Angela Robinson, Crystal Fox recall their audition process as The Have and the Have Nots air its final episodes

Most recently, OWN held a press conference with actresses Angela Robinson (Veronica Harrington) and Renée Lawless (Kathryn Cryer). as they discuss the premiere of the final episodes of their long running series, “The Haves and the Have Nots,” airing on Tuesday, June 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. 

The Tyler Perry drama which chronicles the scandalous lives of the Cryer, Harrington and Young families living in Savannah, Georgia, will conclude after eight seasons and 196 episodes. 

In this final season viewers will see the wealthy residents of Savannah, Georgia involved

 in a true-to-life Greek tragedy as Judge Jim Cryer (John Schneider) and his rich friends are all finding out what happens when personal flaws go unchecked. Karma has not been kind to the elite one percenters. The series stars John Schneider, Tika Sumpter, Angela Robinson, Renee Lawless, Crystal Fox, Peter Parros, Tyler Lepley, Gavin Houston, Aaron O’Connell, Brett Davis and Brock Yurich.

Can you talk about your experience auditioning for these roles and what it was like to meet Mr. Perry, for the first time?

Angela Robinson: The audition process was that I self submitted on an actor's database. I sent in a self tape and next thing I knew I had a callback and then flown to Los Angeles for the final callback. I was very nervous. I looked around the room at the other actors thinking, “You really wondering why am I here?” But once I had to get to work, that was where my focus went. I had fortunately, met Crystal Fox, who plays Hannah, in the elevator. So I think that helped our chemistry. Mr. Perry was at a table at the end. And to be perfectly honest, the whole time I was auditioning, I really didn't see him until I had gone to sit down. Then as the day went on, I saw him a little bit more, but I can honestly say, thank goodness for my theater background, I was there to do a job. I was there to get a job. I was there to act and so I couldn't spend a lot of time worrying about what's Mr. Perry thinking on the other side of the table now. Flash forward to after getting the job and actually formally meeting him then that was almost like an out of body experience. I must say. It was a little bit of a deer in headlights moment. But it still is I have to be honest. I still look at him and go, “I'm talking to Tyler Perry.” I do after eight years. I still feel that way. So that's my story.

Crystal Fox: I I was in Atlanta doing “Into the Woods” at the Alliance theatre there and the casting director and producer from Tyler Perry studios were both in the audience one night and invited me to come and audition for “Meet the Browns” at the time. It was one scene and I was so excited. I worked so hard on that scene and I did not get it. So I came back home to New Jersey and proceeded about my life. A year and a half later they called and said they were doing “The Haves and Have Nots” and thought I would be right for Veronica. I laughed because they saw me playing the witch and Veronica is a “witch” some people say and so I put it on tape and submitted it and the next day, they invited me to fly to Atlanta to meet Tyler and to read in person with some Geoffry candidates. That was amazing. I read with my with Gavin who plays Jeffery now. There was this voice, the voice of God, in the back of the theater that kept saying, “Tell her to try this.” It sounded like Tyler Perry, but we couldn't see him because he was in the dark. When the audition was over, we flew back home and got the call the next day that I've got the part, but I never did meet Tyler. I later found out that the reason why he was a voice in the dark and that he never met us was that he was filming a Madea movie. He was dressed as Medea and didn't want to interfere with our audition.