Five members from the groundbreaking 1980s sitcom “A Different World” lifted the curtain on what it was like to portray their much-loved characters — to the delight of a packed house at the Robinson Auditorium on the Elizabeth City State University campus Thursday night.
The discussion, a highlight of Viking Homecoming Week, featured Kadeem Hardison, who portrayed Dwayne Wayne; Jasmine Guy, who played Whitley Gilbert; Darryl M. Bell, who played Ron Johnson; Cree Summer, who portrayed Winifred “Freddie” Brooks; and Dawnn Lewis, who played Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor.
The panel was moderated by WTKR “Coast Live” cohost April Woodard. The program was part of ECSU’s Community Connections lecture and performance series.
Answering a question from a student about what advice she has for college students, Lewis urged students to “milk this environment for everything that it is worth.”
Bell had advice for those seeking a career in acting or other creative pursuits. His first suggestion was to take advantage of the opportunities provided by YouTube and other online platforms to create your own content.
The second bit of advice sounded more traditional: “The difference between the people who are most successful and those who are not is putting in the work.”
The cast discussed ways the show addressed serious themes such as racism, sexism, and mental health, and also explored the ups and downs of romantic relationships and friendships.
Bell commented that the problems addressed on the show remain problems today. “I have been arrested ‘driving while Black’ multiple times,” Bell said, using a common phrase for law enforcement’s alleged use of racial profiling when making traffic stops.
Guy said the show always managed to bring good humor to the episode when there were serious subjects on the table. The show featured “many moments of joy and laughter,” she said.
Cast members talked about how the actors’ friendships with each other helped fuel the energy of the show.
Hardison talked about Guy’s acting talent and the way it helped him bring more to a scene than he otherwise would have done.
Guy said the show was different from others she had worked on before because the characters were all multi-dimensional. They also weren’t the only Black character on the show.
“It allowed us as actors to really go for it,” Guy said, acknowledging that being the only Black member of a cast could sometimes lead to a sense of restraint that wasn’t present in “A Different World.”
“Within that 30-minute period we were real,” Guy said.
She said the actors “gave each other permission to show another side of our characters.”
Hardison paid Guy the enormous compliment of comparing her to one of the most beloved female comic actors of all time.
“The best part for me is I basically had Lucille Ball to work with,” he said of his scenes with Guy.
All the cast members who participated on the panel said it was an honor to have been part of a show that has had such a positive impact.
“The impact has been incredible for HBCUs,” Hardison said.
Cast members noted that enrollment at historically Black colleges and universities doubled during the time that “A Different World” was on in its original run. (The show has remained on the air in reruns and syndication ever since.)
Lewis said the show “revealed to the world than an HBCU education is not a second-class education.”
Summer said one of the things she is proud of is the way the show “has injected love into the Black community.”
The Community Connections event Thursday night also included a high-energy performance by the Vikings’ Sound of Class marching band and an original step routine performed by Viking students.
Those performances, and the thunderous applause that greeted the cast members as they walked onto the stage and periodically throughout the panel discussion, caught Bell’s attention.
“We do lots of panels,” Bell said. “We don’t always get this kind of energy and love.”
At the end of the night, representatives from Truist presented a check for $25,000 to the university.
