Tia Mowry Says Blinking Too Much Almost Cost Her Role in ‘The Game’

Tia Mowry revealed she nearly didn’t get cast as Melanie Barnett in the sitcom The Game because of her blinking habits.

Mowry posted a carousel on Instagram about the series titled, “what you didn’t know during my time on the game,” and opened up about some secrets from her time starring on the show. “I wasn’t the first pick for Melanie Barnett,” she wrote. “I auditioned and didn’t get it. I cried because I knew that role was meant for me.”

“They told me I blinked too much on the audition tape,” she continued. “But Steve Stark (who produced Sister, Sister and now produces The Handmaid’s Tale) still believed in me.”

Mowry continued on, explaining more about how she got the highly coveted role as Melanie. “Before they fully made up their mind or found their Melanie, they asked me to step in and rehearse with the cast, even without officially having the role yet,” she said. “Talk about a mind game!”

“I had to act like I had the role before I actually did,” she continued. “Eventually, I auditioned again in front of the network…and I booked it! Second chances aren’t setbacks, they’re setups for alignment because what’s meant for you will always come back stronger.”

On June 9, Mowry revealed that her We TV series, Tia Mowry: My Next Act was coming to an end after one season. During an exclusive interview with People at the BET Awards, Mowry explained that the show was planned as a “limited one-time run.”

“It was kind of like a docuseries for me,” she said. “Again, it was about the inspiration right behind it. My goal was for women to not necessarily feel like they are alone. So I just wanted to open up my world just for a little bit and just share some vulnerability and vulnerable moments.”

“But I’m very proud of what we did, and I can close that chapter and now onto the next,” she added.