Tarin Delaney Smith on her role in the series Raid and life in New York
22 june 2026 в 18:13
Tarin Delaney Smith knows how to wear many hats. As an actress, writer, and content creator, the 29-year-old social media star has portrayed iconic characters on her platform, such as Denise, «the receptionist from paradise». However, her latest role is sure to grab attention. Tarin played a diva cockroach named «Filtyna» as part of a partnership with the Raid brand and its reality show «Other Tenants», - which she discussed in an exclusive interview with Hollywood Life.
«I had so much fun bringing [Filtyna] to life», - Tarin said, noting that her character was created using stop-motion animation rather than AI. «I think what struck me was that I finally got to do this as an actress. I really love voice acting, and this gave me another opportunity».
Since Filtyna is a creepy crawly, Tarin remarked that this character is not the neighbor she would want to live next to—similar to other anthropomorphic insects featured in the four-part Raid project.
«When we were creating the character of Filtyna, we joked about our favorite cockroach stories», - the comedian recalled. «Everyone in the room who had lived in New York had their own cockroach story, and mine was about living in a terrible apartment on the Upper East Side that has since been torn down… A picture frame fell, and I looked up—it was a cockroach that had climbed onto it. The weight of the cockroach knocked the frame off the mantel. It was madness; it was the biggest cockroach I had ever seen, and I’ll say that of all the gross things I encountered in that house, like centipedes, stink bugs, and beetles, nothing is worse than a cockroach».
Moving to the Hudson Valley in New York was not an easy task either. Tarin noted that she and her husband, Alex Castillo, «had no idea there would be a colony of bats in the attic and that it would be so expensive» to maintain.
Thus, homeownership is not as «romantic» as it seems; Tarin had to get used to new pests. «If you move to the country, you will have a lot of pests: mice, rats, ants, stink bugs—especially in the Hudson Valley, stink bugs are a big problem», - she added.
Despite all the challenges of homeownership, Tarin knew that life in Northern New York was what she needed. She gets the best of both worlds: she can «go to the city anytime» and finally have pets. In fact, Tarin and Alex «plan to have a lot of cows».
«Honestly, the whole reason I live here is that I want to have more animals», - she explained, originally from Seattle, Washington. «You come to terms with wanting to be a homeowner; it’s something that is valuable to you, and you want to immerse yourself in it, so you just accept everything that comes with it».
Tarin is part of a modern generation of Generation Z women who have purchased their own homes. Speaking as a woman homeowner, she told Hollywood Life how she defies the common notion that women cannot «have it all».
«We are told, especially as women, that we have to choose somehow. You have to pick a direction, decide who you want to be and what you want to do, and then go and do it», - noted the multifaceted artist. «I think the question, 'Can women have it all?' is always on the agenda. I’m just testing the boundaries: why not? Why can’t I? Why can’t I do both? Why can’t I enjoy a life that reflects all the things I want?»
Watch Tarin become a cockroach in the web series «Other Tenants» on Raid’s Instagram channels
«I had so much fun bringing [Filtyna] to life», - Tarin said, noting that her character was created using stop-motion animation rather than AI. «I think what struck me was that I finally got to do this as an actress. I really love voice acting, and this gave me another opportunity».
Since Filtyna is a creepy crawly, Tarin remarked that this character is not the neighbor she would want to live next to—similar to other anthropomorphic insects featured in the four-part Raid project.
«When we were creating the character of Filtyna, we joked about our favorite cockroach stories», - the comedian recalled. «Everyone in the room who had lived in New York had their own cockroach story, and mine was about living in a terrible apartment on the Upper East Side that has since been torn down… A picture frame fell, and I looked up—it was a cockroach that had climbed onto it. The weight of the cockroach knocked the frame off the mantel. It was madness; it was the biggest cockroach I had ever seen, and I’ll say that of all the gross things I encountered in that house, like centipedes, stink bugs, and beetles, nothing is worse than a cockroach».
Moving to the Hudson Valley in New York was not an easy task either. Tarin noted that she and her husband, Alex Castillo, «had no idea there would be a colony of bats in the attic and that it would be so expensive» to maintain.
Thus, homeownership is not as «romantic» as it seems; Tarin had to get used to new pests. «If you move to the country, you will have a lot of pests: mice, rats, ants, stink bugs—especially in the Hudson Valley, stink bugs are a big problem», - she added.
Despite all the challenges of homeownership, Tarin knew that life in Northern New York was what she needed. She gets the best of both worlds: she can «go to the city anytime» and finally have pets. In fact, Tarin and Alex «plan to have a lot of cows».
«Honestly, the whole reason I live here is that I want to have more animals», - she explained, originally from Seattle, Washington. «You come to terms with wanting to be a homeowner; it’s something that is valuable to you, and you want to immerse yourself in it, so you just accept everything that comes with it».
Tarin is part of a modern generation of Generation Z women who have purchased their own homes. Speaking as a woman homeowner, she told Hollywood Life how she defies the common notion that women cannot «have it all».
«We are told, especially as women, that we have to choose somehow. You have to pick a direction, decide who you want to be and what you want to do, and then go and do it», - noted the multifaceted artist. «I think the question, 'Can women have it all?' is always on the agenda. I’m just testing the boundaries: why not? Why can’t I? Why can’t I do both? Why can’t I enjoy a life that reflects all the things I want?»
Watch Tarin become a cockroach in the web series «Other Tenants» on Raid’s Instagram channels
© Zhinobaeva Margarita
