Tisha Campbell shared that Martin Lawrence personally went to her mom’s house to convince her to play Gina on Martin.
Speaking on Taboo’s Comics & Kicks, Campbell remembered turning down Lawrence at first because a different pilot she’d filmed was picked up for a 13-episode order. But Lawrence was persistent.
“He was like, ‘Nah, nah, I’m coming over to your house. Where do you live?’” Campbell recalled. “I was like, ‘I live with my mom.’”
Lawrence showed up and attempted to persuade her.
“I really want you to play this role,” Campbell recalled Lawrence saying.
Although she had a show that was picked up for 13 episodes, Campbell felt compelled to work with Lawrence.
“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.’”
Eventually she agreed, saying, “All right, Martin, I’m going to go with you.”
THE SUCCESS AND IMPACT OF ‘MARTIN’
The decision would be one of the best of her career. Airing from 1992 to 1997, Martin stood as a cornerstone of Fox’s Thursday night programming. It grew into a defining cultural touchstone of 1990s television.
Anchored by Lawrence’s slapstick humor and remarkable versatility, the show became one of the network’s highest-rated series, winning a People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy and multiple NAACP Image Awards.
Beyond its ratings, Martin reshaped Black representation in pop culture by centering young, urban professionals, seamlessly weaving hip-hop guest stars into its storylines, and showcasing dynamic ensemble chemistry alongside Campbell.
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Campbell spoke about not being aware of the impact of the show.
“There were so many Black shows going on at the time. What was important was that there were two young African American people who were in love,” she said. “Now, we had The Cosby Show representation. But we really [never] had two young people who were having fun, discovering each other, discovering life. I think that is [why] there are so many songs about Martin and Gina.”