Picture Perfect/Shutterstock Tamera Mowry-Housley and Tia Mowry-Hardrict
It’s no secret that childhood stardom comes with sacrifices, but Tamera Mowry-Housley handled it with grace, and she’s opening up about it in her new memoir.
Talking to PEOPLE about his newly released book you should sit down for thisMowry-Housley reflects on her childhood and the balance between being a normal child and an aspiring actress, who eventually landed her breakout role in sister sister with twin Tia Mowry.
“It was tough. I thank God I had my sister,” the 44-year-old actress tells PEOPLE. “There was a point in our life where we were damned if we did and damned if we didn’t.
Mowry-Housley even recalled a case in which a biology professor gave him a hard time in his career. “She just didn’t understand that I’m a working actress. I couldn’t be there every day. She automatically wanted to fail me and my sister.”
Kwaku Alston Tamera Mowry
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“We work hard,” he continued. “I wanted to show him that, ‘No, I’m still in school. Yes, I’m not there every day. I understand that the assistance is not there, but this is a different case. This is a job.’ I remember I gave him an ultimatum. I said, ‘Let me take your final exam, let me take your final exam. What you get on that final exam is what you get in class.'”
And she passed!
“We always had to fight, my sister and I, always. Fight for our grades, fight for a role, fight to win a pageant. In the process, we are very strong.”
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In the book, Mowry-Housley takes readers through his life, from landing his leading role sister sister with Tia in her stride as a talk show host on The real. Throughout, he stays true to his optimism with hilarious dating anecdotes (he loves comparing men to wine!), stories about the (very few) times he disobeyed his mother, and even a surprising story from the time who cared for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. .
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In addition to the funny stories, Mowry-Housley also showed his heart on his sleeve as he detailed the death of his 18-year-old niece Alaina and her departure from The real for the first time.
“There were times when I questioned whether or not I should put it in the book because it was so emotional and because it spoke from the heart,” he says.
She continues, “I know there are people who would love to take advantage of that and bring you down. You always have to move from a place of truth and authenticity. I felt like that story needed to be told.”
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you should sit down for this it’s out now