Getting candid with Kellita Smith, one of the hilarious stars of BounceTV’s In the Cut

We chatted with Kellita Smith, one of the hilarious stars of BounceTV’s sitcom, In the Cut, all about her work on the show, Z-Nation, and more!

You may recognize Kellita Smith from The Bernie Mac Show, where she played Wanda McCullough for five years, or as Lt. Roberta Warren from the SYFY zombie apocalypse series, Z-Nation.

Nowadays, she can be found starring as Cheryl on the hilarious BounceTV sitcom, In the Cut. Cheryl is an ambitious and savvy businesswoman who runs a beauty salon. In season four, Cheryl’s character gets married to another series lead, Jay Weaver (Dorien Wilson), and the two are making the transition into married life in the currently airing fifth season.

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We had the chance to talk with the multitalented actress and comedienne, Kellita Smith, all about her time spent shooting In the Cut, her past on Z-Nation, whether or not she would survive a zombie apocalypse, and more.

We even got the scoop on whether or not the sitcom will return for a sixth season or not so check it out!

Hidden Remote: In the Cut is airing its fifth season right now. The fifth episode just aired a couple of nights ago. 

Kellita Smith: Yes, we air on Bounce TV. I get to play a character, Cheryl, who is a salon owner, and I am a newlywed. The role played by Dorien Wilson, Jay Weaver, and Cheryl got married last season.

So, now we’re working in conjunction and in the transition of being married and proprietors with businesses — actually, we’re black friends with jobs, how about that?

HR: Perfect. I recently started watching the series, and it is hilarious. I love it because it has an element of comfort. I look for that in sitcoms I watch.

KS: Well, you know what it is, it’s about values, and at the same time, nobody gets hurts, and everybody wins.

HR: Right. So much TV gets super heavy nowadays. It’s nice to have a show like In the Cut to relax and have fun. Is there any dream guest star you have in mind?

KS: Yes, I would love Kevin Hart to come play a booster and try to sell me something at the salon that would be great. Especially if all his stuff is broke and don’t work, come on Kevin, stop playing, bounce our way.

HR: Do you have any standout moments from your time spent shooting In the Cut?

KS: Well, Madison, you know, we shoot so fast. We shoot thirteen episodes in less than ten days. What stands out is sleep. That would be wonderful. 

But what’s awesome is everybody is so well adjusted with each other. It turns into fun, being able to get through thirteen episodes in less than ten days and five outfits in less than two minutes. That’s a comedy in itself.

It’s really just a delight. Bently Kyle Evans created the show. He was a producer on Martin and created The Jamie Foxx Show. He’s always been a lover of relationships and the dynamic of men and women.

And anytime I get to play with Dorien Wilson, and we have our Lucille Ball or Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser moments and just allowing a woman to be funny and sensitive while still being desirable, I think those elements are a great fortune.

They usually want me to do something like The Honeymooners, but Alice wasn’t that funny. She was real serious. She looked like the bills were not being paid.

HR: Speaking of sleep, you filmed Z-Nation and In the Cut back-to-back for a while didn’t you?

KS: Yeah, for four seasons I did Z-Nation from May to September/October, and then I would come home for one month before jumping into In the Cut. Then I would go back to Z-Nation. Listen, here’s a bit of advice: marry well you won’t have to work so hard!

HR: Ha, I’ll keep that in mind! Speaking of Z-Nation, have you thought about doing more horror or sci-fi in the future?

KS: I definitely want to do more action. If I do apocalypse, it would be a favor. I don’t like the apocalypse, and I don’t like the idea of the apocalypse. Let’s be honest, since I got to play in the apocalypse, I don’t want to do it. Nobody’s going to be ready for that.

There’s no way I can fight a zombie before I have a cup of coffee. “Shut the f**k up, what do you mean we gotta fight right now? What do you mean I can’t take a bath, where’s the river!?” You know what I mean? It’s just little things as a female, I like nail polish, I like perfume.

My first day, I didn’t realize we were really going to be outside all day. First of all, I was bit by every insect, some of them I had to look up. I mean it’s fun to play a bad*ss, period, whether it’s on the big screen or television.

The great thing is I was able to do my own stunts and got trained in martial arts and fencing. So I would absolutely do action again.

My dream project would be an epic film about Egypt and I’d play a particular person, I’m not going to say this person’s name, but it’s a particular dynasty that I have my fingers on. Look for that in the near future.

HR: That’s a fascinating period, for sure. You were also on The Bernie Mac Show, do you stay in touch with any of the cast?

KS: The kids, yes. That was a wonderful time. I got to work with amazing people. All those people we worked with were in Bernie Mac’s phone book. He’s got friends. One of my favorites was Don Rickles. He and Bernie actually encouraged me to do to stand-up.

HR: I’m glad they did!

KS: Thank you! I’m an admirer of them and for them to say, “Kellita, you should be doing this.” And for Don Rickles to tell Bernie, “You should help her,” I’m like, “I’m sorry, what just happened here? What is this moment?” It’s a rite of passage. Seeing that both of them were in a place they could help me. I think it was time.

HR: That’s an incredible opportunity. Also, I think I heard that In the Cut was renewed for a sixth season, is that true?

KS: Yes, it has. We’re going to shoot that in October.

HR: Great! That’s fantastic. I’m excited to see that and will hopefully be caught up in time! 

KS: Thank you so much, and you know what? Let’s circle back and do this again.

HR: That would be amazing. Thanks again!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

New episodes of In the Cut air Monday nights on BounceTV and you can currently stream all five seasons of Z-Nation on Netflix.