"When the Smoke Clears"

A new dramatic thriller that was created right here in Detroit, When the Smoke Clears. It shares the story of a marriage that looks picture-perfect on the outside, but behind closed doors... Some painful secrets come to light. Joining me this morning is the creator behind it all and Detroit native, Tanisha Johnson. Welcome. Thank you so much for having me. Good morning. Good morning. So when you hear this title, When the Smoke Clears, it immediately grabs your attention. What inspired you to create something like this? So this is actually based off one of my best-selling books, which actually came out in 2014, When the Smoke Clears, A Phoenix Rises, which is totally based on my life. It's based on some things that me and my husband have endured. And so then we took it to the stage, 2017, 2018, and 2024, downtown Detroit, sold out theaters. Okay. And then the people, the producers, the directors were like, we got to go to the next level. Let's do the movie. So we shot the movie right here locally in Southfield in Detroit, and all of the actors are local. Producers, directors, filmmakers, everybody's local. Okay, Detroit made, Detroit actors and actresses. Detroit shot, yes. Let's take it back to the book. You said this was based on your marriage. Was it difficult to put your personal life into a book for everyone to read and then on a stage play? So here's the thing. We say I do, but we don't know what we're saying I do too. And one of the things that you'll get to see in the movie, of course, is people who've read the book know that the day after we were married, we lost twins. So there was no honeymoon phase. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Yeah, there was no honeymoon phase. We were in the hospital the day after the wedding. So there are a lot of things that started to come up in the marriage. And I was like, now, wait a minute. We're going through this not just for us, but for somebody else. So that's when we decided to take it to the stage. And now the movie, we're even looking at a series. Okay. How did you two get through that difficult time? You're supposed to be honeymooning. Absolutely. And you lost your baby. Absolutely. Yeah, definitely a lot of counseling. A lot of hope, a lot of prayer. We had a lot of people surrounding us with a lot of love. And then we had a rainbow baby probably eight months later. I got pregnant immediately. But yeah, yeah. Did that improve or kind of challenge the relationship more? That was challenging too. Really? That was challenging too, absolutely, because that baby was born prematurely. So for people who've lost children, they know the fear is always that you're going to lose the next child. So that's one of the premises in the movie. But to me, To the movie we added domestic violence which is actually not a part of my personal story but we just came off Domestic Violence Awareness Month and so for those people who've been through it they'll see that piece in there. They'll also see family secrets. They'll see that as you get married things just kind of unfold and there are things that you didn't know going into the marriage that start to show up at your doorstep. This is so good. Now, you talk about the challenges. Yes. Do you cover coming over those challenges? Not yet. There will be a part two. That's what the series is for. Yes, that's what the series is for and part two. I love all of this. Yes. Wow. So, book, stage play, movie, which was the easiest to create and which was probably the most challenging? The easiest for me was the book because it's my life, right? So, the easiest for me was the book. Which was the most challenging for you? Yes, but the most creative for me has been the movie. Really? Yes. We shot the movie in six days right here in Southfield in March. Multiple locations, local filmmakers, local producers, and it was a dream come true. How long is the movie? The movie is an hour and 45 minutes. Okay, so you're like on your Tyler Perry. Yeah. Six days, we're tired, it's all done, it's on TV now, you can check it out. Yes, and all of the actors, actresses, they're local. I think we only brought in one person from New Jersey. Everybody else? Right here in Detroit. And it's important to know, this is your first film. First film ever. That is amazing. So it's on Tubi and Amazon Prime. Congratulations. So what's next? Are you working on the next series for this same movie or maybe a different movie? So working on a stage play called Broken Crayon, Still Color. Okay, the titles. Is this all you? Yes. Not AI? This is not AI. Okay, girl. This is not AI. Wow. Broken Crayon, Still Color. Which will be about suicide prevention. Lord willing, that will be out in March. Hopefully, we'll do that in March. And then... And part two of the movie, Lord Willing, in the fall of 27. Oh, my gosh. We are already working on part two. I love it. What do you hope people take away from your... Your work overall, whether it's the book, stage play or movies, especially with these powerful titles. Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of times it's about resilience. It's about hope. It's about faith. And if we can help people know that you're not the only person going through it, particularly for the women who've been through domestic violence or the loss of children, to let people know that you're not the only person going through this. Somebody else has been through it and they got over it. Absolutely. Where can people check out the movie and keep up with you? Absolutely. So it's free on Tubi. So if you don't want to pay, go to Tubi and then Amazon Prime. All right, be sure to support our Detroit creators here and be on the lookout for what's next because there's more to come. Yes, thank you. Thank you for having me. More information on our website, fox2detroit.com. We'll be right back after this break.