THE ROBERTSON TREATMENT: Sicily ... Hot Young Actress Shines Bright on Hit TV Show

(Oct. 22, 2002) Note: During our recent summer seminar series at the Challenger's Boys and Girls Club in Los Angeles, The Robertson Treatment made a great discovery. 13-year old aspiring journalist Tagan Hervey, who blew me away with her poise and abilities. As the winner of The Robertson Treatment's 1st Annual Writing Contest, Tagan is this week's guest columnist interviewing actress Sicily. Take a peak. -- Gil Robertson

You know her as "Spirit," the character she plays on the hit UPN series "One on One," but few of us know Sicily, the young actress who created the popular character. Born in Detroit, Sicily has been acting since the age of 8, when she made her debut on the award winning show "Sesame Street." Her work on that show lead to several more acting opportunities, which resulted in her big break working opposite Blair Underwood and her idol Cicely Tyson in the CBS mini-series "Mama Flora's Family."

Moving out to Los Angeles with her family Sicily love for acting continued to grow, and in 1998 she beat out stiff competition to landed the part of Chantal opposite Angela Bassett, Whoopi Goldberg and Taye Diggs in the blockbuster "How Stella Got Her Groove Back." After her work on that film was complete, however, like any young girl her interest began to shift, and she decided to settle into her new environment and focus on school. "At the time I just wanted to pursue other things," Sicily says. "Being an actress is a big commitment and it puts you into an adult environment. It's also not like a regular job where you can just call in sick, you're force to come to work every day, even if that means getting up at the crack of dawn and working thirteen hour days. It's really hard, but one of the things that I have learned is that you have to take the good with the bad."

Fortunately, the acting bug bit again, and when her longtime friend and fellow actress, Kyla Pratt urged her to audition for a role on "One on One." Thrilled at the prospect of working opposite Kyla, Sicily went up for the role and landed the part. Although in real life she is totally opposite her character, she says that she enjoys the part because it allows her to take on so many personalities and styles. "I just love Spirit because she has a lot of fun and energy. Playing her has given me the opportunity to grow and as actress and I am really excited about the direction that her character is going."

But let there be no confusion-although Sicily may enjoy the role that is quickly making her a household name, she doesn't want to be typecast. But for right now, she feels that she has the time and space to grow. "I love my life because it's given me an opportunity to see and do things that I may not never been able to do otherwise. Acting teaches you a lot about life and in the future I am looking to play parts that will even give me greater challenges."

So far Sicily's career has been an interesting ride and for right now, she has no plans for settling down. With several upcoming TV guest appearances and film projects in the works, she's a very busy actress, but she is also very much a typical teenage girl. On the day that we conducted our interview, she had just come back from completing her driving examine (yes, she passed!), and was anxiously looking forward to getting her first car. Just like any regular teenage girl! - By Tagan Hervey

Special Thanks to Cal Fed Bank for their generous sponsorship of The Robertson Treatment Presents: "Writing As A Tool of Empowerment" at Challenger's Boys and Girls Club.

Meanwhile ....

* Thandie Newton stars opposite Mark Wahlberg (Boogie Nights, Three Kings) in Jonathan Demme's contemporary romantic thriller "The Truth About Charlie," inspired by Stanley Donen's 1963 film "Charade." Looking as gorgeous as ever, Newton plays Reggie, a Parisian woman who is being pursued by four strangers after her husband is mysteriously murdered. She is subsequently rescued by a stranger (Wahlberg), whose motives are unclear to her. This film is a real winner so check it out when it opens on October 25.

* Coming soon, "Writing As A Tool of Empowerment," a new book written by Robertson Treatment's founder Gil Robertson. Featuring chapters on "Getting Started, "Developing Ideas that Sell," and "Transforming Your Byline Into Success, "Writing As A Tool of Empowerment is an essential tool for aspiring writers who wish to enter the media marketplace. Stay tune for further information or
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