After sizzling seasons charting the messiness of love, friendship, and survival, Tyler Perry’s Sistas has entered its most consequential chapter yet, and the stars are telling BOSSIP all about it.
Source: Courtesy / BET Media Group
Season 10 picked up in the aftermath of Andi’s car bombing, something actress KJ Smith, who continues to bring the fierce divorce attorney to life, says is a turning point.
Andi’s journey this season is shaped by her ongoing battle with Dr. Cruz, a sinister physician with a documented history of racism and negligence toward Black female patients; a fight that takes on new urgency after the explosion forces her to confront the real cost of courage.
KJ told BOSSIP that the moment becomes a reckoning for the high-powered attorney.
“She has to ask herself, ‘Am I willing to put my life on the line to protect thousands of women?’ Or am I just chasing success without real heart?” Smith said, explaining that the blast “makes her halt,” pushing Andi to finally slow down after years of hustle mentality.
“We all have those defining moments in our careers and in our lives where we wonder if we got this right,” Smith said, noting that Andi is forced to take “at least a half of a beat” and question whether pursuing the case could cost her life.
The stakes become even more personal as Andi considers the ripple effect of speaking out; how one case can lead to many more, and the reality that someone close to her has already been affected, while her best friend Fatima’s pregnancy raises the fear of what could happen next.
Ultimately, KJ said, Andi must decide whether to continue living superficially, chasing validation and an idealized life, or to do something truly meaningful.
“She’s having to find a voice that matters. Not a voice that just means validation or a penthouse or a pretty picture. She’s forced to find a voice, and I love that for her.”
And while Andi’s dealing with death threats, she’s also dealing with her little sister, Cheyenne, who continues to be a problem. The firecracker found herself in handcuffs after trying to “party” with a gentleman–and his drugs, and being booked for lewd and lascivious conduct.
Add on the fact that Cheyenne is an unexpected (and unwanted) house guest in Andi’s home, and she’s become nothing but a headache for her sister.
According to Jordan Coleman, who plays Cheyenne, this is just the tip of the iceberg, but it could lead to greener pastures for the sisters who are more alike than they think and whose relationship could evolve.
“I think what some people don’t realize with Cheyenne yet is I’m coming in at rock bottom,” said Jordan. “And that’s why I’m now looking to my sister for help, and that’s why I’m spicing things up unintentionally.
She continued,
“I’m just a little all over the place because I’m trying to find myself, and even though the fans are so excited about me just terrorizing Andi, while I’m terrorizing her, we are going to realize we are very, very similar and I think it’s going to freak Andi out.”
Evolution is a defining theme this season, particularly for Dani (Mignon Von), whose sharp humor has often masked deeper truths. While careful not to reveal spoilers, Mignon hinted that accountability becomes unavoidable—as does an a** whooping (frying pan and all) for Marcus, the pushy police officer Danni previously hooked up with, who can’t seem to move on.
She told BOSSIP that viewers will see her character take more accountability for her actions, and apparently, make more people take more accountability for theirs–whether they like it or not.
As for famed Peloton instructor Tunde Oyeneyin, she plays Madison Truitt in season 10, and she’s excited for viewers to meet her. Madison is a powerful entrepreneur who has carved out space in a male-dominated world and has achieved financial independence, but she begins questioning what she may have sacrificed along the way.
“She’s checked the boxes — the businesses, the money,” Tunde told BOSSIP. “But she’s asking whether she’s sacrificed love, partnership, and children. So many women can relate to that right now.”
Amid the chaos, Fatima Wilson (Crystal Renee Hayslett) is urging the group to remain peaceful even amid strife, something that will be key as she continues navigating her pregnancy with her boo, Zac, by her side.
Source: Via BET
“You know, Zac is so protective,” said Crystal. “And I think Fatima has always had to be that strong one and hold it all together that she’s probably starting to realize, ‘Okay, maybe I do need to slow down a bit. I am carrying a child. And I have to allow my man to protect me.’ That’s what we want, right?”
Season 10 of the Tyler Perry show continues Sistas’ longstanding commitment to reflect real-life issues facing Black women today, including mental health, domestic violence, maternal health, and the pressure to carry everything alone, and according to the actresses who star in it, it’s an honor to portray women evolving, just like the Black women watching at home.
“I think that our story continues to evolve, just like the women in our lives, just like ourselves, just like the women we know in the world,” said KJ Smith. “And we want to watch ourselves evolve. We want to watch different stories, different parts of ourselves be exposed, different parts of ourselves be healed. And I think that resonates with our fan base and our supporters of the show.”
That thought was echoed by Mignon Von, who told BOSSIP about what she hopes watchers take away this season.
“Shonda Rhimes says that it’s important how we tell stories because stories change the way people see themselves. And for black women, that’s important.”
Watch our exclusive with the cast of Sistas below!
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