is an opportunity for me to be in the unscripted space; it feels like a talk show. I’m able to interact with real people, real situations, real challenges that they’re going through, and use my real life as a testimony to help them.

Tami: Yes. Truth be Told, is a show that I do with Octavia Spencer. It’s actually her show, for Apple TV. I play her step-mother on that show. I’m married to her father, who is played by a phenomenal actor Ron C. Jones. So on that, I play a character Lillian who is trying to find a position in the family. Because the person I’m married to, Ron who plays Shreve Scoville on the show, has two daughters. Octavia Spencer is his daughter, so it’s like he’s got these three kids, and they all have their own mothers, and then now here I come — the sexy, young step-mother who’s just trying to find my place, because I know that I love my husband, and now I would love for you guys to accept me and understand that I am going to be apart of this family. Lillian is very hands on with the Shreve character, and always has his back, is very ride or die for him, and is trying to just make alliances with his three kids. So that’s really the premise, because the show in and of itself, follows two worlds for Poppy, which is Octavia Spencer’s character, where she’s a podcaster, who is a bonafide journalist who is always uncovering crimes and mysteries and solving them. Then she has her family on the other side, which she’s trying to navigate as well. I’m on the family side of that story.

Tami: The Ms. Pat Show is just fun. It’s just a good time, you know? It gives me a chance to do comedy, which people didn’t even know I had the ability to do! So here again, stretching that acting muscle and doing different things. Every time I try to step into the space, Ms. Pat is just crazy, so it makes it fun to go to work, and that show is another show that’s based off of her life and her experiences, and everything that she’s gone through. I play her sister, who is a recovering addict, who is trying to find herself. All through the journey, she’s constantly messing up. People have considered us like the modern day Lucy and Ethel. You know, they compare us to them, and you know it’s just a fun time, Denise is a great character to play, they give her great things to say, and it brings to life that Bonnet Chronicle persona that I have on Instagram that does really well with people. I’m able to put that into a character and be funny, and people seem to love that character.

Tami: We’re the type of production company that’s very serious in terms of our mission statement, of bringing stories and projects that are meaningful in some way. And helping find new talent, up and coming talent, and giving them a platform to work within the craft. For us, we’ve got two more scripted programs, we’ve got three unscripted programs that are coming down the pipeline, and we’re excited about it! Even with Haus of Vicious, even though it’s high drama and intense, over the top type situations, that’s creative liberty right? In terms of getting viewers to watch your show. But at the core of Haus of Vicious, it’s really about the dynamics of people and their relationships, and trying to figure out a way to navigate those situations to come out on the other side of them. So you know, if I could say one message about Haus of Vicious specifically as it pertains to Roman Ramsey, that’s what we’re about. Putting projects out there where people can, if they are willing to receive while watching the show for entertainment purposes, there are gems in there that will definitely inspire, encourage, empower, uplift, challenge people as it pertains to their own life. So we are excited about the five projects that we have coming.

Tami: I don’t think I had any fear about it, because you know we stand behind what we are trying to do. The challenge with having your own production company is getting people to understand what it is that you’re trying to do.  A la networks, getting them to see the value in what you’re trying to do, so that they give you that platform to put those projects out. That’s across the board, it’s not just our production company. I talked to other producers, we’re constantly pitching, we’re constantly trying to sell our ideas, and that’s challenging because there’s only so much space on tv, you know? So, companies have budgets and companies have times already allotted so we came across those challenges when we first started our production company. Now that we’ve gotten Haus of Vicious on BET, we anticipate the road being much smoother, because Haus of Vicious was so successful!

Tami: I think that, you know, not just for me specifically, but every person you know, needs to get serious about not necessarily the amount of income that they make, but what they do with the income that they make. Right? So in terms of creating generational wealth for my daughters, I’m very serious about teaching them financial literacy. With me with my legacy, it’s about working, consistently, having at least five to seven streams of income, and then parlaying that income into assets. Assets aren’t purses, cars, jewelry, you know things that people go out and think that they are — they’re not. So for me it’s about buying properties, establishing trusts, getting life insurance, which afford you the ability to borrow against if you want to purchase more assets. Lines of credit, utilizing other people’s funds to be able to do the things that you really want to do in life. You know, establishing businesses, being an entrepreneur, that’s what I’m teaching my daughters. That can go across the board for anybody, somebody that’s working at — for the sake of this conversation — McDonald’s, you know, whatever money that you’re getting it’s about taking that money, and making that money work for you. A lot of people don’t have that financial literacy, and it’s important for me to teach my daughters that.

Tami: Yes! I love being able to work with my daughters in any capacity. I feel like most of the time we go out and we look for other people to do things that someone in your family may be qualified to do. For me, it’s about definitely keeping things in house, because when I’m no longer here I want my daughters to be able to have a position for success. I come from an era of people before me, a la my mother, my grandmother, they didn’t understand that. So it was important for me to — in a culture, I’m talking about African Americans, the Black culture — we’re already behind the eight ball in terms of how we are able to maneuver in life, right? The way that it was set up. So generations before me, did not have the aptitude to be able to establish anything. You can’t do what you don’t know, and nobody was teaching them. So my mother was very diligent about teaching me, and then now I’ve passed that on to my daughters. So that when I’m no longer here, they’re left with something that positions them for success and growth in this lifetime.

Tami: Um, currently my schedule is too tight [laughter]. I don’t know how much more I can fit in, in terms of me actually being involved in the project in front of the camera. Now producing wise, like I said we’ve got the five projects that Jill Ramsey and I are producing, and then I’m directing from time to time. So I;ve directed a couple of episodes of Uncensored, I’ll be doing some more work on that show, and then you didn’t mention this show, but I also have The Family Business, so I float in and out on that one as well. I love that show, I’m never leaving that show because when I was trying to get back into scripted, Carl Weber was one of the few people that had a show on air that took a chance on me. At a time when casting directors and companies weren’t allowing me to enter back into the scripted world. So whatever Carl Weber needs me to do, I’m going to be present and available if it’s in my ability to do so. That’s the way my loyalty is set up. So Family Business is very important to me, and I love the character London. In terms of what else I can take on, no I don’t know what else I can take on right now [laughter]. I don’t know what else I can get in, but I’m always looking! That’s my problem. It’s like well child, what else can I do? I got a day on Friday, you know I can get in over there. But, I’m doing more on the entrepreneurial side, and the e-commerce side with my husband, and so that even when I’m not actively working on a show, I’m still actively working in some aspect to see those five to seven revenue streams going!