Bell: One of my favorite nights was the night that Magic Johnson broke the all-time assist record. Guy: I remember backstage on the lot there was an alley that [led] to the sidewalk. Yvette Lee Bowser met Gina Prince-Bythewood and brought her in to become an [apprentice]. So I had my competition sleeping on my couch, and the two of us drove to NBC together. He appeared in movies as varied as "Arthur," "PoliceAcademy," and "The Fisher King" over the course of his multi-decade screen career. After A Different World ended in 1993, Bell booked a lead role as . That didnt pan out, though. Lisa Bonet (Denise Huxtable) Best known for her role as Denise Huxtable in The Cosby Show, which she reprised for a short time on this series, Bonet has continued to act in small roles throughout the last few decades. If youre running a network, you dont get credit for the shows you didnt develop. It was not nice. That was everything, because we already had Diahann Carroll. She was so effusive and welcoming. Bell: After the chemistry read I was like, What time are we heading home Kadeem? Bonet subsequently left A Different World but rejoined The Cosby Show after the birth of her daughter, Zo. Ceci: I remember standing in my living room watching A Different World and saying, Im going to do that show. Not even a week later the shows tailor contacted a mutual friend who was a costumer and said, Girl, theyre looking for a new costume designer on A Different World. I interviewed with Debbie and got the job. Summer: It wasnt really like the Beatles or anything. This prompted shocked and saddened reactions from his colleagues and loved ones (via CNN). Theres an age gap between the two of us, so she was younger than me. But I came back in a few days with Hangin With Mr. Cooper. He died on September 13. Stop. But the saddest part was getting letters from teachers and principals from public schools in underserved communities who were saying, Without you on the air, I cant tell my kids that they can aspire to anything and go to college.. Its an adjustment, and one that I wasnt really seeking. Hardison: I was not a fan of that whole idea. Fales-Hill, who had been a writer for The Cosby Show, was tapped to write for a spinoff, originally titled Stepping Up to Step Out. Jasmine Guy (Whitley Gilbert): The second time I went in there, I said, They have a certain perception of what I can do, so I want to be something totally different. 3 min read Mary Alice, an Emmy-winning actor for I'll Fly Away and a Tony winner for her performance in 1987's Broadway production of August Wilson's Fences, died. And the network decided that every time they wanted to have a new show, they were going to test it in our time slot. In 1996 -- two years after appearing on "ER" -- the legend scored her first #1 album with "Rosemary Clooney's White Christmas." Sadly, she passed away on June 29, 2002, at the age of 74. The more we got to know each other, the more the bohemian aspects of my upbringing started to show up more and more in the character. Romantic relationships abounded on the show, to mixed reactions from the actors who were involved. Jack Soo (Nick Yamana on Barney Miller) - Jack Soo had the rare honor of having the fourth wall broken for him on Barney Miller when he died of cancer in 1979. We've received your submission. We were devastated. In a move he now regretsand one he admits was influenced by wanting to be known not just as Dwayne Wayne but as an actorhe donated them to a charity auction; what charity, he cant recall. Indeed, "A Different World" witnesses Denise Huxtable's (Lisa Bonet) transition from happy "Cosby Show" antics to the significantly more charged events of Hillman College, which mirrors the show's own transition from being a Huxtable vehicle to something completely different. Turman: I know what comes with being young and famous and rich. Bowser: Applications to college, and HBCUs in particular, spiked exponentially as the result of the show. Bell: Lisa was on The Cosby Show, so she was accustomed to being in the atmosphere of a juggernaut. We had to look at each other one day and say, Wait a minute, what is happening here? We did everything we could to sabotage it. He had a good heart. I was like, Jo-An. Emmy-winning actress Mary Alice, known for her roles as Leticia "Lettie" Bostic on NBC's "A Different World" and as Effie Williams in the 1976 musical drama "Sparkle ," died Wednesday in New. The little insulated group at Carsey-Werner and A Different World was such a female-friendly and Black-friendly environment, and the world outside was racist and misogynist to say the least. And I liked that math was his thing because it was my thing until they put letters in it. The cast took time to turn to the. They were like, Thats a little too much attention on you, and its not your show.. [Though] I have to say, I witnessed a great deal of resentment towards Bill Cosbys power, and Marcy and Tom. Cookies help us deliver our Services. "A Different World"needed to find someone absolutely dripping with charisma to play this role, and, wisely enough, they went with Diahann Carroll. But unlike his namesake show, Cosby wasnt a key player on A Different World, and its orbit of the fictional Hillman College, an HBCU in Virginia, evades any shadow in memory, as enjoyable as ever in Amazon Prime syndication. Dawnn Lewis (Jaleesa Vinson): I had just finished the tour of a Broadway show, The Tap Dance Kid, with Hinton Battle, Harold Nicholas, and Dul Hill. A Different World Actors You May Not Know Passed Away. I was like, Damn, how can I be cool in this episode too? But I realized then how important my character was to show those sides, those layers of us, as Black people. We were crisscrossing the country, and during a break I met with Susan Fales and Debbie Allen. On the other hand, it was nice to go out on a high and not feel like youre a poor imitation of what you once were. Stop this. They looked and they said, My God, its Colonel Taylor. And they stopped. Rape, racism, AIDS, and colorism were all among issues the show explored. Even more notably, he was a highly-lauded stage actor who took home a Tony Award for his Broadway portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in "The Wiz" (per Playbill). The Cosby Shows Tempestt Bledsoe guest starred in an episode during season two. She won a Tony. A Different World is a spin-off from the American television sitcom The Cosby Show with Denise Huxtable, in the first season. She was found dead Wednesday. Hardison: Me, Dawnn, Marisa, and Lisa shot the credits one weekend, which were amazing, but there was no Whitley, and we didnt even know there was going to be a Whitley. Right now, Im organizing myself for my big day. There were a lot of women who came from privilege, who were light skin, and who felt high and mighty. Youre there to entertain, but you can also heal. Alice was an iconic performer on both the screen and stage. ': 'Face Some Fing, Danny Mastersons Second Rape Trial Gets Underway: Heres Why the Case Is Back in Court. Ceci: Everybody thinks that I was shopping on Rodeo Drive, but I didnt have that kind of budget. Im not really one to suffer fools, so I became more determined to create my own work environment. Bell: Lisa doesnt get enough credit for A Different World. 1 Episode 1989. TMZ reports that the actor died on Feb. 19 at Charleston Medical Center in West Virginia after undergoing a heart-related emergency and falling into a coma. Several students asked us, Why dont we see anybody whos from a mixed marriage on your show? Im from a mixed marriage myself, but I didnt think people wanted to talk about that or see it. Several characters disappeared from the show without explanation, including: Millie (Whitley's roommate in Season 1), Maggie Lauten (Denise and Jaleesa's roommate and friend in Season 1), Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor (Seasons 1-5), Leticia "Lettie" Bostic (Gilbert Hall's dorm director in Season 2), Ernest Bennett (Freddie's love interest in Season 3), I just said, Baby, please. That wasnt [Jasmines] cue, and I know what a boss she is, what a pro she is. The actress arrived on the show with a Golden Globe, multiple Emmy nominations, and an Academy Award nomination under her belt, as well as a Tony Award from her Broadway career (viaThe Hollywood Reporter) and an unforgettably disturbing role in the "Star Wars Holiday Special." Learn from this special teaching by Pastor Chris how to use the name of Jesus to effect changes in your life, city and world There was a little girl who had been raped by her neighbor while selling Girl Scout cookies. That was October of 1986. You can see Ron breaking down in tears. It was one of the tragedies of my career. I said, Do you know the term sexual tension? And he didnt. Kadeem went in first and you could hear the laughing outside in the hallway while the rest of us were waiting. This didnt exist before. Later it came to focus on the trials and tribulations of the infamous Dwayne Wayne, Whitley Gilbert, Freddie, Ron and Jaleesa. Its not deep, its messy and crazy.. And it was like, yes, I have a degree from Stanford, but Im here to do whatever it takes to be a part of the creative process, to see how it works, to pitch in. She would go on to create some of the shows most recognizable looks, from Freddies texture-heavy boho ensembles to Whitleys polished suits. And it was very hurtful to my entire companythe cast, the writers, the producers, the cameramen. This list includes all of the A Different World main actors and actresses, so if they are an integral part of the show you'll find them below. Then Cree was like, I know where you need to live, and she brought me up to Topanga Canyon. Along with The Cosby Show, it laid the groundwork for shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Matters, and Living Singleitself created by Bowserand featured numerous Black actors long before they were famous, including Halle Berry, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Keenen Ivory Wayans. Costume department polaroids of cast members Cree Summer, Darryl Bell, and costume designer Ceci (in a Hillman cheerleading uniform). Fales-Hill: [After the date rape episode] we got a call from the attorney general of Pennsylvania. WHAT DO I HAVE TO LOSE? Youre not together anymore [but] you still have to go to work and be on set. I said, I cant cheat them. I wanted to do movies. We liked to ride motorcycles, [and] one day she pulled over and was like, I love you. Kristoff St. John first appeared asDavid James on an episode of "The Cosby Show." Something told me to stop and go over, so I did. Main article: List of A Different World characters Main cast Recurring Cory Tyler as Terrence Taylor (seasons 4 and 5) Patrick Malone as Terrell Walker (season 6) Bumper Robinson as Dorian Heywood (season 6) Michael Ralph as Spencer Boyer (season 6), various characters (seasons 4 and 5) Debbie Allen (director and executive producer): My sister [Phylicia Rashad] was a guest on A Different World, and she observed some problems behind the scenes in terms of the storytelling. I remember Kadeem walked by and I thought, Oh, God, he is so fucking fine. She really found that activism voice, which was something that was very reflective of my personal life. I took notes, I took lunch orders, I ran errands, I babysat for peoples kids, I made posters; when Whitley ran for dorm monitor, thats my handwriting on the posters. A borderline misanthropic older guy whose confrontational demeanor hides a complex soul, Mr. Gaines would have been a tough character for many actors to pull off. To me, Benson was the revenge for all those stereotyped guys who looked like Benson in the '40s and '50s [movies] and had to keep their mouths shut.". Previously he was hospitalized in December of 2012 for pneumonia. But Im still good. I dont look for those accolades. We cast her as somebodys girlfriend and it was a one-shot deal. Basketball marketing legend Sonny Vaccaro tells. After years of trailblazing success, Cash died of cancer on October 31, 1995, at the age of 56. There was an episode where the youngsters moved into a spot where Billy Dee Williams was our landlord, and that was serving as an in-season pilot, which I thought would have been a really, really dope show. In the 1960s, she traded the textbooks for scripts and got back into community theater. On January 14, 2004, the 66-year-old actor died in Los Angeles. Youve read the scripts, you understand the character dynamics. So in that sixth year, we werent even on every week. Bell: Think of all the other shows when theyre ending, its like they have all of these countdowns to the final episode. This needs to be Dwayne shows up. During one scene in particular, he was struggling. Lewis: The supporting actors that came through our show were just insane. [It examines] the relationship between Black fathers and their daughters, and how sometimes Black fathers have demons that unfortunately, their children have to deal with. I mean, I was fan kind of thrilled. Hardison introduced himself to everyone in the room, one by one, then recited each persons name back to them in reverse order. That was emblematic. Though Carroll only appeared on nine episodes of "A Different World,"she elevated every single one. Hardison: All of a sudden [the show] got real, then it became amazing. I think that was a real benefitto be able to emotionally infuse the characters with what we were going through together. Her 1973 turn as Goneril in Shakespeare's "KingLear," opposite James Earl Jones in the titular role, is a particularly impressive highlight. In those years, she also portrayed Ellie Grant Hubbard in All My Children., Her performance as Rose in the 1987 production of August Wilsons Fences earned her a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. His last appearance as Dean Harris came in Episode 22 of Season 1, "My Dinner with Theo.". And we had to put hot sauce on the tables. We just hadnt seen that. Before Thomas Mikal Ford became known as Martin Payne's friend Tommy Strawn on the Fox sitcom "Martin,"he, too, appeared on a Season 3 episode of "A Different World." She didnt want to put on a suit, she didnt want to comb her hair. After that appearance, he was cast in A Different World. Walter and Jaleesa were supposed to get married, but the two decided against it at the altar. When Ceci arrived, however, he asked if he could retire Dwaynes signature flip-up glasses. "We were saying to the country, 'We're going to present a very upper middle-class black woman raising her child, and her major concentration is not going to be about suffering in the ghetto,'" Carroll said, regarding the role's significance. And then slowly but surely, we were having less fun and more dates, and all the great story lines were going to the other characters. Guy: [Kadeem and I] were like, Are we coming back next season? Because people were getting fired a lot. A Different World (1987) Here is what Debbie Allen said was the real reason behind Lisa leaving Different World below: "When I first took over the show [ Different World] one of the first things I did was meet with Lisa Bonet and she secreted to me that she was pregnant. She was someone that I had known from New York. It was a safe space for us, and in some ways created a form of therapy. A Different World type TV Show network NBC Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison were one of TV's most beloved couples on NBC's A Different World, as Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne. Freddie was wearing oxblood Doc Martens laced up to the kneeFishbone T-shirts, Frank Zappa T-shirts. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. It was my first time leaving the country, and I brought my mom because she had never traveled. I just cant personally imagine making a choice like that. In the 34 years since its debut, A Different World has become one of televisions most impactful shows, inspiring everything from dissertations and lectures to Halloween costumes and social media fan accountsall while influencing countless young people to attend college, specifically HBCUs. Not long after the show first aired, a litany of guest stars began appearingsome of whom were already established, and others who were relatively unknown at the time and have since become famous actors and musicians. didnt have a studio audience.. Im going to make something happen with this opportunity, I really am. Created as a spinoff of The Cosby Show, A Different World 's initial premise was to follow Denise Huxtable's journey at historically black Hillman College. Ill never forget it. Cree Summer (Freddie Brooks): I had an amazing manager by the name of Larry Robinshe just recently diedand he took me under his wing. Adult film actors, Prince Yahshua & Aryanna Starr LOAD COMMENTS It frees you up as an actor when someone is that loose with it. Summer: I fucking live for wardrobe [and] Ceci was heaven on earth. It was a very tumultuous time; we never knew who was going to leave or why. She died in her New York City home on Wednesday, the NYPD told the Reporter. In the episode, Rudy Huxtable visits Denise at Hillman and becomes enamored with Whitley. We did stories about racism, we did stories about the L.A. riotswe were one of the first shows to address AIDS. Few sitcoms were tackling such issues at the time, including The Cosby Show, which largely omitted social and political themes from its story lines. Four years later in 1988, he returned to its universe as E.Z. They were like, Okay, my man, do you want to shorten that up?, Bowser: It wasnt the best line reading, but we loved him and were like, Weve got to find something for Darryl to do.. In front of a camera? The audition took place in an office packed with writers, producers, and NBC executives. With Diahann Carroll playing Whitley Gilbert's mother, "A Different World"was practically required to cast a force to be reckoned with as her father, Mercer Gilbert. 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