Scrubbing Pays Off for Jada Pinkett Smith

Becoming a registered nurse has been no nine-to-five for actress Jada Pinkett Smith.

The pint-size actress told me during our recent interview at the swanky SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills that signing up for TNT's medical drama 'HawthoRNe' has required her to work some of the longest hours ever.

"The great thing is that my kids do know I'm in town," she began. "I sat down with my kids and my husband, and I really asked their permission. I said,' Listen, there's this show I'd love to do and there'll be three months that you may not see mommy a lot.' They were looking at me like, 'Really? What does that mean?' I was like, 'I may not be home when you wake up, and I might not see you when you go to sleep at night, but you'll have me during the weekends and there might be a day during the week where you'll have me once again.' So they're thinking about it and they're like, 'All right, I think we can live with that for three months.' Will's like, 'I don't know if I can live with that for three months.'"

The 37-year-old actress, who has two children and a stepson, confessed Jada Pinkett Smiththat while the hours on 'HawthoRNe' may be grueling, things have turned out way better than she anticipated.

"It's worked out really well," she said. "But I communicate with them and let them know what's happening so they understand what's going on. I find in our household that if we get into communication and get into agreement, we're good."

Jada Pinkett-Smith Pictures

NEW YORK - MAY 20: (L-R) Actor Michael Vartan and Jada Pinkett Smith speak at the 2009 Turner UpFront at the Hammerstein Ballroom on May 20, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

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NEW YORK - MAY 20: Actress Jada Pinkett Smith speaks at the 2009 Turner UpFront at the Hammerstein Ballroom on May 20, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

Getty Images

NEW YORK - MAY 20: Actress Jada Pinkett Smith speaks at the 2009 Turner UpFront at the Hammerstein Ballroom on May 20, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Kyra Sedgwick, left, of the show "The Closer" and Jada Pinkett Smith of "Hawthorne" pose for a picture at the Turner Entertainment Network's Upfront event in New York, Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Jada Pinkett Smith of the show "Hawthorne" and Holly Hunter of "Saving Grace" pose for a picture at the Turner Entertainment Network's Upfront event in New York, Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Steve Koonin, President of Turner Entertainment Networks, left, Jada Pinkett Smith, center, and Michael Vartan pose for a picture at the Turner Entertainment Network's Upfront event in New York, Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Michael Vartan, right, and Jada Pinkett Smith of the show "Hawthorne" pose for a picture at the Turner Entertainment Network's Upfront event in New York, Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Jada Pinkett Smith of the show "Hawthorne" and Will Smith pose for a picture at the Turner Entertainment Network's Upfront event in New York, Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Actors Michael Vartan and Jada Pinkett Smith speak onstage at the 2009 Turner Upfront at Hammerstein Ballroom on May 20, 2009 in New York City. 18289_0689.JPG.2009 Turner Upfront - Inside.Hammerstein Ballroom.New York, NY United States.May 20, 2009.Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com..To license this image (16804504), contact WireImage.com

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Pinkett Smith is also in regular communication with her mother, a real-life registered nurse who makes sure her daughter is representing properly.

"You know how mothers are. Sometimes she's like, 'Nah, y'all have to go back and shoot that,'" the actress laughed.

The Baltimore native, who became a breakout star in Hollywood after starring on 'The Cosby Show' spin-off 'A Different World,' said making the decision to return to television after a successful film career was a no-brainer for her.

"Now you just work," Pinkett Smith said, adding that actors no longer have the choice of one medium or the other.

"I really felt like I needed the experiences that TV can offer," she continued. "There's a certain level of intensity and there's a gradient of storytelling and story structure that I needed some help with. Every week we have to create a movie basically. This television show, as a whole, is like a book, but each episode is like a chapter. Unlike a movie, where you have to tackle a book at one time, I can tackle a chapter of the book each week in creating a season that is the book. I like the gradient of television because there is no leisure time. For me personally, because I can be lazy sometimes, I need that type of pressure to just be on it."

Pinkett Smith's husband, box office superstar Will Smith, has been quietly involved with the show as well.

"He is what we call the ghost producer. Right now, I am one of his students. He's quite a fantastic story structuralist. I am learning from him how to structure a story in a way that speaks to the universal voice. Just understanding how to hit those human emotional chords that resonate universally. No matter what country you're from, you're economic status, none of that," she explained.

'HawthoRNe' premieres June 16, and Pinkett Smith shared that Malcolm Jamal Warner ('The Cosby Show'), Michael Ealy ('Seven Pounds'), D.B. Woodside ('24') and Oscar-winner Cloris Leachman ('Dancing with the Stars') will be among the guest stars this season.

What about her husband? Will he make a cameo?

"Will has come on the show. He's an extra on one of the episodes. See if you can catch him. He does a drive-by. We could hardly afford that. It was a very costly walk by," she closed.

Celebrity Look Alikes Vol. 5

Karrine Steffans
This 30-year-old New York Times best-selling author made a name for herself in the music industry as a music video model. After intimate relations with some of the biggest names in hip-hop, including Jay-Z, Ja Rule and Method Man, Steffans became known as "Superhead." The former adult-film star is currently working on her third book 'The Vixen Manuel: How To Find, Seduce & Keep The Man You Want.' You wouldn't believe which high-ranking officer of the court we think Steffans resembles.

Judge Glenda Hatchett
Judge Glenda Hatchett has starred on her own court television show for the past eight years. The Emory University School of Law grad also released a book 'Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say.' Before heading to television, Hatchett was a senior attorney at Delta Air Lines and the highest-ranking African American woman at the company. She also has the distinction of being Georgia's first African American chief presiding judge of a state court.

Karrine Steffans / Judge Glenda Hatchett
True, Judge Hatchett is a bit mature to pass for Steffan's sister, but they surely could be mistaken for mother and daughter. With their fair complexions, dark-brown hair, wide smiles and noses, they definitely resemble each other.

Ciara
These days, 23-year-old Ciara Princess Harris simply goes by Ciara. Raised in Atlanta, this R&B chart-topper, who once dated pint-size rapper Bow Wow, burst on the music scene in 2004 with 'Goodies.' Both her debut single and its follow-up 'Ciara: The Evolution' were platinum hits. She's currently wrapping up her new album 'Fantasy Ride' and will star in the upcoming film 'Mama, I Want to Sing.' But many have said she looks like a popular comedienne. Guess who?

Wanda Sykes
Comedienne and actress Wanda Sykes got her start as a writer for 'The Chris Rock Show.' And, though her two short-lived shows 'Wanda at Large' and 'Wanda Does It' haven't made her a television star, her more recent stint on the CBS sitcom 'The New Adventures of Old Christine' has been steady. In 2008, the stand-up comic "came out" as at a pro-gay marriage rally in Las Vegas.

Ciara / Wanda Sykes
They're not identical by any means, but Ciara and Wanda Sykes definitely favor one another. We aren't holding our breaths to see Wanda sport a dolled-up look like Ci-Ci, but with their similar noses and big brown eyes, the two ladies remind us of each other.

Iman Crosson
This 26-year-old Ohio native received a great deal of attention with his parody of President Barack Obama doing Beyonce's 'Single Ladies.' The YouTube clip 'If You Voted for Me' has scored nearly 2 million hits and landed Crosson an appearance on Entertainment Tonight. There's a certain banker who looks like the Dancing Obama. Can you take a guess?

Al Reynolds
Virginia native Al Reynolds is mostly known as the ex-husband of former plus-size talk show personality Star Jones. Their nuptials are rumored to have cost upward of $1 million dollars and became a public relations nightmare for 'The View.' Sadly, their union didn't last long. Jones filed for divorce in 2008. The former investment banker is currently finishing up his doctorate in organizational leadership and teaching at Florida Memorial University.

Iman Crosson / Al Reynolds
Talk about splitting image. It's easy to see how Iman Crosson might be mistaken for Al Reynolds over our President Barack Obama. The two light-skinned, handsome brothers both know how to hang a suit. And with such distinguished looks, if they can't pass for each other, they can pass for brothers.

Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee Gifford is best known for co-hosting the talk show 'Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,' alongside Regis Philbin for 15 years. In 2008, she returned to the small screen to host the fourth hour of NBC's 'Today' show.

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