'It's Good To See Black Women Win On TV': Actor Lawrence H. Robinson On BET's 'Tyler Perry's Sistas'

(CBS Local)-- Lawrence H. Robinson has come a long way since his days growing up in Philadelphia.

The actor is coming off the biggest role of his career in the new BET series called "Tyler Perry's Sistas." The show follows a group of single black women as they navigate the ups and downs of life and the series is directed and produced by the Hollywood mogul Perry. Robinson was caught by surprise when he got the role and he's so glad this all worked out.

"Honestly, it was so unexpected. I got cast for Netflix's The Circle and I was pretty much going to go shoot that show," said Robinson in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "My manager called me and said I got an audition for Tyler Perry and I think you can get that job. I went in and gave it my all and booked the job the next day. It's been a random success story and I'm just thankful. At the end of the day, I put in the hard work to get to where I'm at right now."

Robinson believes "Tyler Perry's Sistas" is a hit because the stories of the four black women universally resonate with the audience. The actor is proud to be on the show and work with someone like Perry.

"It's relatable and we all know a black woman who is like one of the characters," said Robinson. "It resonates especially with the black community. We haven't really had a show like this ever. It's four black women in an ensemble cast telling their stories and their relatable stories. They're not the victim and they're winning. It's good to see black women win on TV. Women don't always get the love and respect they deserve. Tyler Perry is a really serious individual. He doesn't play about his empire and I respect that. At the same time, he's super nice and super gracious. When you get a job with him, you know you have to come and do your job."

BET has already announced that Sistas will be back for season two and Robinson is looking forward to playing Chris once again. While there have been a lot different factors to his success, Robinson says Philadelphia has played a huge role in his journey.

"Philly is a rough place to grow up, but I've always had tough skin," said Robinson. "I was definitely one of those outspoken kids. Therefore, I got in a lot of confrontations and I got in a lot of trouble. As an actor, you have to make strong choices when you go in the audition room. I'm from the hood and I grew up having to stand up for myself pretty often and in Hollywood it's pretty much the same thing. You have to stand up for yourself. You have to know your worth and I feel like I've always known my worth."

Stream season one of "Tyler Perry's "Sistas" right now and watch all of DJ Sixsmith's interviews from "The Sit-Down" series here.