Raven-Symoné

From 2003 to 2007, Raven-Symoné endeared herself to tweens around the world as Raven Baxter, the young psychic on Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven, whose attempts to make her visions a reality resulted in hilarious escapades. A decade later, she is back on Disney Channel, reprising the role in Raven’s Home, on which she also serves as an executive producer. The series centers on her character’s twins, one of whom has inherited her psychic gene. Raven-Symoné tells TV Kids about returning to the role as a grownup and the importance of children’s television in shaping the minds of future generations.

TV KIDS: How did the idea for Raven’s Home come about?
RAVEN: While I was on [the ABC talk show] The View, I was in conversations with people at Disney Channel about how I would love to work with them again in some capacity. They presented the idea of doing a show where Raven Baxter has kids, and I said, I am down for that all the way through and through. So, it came about organically, it came about with the need for me to be back in television in a different type of capacity than live, and it all worked out for me in a great manner.

TV KIDS: What is it like to be working with Disney Channel again?
RAVEN: I worked with Disney Channel from age 13 to 21, and then I took a break, and then I came back. So I worked with the channel during the years of life when everything is going on, every emotion, every change is happening. [Laughs] I had such a fantastic time that I wanted to go back to a place where I knew I felt safe. I tried my best to be a good girl during that time away. [Laughs] I feel that my brand and Disney’s brand go hand in hand. We all felt that, so Gary Marsh [president and chief creative officer at Disney Channels Worldwide] and Adam Bonnett [outgoing executive VP of original programming at Disney Channels Worldwide] really embraced me as an adult and who I am now and they created this journey for us to all take together. I’m an executive producer, and this is a family here at Disney Channel. So I’m learning, I’m being mentored, I’m being taken care of.

TV KIDS: How do you go about evolving the series for a new generation of viewers while also winking at fans of That’s So Raven who are watching with their kids?
RAVEN: That’s the thing: I think bringing Raven Baxter back in all of her crazy glory helped to incorporate my generation [into the show]. I have a set of twins, a boy and a girl named Booker [Issac Ryan Brown] and Nia [Navia Robinson], and one of them is psychic. The kids are the focus of the show. Showing the camaraderie and the gap that separates the two generations actually proves that the gap is not that large at all.

As long as we’re telling the truth and caring for one another, putting others first and being smart and kind, everyone can be a part of this family. I have my kids and then Chelsea [played by Anneliese van der Pol] has her child there, so we’ve constructed a unit with these two single moms that can be looked at as a construct for a family.

TV KIDS: What has it been like to reinhabit the character of Raven Baxter after ten years?
RAVEN: It has been so much fun because I get to act crazy on stage. I get to do whatever my body feels like it needs to do in order to get that line out, and people laugh, which is amazing to me. Otherwise, my mom just says, I don’t know what’s wrong with you! I can’t do that at home, but I can do it on set, and having that type of freedom on set is liberating. It hopefully will teach the kids on set that to be free and happy and comfortable in your character will [make] for a good character. To be stiff and uncomfortable and to choose a role that you are uncomfortable with will show through the camera, and we don’t want that.

TV KIDS: Do you try to keep the on-set atmosphere lighthearted, especially for the young talent?
RAVEN: Yes! We keep it professional first, and then we keep it fun. This is a kids’ show. This is not a documentary; this is a fun show. [Laughs] We do physical comedy, we do comedy, we do characters. Oh, my goodness, we do everything! So if I have constructed a set that is not fun, you won’t be able to see that [playfulness] on film.

TV KIDS: With the show, do you feel a responsibility to teach young viewers important life lessons while also making them laugh?
RAVEN: I think it’s everyone’s responsibility in television and entertainment to teach. Not everybody does it. [Laughs] But I do believe, especially in children’s programming, it’s up to us to realize that we’re molding the minds of the future. We’re entertaining them, we’re showing them how to deal with situations that they might not necessarily go through in life right now, but when they encounter that same scenario later, they can go back and say, Hmm, how would Booker handle this? Did he get in trouble, or didn’t he? I know that was the way for me when I was growing up. Sometimes people are scared to talk to other people, and we go to these television shows and sitcoms and cartoons, and they become our family. So, I have always felt [this way], even from before I was able to choose my roles. My parents chose the roles I was in, and they always taught me to be aware of what I’m saying yes to, and the marks that I make on society with my role choices.

TV KIDS: What advice do you have for individuals currently navigating the TV landscape?
RAVEN: You have to do what you’re comfortable with. You have to choose roles that will lead you on the path that you want to be on. You have to be aware of your surroundings and make sure that you keep it 100 percent business.

TV KIDS: Do you view yourself as a role model for young girls?
RAVEN: It’s funny—people ask, Do I want to be? I think the career that I’ve chosen is constructed of role models. That comes with the territory in the situation I’m in, and it’s another reason my parents always said to be mindful of what you choose to do because people are looking up to you, and I have to remember that. What’s most important is a girl needs to know to be herself, to not be pressured by society to be something that she’s not innately. We all have the mirror syndrome, but I think if we continue to be true to who we are, take each day at a time, and breathe before we get all heated and riled up in a situation, we’ll be able to think clearly. Hopefully, as Raven Baxter—a mother who has to deal with kids who will not always make the right decision and who will come up against some challenges—I help young parents and their children to make better decisions.

TV KIDS: Why do you think That’s So Raven and Raven’s Home have both resonated so well with viewers?
RAVEN: I think Raven’s Home and That’s So Raven resonate with viewers because we are a genuine family. It’s about love, it’s about kindness, it’s about fun and excitement. It’s working through challenges. It’s all of the above.

TV KIDS: What are some of your favorite episodes or moments from season two?
RAVEN: In terms of guest stars and journeys, we want to be as current as we can within the landscape of society. We have a great episode with Michelle Williams. She plays a fashion designer. Raven and her daughter, Nia, go on a retreat together. They both learn the lesson of letting someone shine in their own light, not trying to morph them into someone that they’re not in order for you to succeed. The best way to succeed is to embrace people’s faults and who they are and let them shine through that way. That’s a great lesson that I really like.

We have a great Halloween episode featuring Debbie Allen and a special musical episode that is super fun. Everybody in the cast performs a song and dance number that creates a journey that’s fun and exciting. Let’s just say there’s pie, juice and a little Bruno Mars influence in the beginning, and by the end you see the heart of the Baxter family. We’re very excited and proud of the musical. Everybody in Raven’s Home is musically inclined in some fashion, so being able to put a spotlight on other aspects of our talent brought joy to everybody. We had a screening of the episode after it was done with just the cast and crew. We worked so hard. It was sometimes tiring, but it’s a good type of working, and being able to see the product come together as the musical has come together is rewarding, and [to have] your network be so proud of it—Disney Channel is behind it 100 percent. The producers, the writers, everyone is behind it. We put our all into it and I think it will show.

We did an episode touching on social media, and it was about more than what I’m about to speak of, but what I got from it is: just because you have a whole bunch of followers that doesn’t mean family isn’t important. There are so many micro and macro lessons sprinkled with fun and excitement within this season that hopefully will resonate with ages across the board.