Tisha Campbell Shares What ‘One Last Shot’ Allowed Her to Do for the ‘Very First Time’

In her new Lifetime original movie One Last Shot, audiences will see Tisha Campbell in ways they never have before.

The actress’s career spanning five decades has been filled with a variety of roles, including standout runs in sitcoms Martin and My Wife and Kids. But in One Last Shot, fans will see her go beyond comedy. 

Campbell, 58, plays a distraught single mother who is enduring the unthinkable: her teenage son’s cancer diagnosis.

Campbell also executive produced and co-wrote One Last Shot alongside longtime collaborator Dani' Wright. The mom of sons Xen, 25, and Ezekiel Czar, 17, set out for this story to be a “love letter” to women—specifically Black women, who often don’t get the space to “just be human beings,” she tells MyLifetime.

“We don't allow ourselves to, and the world doesn't [allow us] to feel all these things,” Campbell continues. “I work with a therapist, and we talk about what negative emotions are. Anger or fear or all of these things are not negative. They are survival techniques that your brain uses, and those are emotions that are negated culturally for us. So, [the film is] almost like a permission to give us the chance.”   

One Last Shot is inspired by the untimely passing of her cousin Eddie and the grieving process his mother endured thereafter. “I hope it does resonate with anybody out there,” Campbell says.

Lifetime’s One Last Shot premieres Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Ahead of its debut, read on to find out what Campbell had to say about her new film, her Hollywood career and continuing to discover herself.

The first thing I noticed after finishing the film is that its title, One Last Shot, has a lot of meaning connected to various aspects of the plot. Was the creation of the title intentional from the start?

It wasn't the main theme that Dani' Wright and I, my co-writing partner, were going for. Honestly, it was really a love letter to women, and specifically Black women who lean into those strong Black women tropes and who aren't allowed to cry, feel sorrow or feel anxiety, anger or joy because we are kind of groomed to just keep it moving. We give ourselves and give ourselves and give of ourselves over and over again. But it was also just as important not to beat up the men in the movie. It was very important for us to make sure that he had a full arc as well. So the ongoing theme was really about how important it is when a woman is giving of herself, whether it's her job, her relationships, her friendships, her family, her spouse, her significant other. Specifically, when it's one person and once that person is gone, who are we? There was a combination of the two that we wanted to explore, something that I'm guilty of myself. 

You’re not just starring in this film, but you’re also an executive producer and writer on it. What was the most rewarding part of that experience for you, and what challenges did you encounter along the way?

Oh, there were so many challenges, but it wasn't bad. I think people are so used to when they see comedic actors, they put us in a box. There's no depth. But the wonderful thing about working with the Lifetime Network, they always give women a shot—one last shot, excuse the pun—whether it's behind the scenes with writing or directing or in front of the camera. They really do believe in their audience, understand their audience and they give people like me who may have been put in a box [a chance] to step outside of that. 

I got an opportunity to work with the Lifetime Network before on Mary J. Blige's Be Happy project, and I thanked them then for taking a chance on me as an actress. Now, taking a chance on me as a writer is a completely different thing. 

You’ve been an actress for nearly 50 years. What was the moment you decided you knew you needed to have more creative control over the projects you’re working on?

Here's what's crazy, and I think a lot of women out there will be able to relate to this too: I've always wanted to be an author. I always wanted to be a screenwriter since I was a little girl, and I got caught up in listening to the noise. There were so many people in my ear telling me what I could or could not do. When you hear it that much, at some point, you're going to start to believe it. It was COVID isolation when Dani' and I started writing. We decided to take a writing course together so that we could speak the same language to one another. We are always creating. We create 10 [projects] so that one can make it. During COVID isolation, we sold five ideas.

Was there a scene in One Last Shot that you wrote that was harder to act than you expected?

Because I wrote it, nothing surprised me. Dani' and I were adamant about each character's arc, but one of the ones that I was really particular about crafting was the kitchen scene at the end when I turn on my ex-husband, and I just allow myself to grieve fully. That one goes through so many different emotions, and I let it lead me wherever it was going to lead. The wonderful thing is we had such a wonderful team with Mychael Chinn, Adam Shepard and Dani' Wright on the set. I could take my producer hat off and just be the talent. I was able to really concentrate every night. I used every method I was taught to ensure that what was on the page was going to come on that camera. 

Were you able to lean on your real life experience as a mom of two to help you tap into the emotions needed for this part?

There's always a part of me in everything that I do. The emotions were already there, and I love my children down. Like, they are my heart. My soul. I put that above my work. I didn't even put them on red carpets, girl. It was just one of those things where motherhood was more important to me, and my family was more important to me than any red carpet.

My son, my eldest, was diagnosed with autism. It started out around 18 months [old]. I found that out while I was working on My Wife and Kids. I was one of those who believed in not bringing your problems to work, and I put on the mask. But inside, my whole world has completely changed. I wrote a book about autism recently called The A Word.  One of the hardest chapters to write about was the one of my son having suicide ideations. The thought of losing him in some type of way was already inside of me. 

I've been through different types of grief—whether it's  grief of a relationship, grief of loss of a job or loss of a person that you love. We've all been through it all. So it felt natural. I could relate in being that type of mother who gives of herself solely. I'm just learning how to give to myself. 

This film presented a fun reunion for you with your former House Party co-star A.J. Johnson. How did that come together?

I hadn't had a chance to do a movie with A.J. Johnson since House Party. We're all friends, and Dani' was like, “You know what would be amazing? Let's get A.J. Johnson to do it.” So I slipped her the script, and she was like, "I'm there.” She didn't care about payment. I do that too. Money is not really an object, even though you want to make sure that people get their just, of course. But being a part of this project and supporting me and Dani' was way more important than anything else.

What was it like getting to work with A.J. again?

It was really fun. I had to basically cry for three weeks; I think I had like two days off where I didn't have to cry. I was like, "Oh, this is a great day." A.J. was on the set when she didn't have a call time, she was just there supporting [and] making sure that I felt that or Dani' felt that. So, I definitely felt the support. 

At this stage in your career, what’s most important to you about the roles you now decide to take on?

This is the very first time in my life that I'm taking on roles that I'm deciding to do. I came into the business at 3 being very conscious of how poor we really were. I wanted to help my family out of their circumstances, and that became the ongoing theme of my entire career, helping others. But to the point where I would make decisions based on what others' needs were, not what I wanted to do a lot of times. This is the first time in my life where I am making these decisions for myself, and sometimes, I'll even do things like A.J. not for money. One year was a year of the yes. If anybody asked me, any friend [or] anybody wanted me as a resource and wanted me to do their project, I would do it—didn't matter the cost. My agent was going nuts.

Lifetime movies are such a source of comfort for many women. What do you want a woman watching this film to walk away with?

I want them to give themselves permission to be human beings and to love on themselves. We all go through trauma. Even through our darkest days, if you hold on for one more second, one more minute ‘til tomorrow, that light is gonna shine at some point. You have to keep holding on, and keep loving on yourself.