DEPASSE FINDS A `SMART GUY' IN MOWRY.

Byline: Jay Bobbin Tribune Media Services 

To find a youngster for the main role in the new comedy series ``Smart Guy,'' it took a producer with some serious smarts herself.

Actually, Suzanne de Passe didn't have to look all that far, since she already employed the siblings of the youth she chose to headline her latest show, which premieres Wednesday on the WB Network.

Tahj Mowry is the younger brother of twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry, the stars of the de Passe-generated ``Sister, Sister,'' which now precedes ``Smart Guy'' in that evening's WB lineup. The new program casts him as a wise-beyond-his-years 10-year-old whose presence as a high school freshman poses problems for his older brother (played by Jason Weaver) and sister (Essence Atkins, of last year's ``Malibu Shores''). John Marshall Jones, who appeared as Vanessa Williams' fiance in early episodes of ``Melrose Place,'' also stars as their father.

``Sometimes, the best things in life are right under your nose,'' de Passe said of finding Mowry, which happened before the premise of ``Smart Guy'' was devised. ``He was doing guest spots for us on `Sister, Sister' before it came to the WB (during its previous run on ABC), and I was trying to show other people what we saw in him. I have an almost chemical reaction to talented people. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I get a picture in my mind that the person could be great at whatever they do. It's a gut feeling, and in my career, that's proven to be pretty good.''

The result can take some time to bloom, though, as de Passe readily admits. ``We had been through two development seasons (with Mowry) before we got to the WB,'' she said, ``and at one point, we were thinking of more of a `Dennis the Menace' type of situation to place him in. I was watching NBC's `Today' one morning, though, and I saw this little kid who couldn't have been more than 3-1/2 feet tall who was on his way to college. I thought, `A-ha!' I've always felt that Tahj exhibits the kind of poise usually reserved for people much older than he is.''

However, de Passe saw a similar brand of charm when she first met Mowry's twin siblings, who are slated to appear in an upcoming ``Smart Guy'' episode (though not in their ``Sister, Sister'' roles). That still holds up. ``One of the wonderful things about the Mowry family is that they are so totally supportive of one another. The girls will do anything for Tahj, and even though they were tired from working so much, they showed up for a photo opportunity with him. The minute I explained it was for him, they were there. It's that kind of thing.''

Though he's definitely the main one, Mowry isn't the only de Passe discovery showcased in ``Smart Guy'' - co-star Weaver was one of several actors who played Michael Jackson in the de Passe-produced 1992 miniseries ``The Jacksons: An American Dream.''

``I remember Jason telling me then when I was casting him that one day, he'd like to direct,'' she recalls, ``and he was just a little kid. I thought, `My, my, my.' To be so certain so young was pretty interesting, I thought, so Jason and I also have been in business together for quite some time.''

That factor of determination in youngsters always has been a lure to de Passe, and she traces that back to her initial dealings with the Jackson 5, ``in what seems now like prehistoric times. I was just a baby in this business, but I had the same type of reaction to them when it was suggested that I meet them. All through my career, that kind of confidence has come through, not that it's that much of a genius thing. I've just always been able to tell whether it's the talent himself or herself, or the people around the talent, that's the driving force.''

Smart Guy

When: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday

Network: WB

Starring: Tahj Mowry, Jason Weaver, Essence Atkins, John Marshall Jones

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) Tahj Mowry plays a bright 10-year-old boy who attends high school.

(2--Cover--Color) all locked up

Kid genius thrown into confusion of high school