Interview with Jasmine Guy and Darryl M. Bell

By Tyra Watts | Published December 7, 2023

In an interview with The Tower, “A Different World” actors Jasmine Guy and Darryl M. Bell told The Tower that the TV series was significant for its ability to address important social and personal issues in the Black community. 

Guy, who played Whitney Gilbert on the TV show, stated that it was almost real-time with their ages and where they were in their lives. 

“We were right in the pocket of what it was like between ages 18 and 21, which so many changes happened during that time, and I thought we were able to address not only very important social issues, but personal issues,” Guy said. “Homesickness, loneliness, isolation, things that kids experience when they first leave their homes. So I always felt very connected to the college experience in that way.”

Guy also stated that she didn’t have college experience; instead, she attended the Alvin Ailey Dance School in New York but still experienced the same feelings.

“If you’re not making a group of friends, I guess that’s why a lot of people will join a fraternity or sorority, to give you comradeship and also to give you a family away from home,” Guy said.

Meanwhile, Bell, who portrayed the character Ron Johnson in “A Different World,” said it was easier for him since he’s been Black all his life. Still, one of the things that informed his experience was not only in “A Different World” but also the set of “SchoolDaze,” a 1998 comedy-musical film directed by Spike Lee, where he and Guy met. 

Also, Bell’s father was the first African-American member of the New York Stock Exchange. 

“My dad was a pioneer in municipal finance and was around all of these political leaders, from David Dinkins to Harold Washington and Tom Bradley, and Jesse Jackson, and all of these folks, so the idea of being an agent for change, an advocate for the Black community, civil rights, and equality, was something that was just a part of my everyday life,” Bell said. “So it was familiar territory for me when “A Different World,” shifted to this beacon of advocacy, giving a voice to all of these different issues because I have been doing that all my life.”

Guy added that it was nice to have that unity of comedy and social relevance and still be a funny and authentic show.

“Being able to deal with things that were close to us in our hearts, a lot of the issues that came up with our characters were really coming from the people that were portraying them,” Guy said. “Like Cree [Summer] was very much a feminist, very much a “Save The Whales” person, and that became an accent to her character as Freddie.”

As for Guy herself, Bell said that she comes from a family of legacy, being a preacher’s kidand her father being a professor at Morehouse College, so she had that understanding. 

Growing up across the street from Morehouse and Spelman College, it was common for Guy, and when she did “School Daze” in Atlanta, they filmed on college campuses and used many of the student body and homecoming parades.Going out to L.A. and doing a show about an HBCU set in the South was strange for Guy because she didn’t know it was a thing or a separate entity. She had to visit college campuses when actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, and producer Debbie Allen came on the show.

“She sent the writers to go to Howard, Morehouse, Spelman, and she was like “Do your research like for any other show,” Guy said. “Go to classes, see what the differences are,” you know, because, in the first season, I felt they were just putting Black faces with kind of innocuous world, it wasn’t very…you never knew where you were, you know, and claiming it as an HBCU gave it more identity, even though the identity was subtle.”

As for the evolution of Black colleges since “A Different World,” Bell says that in recent times, in the civic near past, since the murder of George Floyd, there has been a great deal of focus on HBCUs. Bell gives the examples of Michael Bloomberg, Reed Hastings, and MacKenzie Scott, who have made tens of millions of dollars in contributions to these institutions.

“Most people don’t realize, particularly beyond the largest names of HBCUs, so your Howards, your Morehouses, Spelmans, FAMUs, there are actually 107 different HBCUs,” Bell said. “So smaller schools like Fisk, Lane College, or Oakwood University, these are schools that don’t get as much attention but are doing extraordinary work, educating students in their state and school.”

Bell also recalls when he and Guy went to an event for Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, the only aviation school of all the HBCUs.

“They have airplanes in the field, they’re training pilots, it’s spectacular,” Bell said. “So I think now there’s a greater awareness now about the good works that they’re doing and the emphasis on supporting kids going to college. I think all HBCUs are getting additional help and resources that they need, and this is a two-track solution because the two things that need to be supported: one, the contributions to the institutions, to make sure that they are there to support the students, but then you have the historical organizations like United Negro College Fund, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, all of which are put together scholarships to make sure that kids can go to school.”

Bell stated that the current Vice President, Kamala Harris, is an HBCU alum and a member of one of the Divine 9 (Alpha Kappa Alpha), which adds a new kind of light for those who may not be aware of HBCUs and their contributions.

As for Guy, she thinks that because of the economic times they were in back then and where we are now, many Black schools are struggling financially, which also means they can’t always give the support to the students they need financially.

“I just want to encourage alum to give back to your school,” Guy said. “Because a lot of the bigger universities have, you know, private organizations that are helping, and people are giving to that school, and I just want to remind people to do that. These schools still need funds, and funds are going for infrastructureand scholarships, and special programs, equipment, updating their technological services, so it’s very important that we remember those schools, especially the smaller ones that got people through another level of education as well.”

Lastly, as for what the audience hopes to gain at the President’s Distinguished Lecture Series, Bell says that they tend to follow a fluid conversation about what’s important to the audience in front of them, and they’ve been asked what their favorite episodes are, which would lead them down the path of what those subjects tend to be.

Bell provides an example of himself and “A Different World” castmate Kadeem Hardison, who played Dwayne Wayne, in his favorite episode titled “The Cat’s in the Cradle.”

“Our favorite episode is an episode called “The Cat’s in the Cradle” where Ron and Dwayne go to a football game and end up in a fight, and there’s a racial incident, and that certainly speaks to racial tensions that exist and how much progress has been made since the Civil Rights Movement,” Bell said. “There’s still a fight for equality and equity that’s valid today. You hear everyone now; we’re talking about everyone’s community wants to be equal and wants a fair opportunity to be successful and live their life and live the American Dream; that’s a real conversation.”

Overall, Bell says it all depends and that he hopes everyone comes away with a meeting, and that it’s fun to look back at entertaining episodes with guest stars such as Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Tupac, Boyz II Men, and Heavy D & The Boyz.

With Guy, she says that many students want to know about their process days and more about the workings and makings of a TV show in the 90s.

“We like to follow either the moderator’s lead in the questioning or the audience’s questions, which really covers what we need to know and what they want to know,” Guy said.

Bell also mentioned another “A Different World” episode where Jesse Jackson came to Hillman and stated that it is less about taking political ideology and more about when he was in school, with just a need to get young people engaged in the process and just get out and vote.

“Just be registered to vote and participate in your civic duty, and that’s something that cannot be emphasized enough,” Bell said. “Your ability to control the resources and the decisions that impact your lives are determined by your vote and that matters. Everybody should be registered, and everybody should vote.”

Guy also brought up the importance of local politicians because they affect you directly in your community, schools, and crime rates.

“Knowing the candidates that are running in your city or town and know what they stand on issues because you may see someone who looks good but may not share your values,” Guy said.

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