So what was it like to be the “It girl” on one of the most popular films the 90’s era? I’m pretty sure it was a beautiful thing for this 90’s actress, in fact it’s probably every up-and-coming actor’s dream- instant success and overnight fame beyond what they could have imagined. You might not know her name, but if you’ve ever seen the films, Boyz N Da Hood and Class Act, you definitely know her face.
Her name is Alysia Rogers and she’s the actress who played the role of “Shanice,” “Ricky’s (Morris Chestnut) girlfriend in Boyz N Da Hood.
She’s also known for her Class Act role as “Damita,” the girl Kid’s (of Kid N’ Play) character was crushin’ on in the movie.
Many actors in Alysia’s position have a difficult time finding more roles and not being typecast as a result of being on such iconic movies, or TV shows. It’s happened to some of the best of them and only a few have been able to overcome that hurdle. It’s not that actors in those predicaments don’t want to work, it’s probably that they can’t find work. I’m pretty sure that if a popular TV network were to call Alysia and offer her a top spot on a primetime show, she’d take it. She and many others like her- such as “Urkel” (Jaleel White) from Family Matters, “Danny” (Danny Bonaduce) from The Partridge Family, or “Roger” (Ernest Lee Thomas) from What’s Happening, for example- simply can’t live down those iconic characters. And then they’re ultimately forced back into society and sometimes that’s pretty tough to do because EVERYONE recognizes them everywhere they go.
It’s like seeing “Cindy Brady” from the Brady Bunch in Walmart, or “Thelma” from Good Times in Costco’s…it’s just weird. But fortunately, Alysia Rogers did NOT let it beat her down, in fact she’s handling it very well and she’s only getting better with time. Y’all gotta see her now! Scroll down to see what we mean…
Alysia Rogers NOW…
Bam!!! Alysia Rogers is just as beautiful as she ever was! Alysia is somewhere between 45 to 51 years old now and she’s looking more like 30. *Sidenote: Some sources give conflicting reports of her age, stating that she’s 45, the only suspect problem about that, is that if she is 41 now, she would have been 16 at the time that Boyz N Da Hood was actually filmed, and that doesn’t seem very likely.*
Time has definitely been on her side. In terms of her career, she took a very long break from the acting game and in 2013 she resurfaced in an independent movie titled, Beyond Merrit.
When she’s not acting, she’s donating her time to the community by motivationally speaking to the youth about gang violence, and rising above their environment, no matter how dire their opportunities may seem.
Alysia also shared to her Facebook page, what it was like for her growing up as what she called an “awkward child:
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Those bullies are probably eating their words right about now, although we’re not really sure why she was bullied about her looks because she was a cutie pie when she was a youngin.’
You can see pics of Alysia and her daughter on the next page, they look more like sisters…
-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, Old School news with a new point of view
