Jada Pinkett Smith felt like she had to “earn her stripes” on ‘A Different World’.
Jada Pinkett Smith has reflected on her breakout role in A Different World
The 53-year-old star’s breakout role came in 1991 as Lena James in ‘The Crosby Show’ spinoff, and she admitted it was a strange experience joining the sitcom in its fifth season.
Appearing on Lemonada Media’s ‘Legacy Talk with Lena Waithe’ podcast, she said: “There was already this deep camaraderie, you know what I mean? With Kadeem [Hardison] and Jasmine [Guy] and Cree [Summer] and the whole cast.
“We’re the new blood, so they were kind of like, ‘All right, whatever.’ Not in a funky way, but definitely like, ‘Earn your stripes.’ “
On her first day filming, Jada recalled feeling anxious as she’d never pictured herself as a “comedic actress” until then.
Recalling the vibe on set, she added: “Earn your stripes. Be funny. You got to earn your place. You got a live audience and so it wasn’t no play-play. Everybody had to hold their own.”
When it came to developing her character, the ‘Gotham’ actress was influenced by both her own personality, and the technical challenges of the shoot.
She explained: “I did an extreme version of Jada. Four-camera sitcom, you gotta catch the rhythm.
“You gotta catch the rhythm of your cast members — versus when you’re doing one-camera drama, that’s a different game.”
As time went on, Jada noticed the likes of Kadeem, Jasmine and Cree starting to warm to her on set and she became part of the family on and off screen.
She said: “I just remember how the older cast was not starting to relate to me. That’s when I knew – I was like, ‘Okay, I’m good.’ “
Meanwhile, Jada recently spent Thanksgiving with former partner Will Smith, after announcing in late 2023 that they had gone their separate ways years earlier, having tied the knot in 1997 and had kids Jadaen, 26, and Willow, 24, together.
A source told People: “Everyone was in wonderful and very grateful spirits. Jada and Will’s celebration kept going, as it then carried on to Sunday when their hometowns squared off in the big game, when the Philadelphia Eagles played the Baltimore Ravens.
“And Will’s team won — which he didn’t let anyone forget!”