Jada Pinkett Smith Halted Filming So Tommy Davidson Could Talk To His Birth Mother

In the film world, issues occurring in an actor’s real life aren’t as important as completing a project. Yet, there are rare moments when the real world trumps the made-up stories being played out in front of the camera, and that’s what happened with Tommy Davidson. Back in 1998, Tommy and Jada Pinkett Smith starred in the romantic comedy Woo, and while filming the movie, Tommy received news that changed his life.

Leon Bennett/Getty Images

The two former co-stars reunited on Red Table Talk and reminisced about the time Jada placed Tommy’s personal life before the film. “[The] first time that we worked together — and I really got to know you on the set of Woo — I came out for a scene and you looked at me and you said, ‘Something’s wrong with you,'” Tommy said. “I was like, ‘What you talking about? Let’s just get to work.'”

However, Jada wasn’t just going to let the actor dismiss her concerns and finally he buckled. “I said, ‘My mother contacted my real mother and she was on the phone. I got a chance to talk to her but I don’t want to deal with that,'” the In Living Color icon shared. “[Jada] said, ‘Oh really? OK, hold up…That’s a wrap!'” Tommy was just a year-and-a-half-old when his birth mother abandoned him in the trash in Mississippi. The woman who rescued him would later become his adoptive mother.

Being able to take that phone call “led from our conversation to finally meeting my real mom,” Tommy revealed. Watch a clip of his episode, which airs on Monday, below. He does quite the impression of Jada, as well.