Tamara Mello is still very much in the business but has taken to more fleeting appearances here and there such a guest roles and interviews that don’t take up as much of her time these days. In her youth however she could be seen in shows such as Boy Meets World and 7th Heaven, and if you think back you might be able to remember her in She’s All That starring Rachael Leigh Cook and Freddie Prinze Jr. Throughout a lot of her career she’s been a noticeable part of a lot of projects but she’s also taken a back seat to a lot of other talented individuals who were the main focus of those projects as well. In a big way being a supporting actor has been her thing for a long time and it’s been something she excels at since she does play a pretty decent friend character even if that friend in question is one of the biggest tools in the entire project as it was in She’s All That. One could definitely state that her character stuck up for her friend in the movie and tried to make certain that she was taken care of from an emotional standpoint, but eventually it did kind of look like she was enabling her friend rather than telling her the truth since the character of Taylor the truth, that she was a total pain in the neck and that her behavior was that of a spoiled child. It’s kind of funny really but that type of character kind of helps define the 90s when it comes to various movies and TV shows, as does the hero archetype and the misunderstood type that was represented by Laney Boggs, who was played by Cook.
In essence, Tamara was a 90s hit sensation that didn’t exactly go that far but made a career for herself all the same by sticking to the type that had been created for her and running with it for as long as she could. At one point it does sound as though she stepped away from the limelight to take care of her daughter for a while, which is a wise decision that not everyone makes since everyone does things their own way. She did come back and has been kind of here and there with her career over the years as she’s continued to grace people with her presence and make special appearances when she can while maintaining her family life as well as her professional life. Thinking that she’s just a glorified extra would be very easy really since she’s been a recurring character and someone that’s kind of off in the wings before and has really made that a big part of her career. But at the same time she’s also stuck with it so stating that she’s inconsequential to any project she’s a part of wouldn’t really be accurate. Like a lot of actors she’s there to do what she can to make the whole thing work by doing her part, but depending on the viewer and on the project it’s likely that she might not be noticed as much if only because she might not be on screen all that often. In She’s All That, Tamara’s lines and on screen time were really dictated by the moment and the given situation, as in whether or not the main actors were there, which would necessitate her being there, or if there was a moment during which she was absolutely needed to be part of the scenery. That probably sounds a little cynical, but it’s the perception that was given at the time.
Given the fact that her resume is a little spotty as one looks through it there is some question as to how dedicated she is to show business, though at the same time it’s obvious she doesn’t want to leave. It could be that she has other interests in her life that take up her time and therefore facilitate the break between projects, or it could be that she does things as she sees fit and works in her own time when she has a part to play. It’s hard to know really but what is known is that she is still very much a part of the business and hasn’t decided to step down just yet. At the age of 44 she’s still fairly young to think about retirement even if a lot of actors were younger than her when they stepped aside. So long as she’s able to find a part in a project it does feel as though she’s stick around and that she’ll continue to be the support that other actors need from time to time. Just where she’ll show up next though is hard to tell at this time.
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