Aisha Tyler, the Accidental Trailblazer

8 April 2011 No Comments

By Erica Phillips

For many of us, Aisha Tyler (as Charlie Wheeler) was our favourite “Friend.” The actress was the first African-American to have a recurring role on Friends, and many people took note of her through the 10 episodes in which she appeared on seasons nine and 10.

The role, however, was not written for an African-America woman. Tyler auditioned against women of various ethnic backgrounds. “Nothing in the dialogue was about her being African-American. We never addressed it on the show, not once,” Tyler says of the role, which opened many doors.

It, however, wasn’t Tyler’s first foray into entertainment. She has a vast list of television and film credits, and is a stand-up comic, author and regular contributor to magazines. Tyler’s latest gig is playing a top CIA agent on the conspiracy thriller drama XIII, which stars Stuart Townsend and is filmed in Toronto.

Although cautious of the roles she chooses, the San Francisco native doesn’t think about breaking barriers. “I don’t get up every morning thinking, ‘I’m a trailblazer,’” she says. “But it is important for me to present women of colour as intelligent, capable, interesting and different than how we may have been presented in the past. I try not to actively reinforce stereotypes that are already out there.”

With that in mind, Tyler has gone from doing stand-up comedy to starring on television in dramatic roles. She says it was a transition that wasn’t difficult because she’s invigorated by the work of others who have had similar journeys, including Tom Hanks, Jamie Foxx and Whoopi Goldberg. It’s also this type of attitude that has helped Tyler to excel in roles on shows as varying as Nip/Tuck, Ghost Whisperer, Archer, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 24 and CSI. The last two were an ideal lead-in for Tyler’s current role as Agent Jones on XIII. “I was excited about the role. It’s turned out to be even better than I could have hoped,” she says.

Tyler’s journey is made even more interesting by the fact that she didn’t get into the business in a traditional way. A graduate of Dartmouth College, where she studied political science and environmental policy, Tyler was planning to be an environmental lawyer.

She is also fluent in French, which has come in handy since some of XIII is filmed in France. But, after earning her undergraduate degree and getting into the field, Tyler realized her heart wasn’t in law. “I was a really a nerdy kid and when you’re nerdy, you want to fit in,” she says. “The moment you realize that what makes you different is what makes you unique is when you are kind of freed of that need to have everybody like you.”