Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell & co-stars of 'Martin' win laughs and fans - hit TV comedy - Cover Story

Jet, March 8, 1993 by Aldore Collier

The zany verbal sparring between Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell on the hit Fox TV sitcom "Martin," spurred on weekly by their co-stars, has won the show a fast-growing legion of fans.

He is a wacky, controversial Detroit disc jockey and she is a sophisticated business executive. They fight each other as well as their friends. Yet they have a passionate and enduring relationship.

The show has been described as a 1990s version of the battle of the sexes. Underneath Martin's super macho exterior is a sensitive man who is all heart, especially when he's around his girlfriend Gina (Campbell). Unfortunately, Martin sometimes feels the need to summon his macho swagger when he's in the company of his running buddies Cole (Carl Payne) and Tommy (Tommy Ford).

Gina, on the other hand, remains sensitive when around her running partner and co-worker Pam (Tichina Arnold). Pam is one of those women who has an uncanny knack for picking the wrong man at the wrong time.

Tisha Campbell recently told Jet that the show is definitely "a battle of the sexes. We try and put together a show about male/female relationships in a positive sense. We (as a society) have come back to monogamy in these, the days of AIDS. There are problems in the relationship between Martin and Gina, but they try and pull together because they love one another. It's a strong relationship for the '90s."

During a recent three-part segment, Martin and Gina broke up and began seeing others. Viewers were invited to call special numbers to determine who should apologize. Volatile Martin found himself the one at fault and hell-bent on doing whatever was necessary to win his woman back. The two actually apologized to each other and pointed out that the emotional, argumentative nature of their relationship was one of the primary sources of its energy.

"We try to make our characters have integrity," Ms. Campbell said. "Everybody has a say in the show. As actors we're used to having to say what's on paper. But, on this show, we have the power to say how we feel."

One of the reasons the chemistry with all five characters works is because they've known each other for years, she said. "We've all been friends for years. Tichina and I have been friends since we were 11 and 12."

Ms. Campbell, who has been acting since age 7, said she is not the character she plays on television. "We come from two different places. Gina is from a middle to upper middle-class background and I was not. She is a very strong character who works hard at work and at home."

An Army brat raised in Queens, N.T., Lawrence pursued comedy in high school. In the late 1980s he performed on "What's Happening Now!" He also was on the Home Box Office specials "One Night Stand" and currently hosts HBO's "Def Comedy Jam" on Friday nights. On the big screen, he performed in the hit films Do the Right Thing, House Party and Boomerang.

A native of Newark, N.J., Ms. Campbell performed in the movies School Daze, House Party, Little Shop of Horrors and Boomerang. A talented vocalists, she recently made her recording debut with the release of a self-titled album on Capitol Records.

Lawrence, she said, has proven to be very supportive of the efforts of all the "Martin" cast members in their endeavors off-screen. "Tommy is directing plays and Carl directs videos and Tichina and I sing."

Believe-it-or-not, she said the set is funnier than what the weekly audience sees. "We don't do anything but laugh at each other all day.

We're very pleased and surprised at the ratings. We're very proud of the NAACP Image Award we won and of the show we produce. I almost didn't do "Martin" because I was supposed to do another show. The other show was already picked up and "Martin" was only a pilot. But, I had a feeling that this was where I should be."