Tichina Arnold Once Shared That She Was Typecast After ‘Martin’
Actor Tichina Arnold’s role as Pam in the hit 90s sitcom Martin was so popular that there were rumors she might even get her own spin-off. But initially, her performance on the show did as much harm for her as it did good. She played Pam so well that it was hard for others to see her being anyone else for quite some time.
Tichina Arnold revealed what life after ‘Martin’ was like
There were plenty of times where Arnold stole the show in the television series Martin. One of the series’ many highlights was watching Gina’s best friend engaging in a verbal battle of wits with the show’s titular character. But originally, if Arnold had it her way, she wouldn’t have starred in Martin at all. There were other shows that Arnold felt might’ve been more worth her time back then.
“The role of Pam was originally for a heavyset girl,” Arnold once said in an interview with the Happy Hour.
“I didn’t even really want Martin. I didn’t want it. I was up for two other shows. I tested for CCPD and Main Street,” she added.
Still, Arnold ended up securing and committing to perhaps one of her most iconic roles. In addition to watching comic star Martin Lawrence in his prime up close, Arnold was able to flex her own comedic chops. But although she enjoyed great success in the series, appearing in all of its 132 episodes, her stint in Martin eventually backfired. At least when it came to securing work after the sitcom ended.
“I was pigeon-holed. I was Pam. When you play a role for so long, and people see you a certain–I was pigeon-holed for a very long time,” she said. “A lot of people don’t know I didn’t work consistently for 10 straight years after I did Martin. I was looking for work wherever I could get it. I wasn’t on a show after Martin. 10 years.”
She managed to keep afloat financially by starting China Moon Rags, which specialized in designing unique bandanas and scarves for its customers. According to Entertainment Weekly, celebrities like Jada Pinkett Smith and her lifelong friend Tisha Campbell were big supporters of the brand.
Chris Rock fought to cast Tichina Arnold in ‘Everybody Hates Chris’
Arnold credited another comedian, Chris Rock, for helping stage her television comeback. Rock cast Arnold as Rochelle in the CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, which was loosely based on the comedian’s childhood. But casting Arnold wasn’t easy. She was yet another Black female actor who was underestimated by networks, and Rock had to fight to get her on the show.
“I’ve never gone into battle without a Black woman, you know, a movie battle,” Rock said in an interview with Essence. “With Tichina Arnold in Everybody Hates Chris, I had to fight for Tichina. I’m not even going to tell you who the network wanted. She’s literally as good as Tina Fey or Julia Louis-Dreyfus or any of these chicks. They’re like, ‘Tichina who’?’”
However, fans of Arnold don’t have to wonder too much about where she is now after Rock’s sitcom ended. She’s managed to sustain her momentum by doing projects like The Neighbor, Clover, and Wonder London.
But although long behind her, Arnold saw her frustrating days in the film industry as a learning experience. It taught her the value of self-sufficiency, which she could pass down to other aspiring actors in her position. She’s also even managed to help her own former Martin co-star Campbell find work in television.
“So to be told, Oh, you love me, but you’re not gonna gimme a job was tough. Then I realized that I have to start putting into and investing in myself,” she once told BIN. “I tell a lot of young people that get into the industry you are your own brand. You are how you sell your brand, how you package your brand, how you respect your brand, and what you put back into your brand. You’ll get it back, but you have to be patient. Things are not gonna come when you want them to come. But your words are very powerful, and you can manifest whatever it is that you want. You take a few hard knocks. You learn from your mistakes.”
