Now we all know ya’ll use to love coming home to sit in front of your televisions to watch the hit sitcom “One on One” back in the day. Recently, we caught up with Sicily Sewell-Johnson, who is most known for playing Spirit Jones, the best friend to Kyla Pratt’s character Breanna Barnes.
Sicily appeared on the show for the first four seasons from 2001 to 2005. However, before starring on the popularized sitcom she also starred alongside Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Whoopi Goldberg and a host of others in the 1998 “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.”
Today, Sicily is a mother of two adorable girls, and she is also planning to take over the culinary world as a chef. She owns a restaurant with her mother, and recently she moved from California to New York with hopes of expanding their business.
Check out our full interview with Sicily below to see what she’s been up to:
1: Many of our Roommates remember your role as Spirit Jones from the hit show “One on One” with Kyla Pratt, Flex Alexander, and Robert Ri’card. What was it like to be a cast member one of the hottest sitcoms during the early 2000s?
It was amazing, it’s had never really hit me how many people love or identified with the show, it never really has. I just knew I was going to work every day to make some folks laugh, I never got used to it and I was always nervous and taken aback by the job. However, the cool thing was we were the same age as our characters, I was a year older, so life was really parallel. So, a lot of things that we might have missed out on in life, we got to live out on the show.
2: Before starring in “One on One” you also starred in “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” with Angela Bassett, Whoopi Goldberg, and Taye Diggs. How was it working with those legends at a young age? Were there any important lessons that learned from them that you carried with you throughout your career?
It was rad; we were a family of sorts. Some relationships, I hold hella near to my heart. Like the character that played “Ginger”, Khanya and I are still friends, we lived across the street from each other for a long time and our kids went to the same school.
I think some lessons are:
#1: Know and be confident in who you are.
#2: Go after exactly what you want, know your worth and maximize that space to the fullest.
#3: Play the game and work the room, which is the hardest lesson that I have had to learn. I like my privacy, I’m fairly introverted and I’m not good with a ton of attention.
3: We see that you’ve had a career change within the past few years. Now you and your mom own a restaurant together, can you tell us when did you develop an interest in the culinary arts?
I was dabbling in cooking semi-professionally. I had been married for a bit, just had my eldest daughter and I was legit ready to not go back to acting. All I knew is I wanted to do something that I love and passionate about. So, I made the decision to go to culinary school and started a few weeks later. It was the best decision that I have ever made career-wise, it was hard and worth it! Then, I was so blessed to be apart of the LaCocinaSF.org and it is an amazing incubator that helped me build a fail-safe business that I could bring my mum for the journey with. I love food and people, I love the gift of hospitality and community.
4: You’re also a mom of two adorable little girls. How has motherhood enhanced your creativity?
Haha! The push me, they are so invested in everything. They care about the recipes, ingredients, and presentation. The really want a family owned restaurant that they have a voice in. They make me very intentional about pursuing happiness and our family living their dreams. They challenge me and have this wonder for life that inspires me.
5: Do you ever see yourself getting back into acting?
I have no idea; I think it would be beautiful to marry my two careers, of cooking and acting. Who knows, I am open to it.
6: Are there any upcoming projects you may have that our Roommates can look forward to?
I recently moved to New York, from living in California my entire life. I am currently working on a restaurant concept and proper location here in New York. I am open to so much right now because moving across the country was such a big deal and I’ve only been here about two months.
