‘The Oval’ is a drama written and created by Tyler Perry. It tells the story of a newly elected Commander in Chief, and his family settling into the White House. President-elect Hunter Franklin has a wife, a teenage son, and a daughter. It sounds like a well-rounded family, but there is nothing well-rounded nor traditional when you’re talking about the Franklin’s. This edition of the first family is truly one of a kind. President Hunter and First Lady Victoria have a volatile relationship. Their son Jason is deviant, and their daughter Gayle is rebellious. The Franklin family brings a dynamic that is very uncomfortable. The White House staff never experienced a family like the Franklin’s. The entire staff is forced to make awkward adjustments to their daily routines due to the first family’s behavioral issues.
Taja V. Simpson plays the role of White House Resident Staff Supervisor Priscilla Owen. She is in charge of her staff and oversees the first family’s public and private lives. The turmoil that comes with the new first family is the root cause of Priscilla’s job being more difficult than ever. She has to deal with multiple issues that require her to carefully navigate around delicate situations. To play a character who must possess navigational skills is natural for Taja V. Simpson. She navigated an acting career that started in Louisiana and found its way to the bright lights of Los Angeles.
Raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Simpson experienced both good times and bad times. The good times came in the form of a strong family structure. Her family provided a great support system. Simpson played basketball, softball, and ran track. Her parents always found a way to have a role in the activities she participated in. The unappealing part about growing up in Louisiana for her was judgement based on skin tone. “Certain kids’ parents would allow me to play with them and certain kids’ parents wouldn’t allow me to play with them because I was too dark. Being dark-skinned for me wasn’t the best. I grew up when the brown paper bag test was in effect, meaning if you were darker than a brown paper bag you couldn’t go into certain homes. Not being able to play with certain kids because I was too dark was very prevalent for me growing up.”
The stigma from the skin tone issue created a level of uneasiness. Simpson admits she didn’t get comfortable in her own skin until the age of 25. She became most comfortable at the age of 30. Despite the skin tone issue, Simpson was able to stay focused thanks to her strong family bond. She graduated from high school at the age of 16. She went to college and majored in Poly Psy. It didn’t take long before Simpson realized Poly Psy wasn’t a good fit for her. “Once I got into the courses, I realized they were analytical and boring to me.” Simpson needed to regroup. She sat with her parents and went through the entire McNeese State curriculum book.Taja V. Simpson decided to try mass communications. She tried it and loved it. Simpson would go on to intern at NBC and Fox Affiliates. Coming out of college she couldn’t get a job because she didn’t have experience. Taja V. Simpson’s next move was to give acting a try. Her first acting job was a short film entitled ‘Greater Ambition.’ She would go on to audition for Tyler Perry on seven different occasions. She finally booked a role on the eighth try. Simpson was a part of the cast of Tyler Perry’s Halloween movie ‘Boo 2.’ Perry decided to contact Taja V Simpson in reference to a role in his new show, ‘The Oval.’ Simpson auditioned for it and the rest is history. Working with Tyler Perry has been exciting and informative for Simpson. “What I have learned from Tyler Perry is to create and own. Create your own product and own it.”
Taja V. Simpson has a big 2020 ahead of her. She has a movie coming out entitled ‘Lola’. In this movie, she plays a boxer. Simpson has another movie titled ‘Dead End’. It’s a bank robbery heist type of movie. Those are a few of her future projects, but in the meantime, you can catch Taja V. Simpson on ‘The Oval’, Wednesday nights 9 p.m. Eastern time on BET.
