The actress who put up billboards to get Tyler Perry’s attention is featured in the next episode of ‘Sistas’
Actress Racquel Bailey made a big gesture when she paid for billboards with her face on them to get Tyler Perry’s attention last year. Now, she is featured on Perry’s TV show “Sistas.”
Bailey, 33, took a giant leap of faith, she said, when she paid for the billboards strategically placed near Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta over the summer. A couple of weeks later, she was auditioning for upcoming roles on Perry’s projects and even landed a part on “Sistas.”
“I wasn’t looked at as the billboard girl — I was looked at as an actress,” Bailey told CNN on Sunday about the audition. “Sistas,” a new show on BET, is a dramatic comedy that centers on a group of single black females navigating modern life and trying to find their Mr. Right.
Bailey landed the role of Officer Rayah, who has an interaction with one of the characters, Zac. In the upcoming preview for the show, Bailey is seen about to arrest him.
“Put your hands up against the car,” she is heard saying.
While Bailey said she couldn’t give too much away about the role, she did tell CNN that maybe her character has some past relations with Zac.
“She gives him a run for his money and she doesn’t play at all,” Bailey said.
The actress said her two children motivated her to put up the billboards.
“I wanted to my children to see me go after my dreams at any cost,” she told CNN last year. “Because one day they’ll have to chase a dream, and I’ll be able to say, ‘You can do it because Mommy did.'”
While she did catch Perry’s attention, he used is as a lesson for others.
“Please DON’T DO THIS, SAVE YOUR MONEY!!,” the director tweeted last year, alongside an image of a billboard that reads, “Attention Mr. Perry. Racquel Bailey is your next leading lady.”
“This is not the way to get my attention if you’re looking for a role in one of my shows,” Perry wrote in his post.
Bailey said her family is planning a viewing party to celebrate. The episode is set to air Wednesday on BET at 9 p.m. ET.
“I’m glad that I did it,” she said. “I wouldn’t take it back for anything.”
Bailey said she has also been offered upcoming roles with other networks that she says will show off her acting abilities. She said she loves the characters.
