Raven-Symoné is taking a trip down memory lane!
The actor, director and producer sat down with ET for a rETrospective, where she flashed through some of her most iconic career moments, from her adorable beginnings as a child actor and raising a generation of fashionistas as the iconic Raven Baxter on Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven to her more mature projects, such as co-hosting The View from 2015 to 2016 and reclaiming the Baxter name for Disney’s sequel series, Raven’s Home.
Looking back at her first-ever interview with ET in 1989, the 38-year-old says that if she were to impart any advice to her younger self, it’d be to look to the future.
“There’s a lot that you’re gonna go through but you’ll make it out and everything’s gonna be good,” she says. “Listen to the universe, it never lies to you.”
Although she notes that her parents can better answer what made her get into acting, she cites her father as the leader behind jumpstarting her career.
“My dad was in the entertainment industry in his own way — not in the same way I am but in his own way — and I think he loved that idea,” she tells ET. “He wanted to make sure that I was taken care of financially and business-wise as I grew up, and the story goes that I said, ‘I can do what Rudy can do.'”
The star adds that she believes “every child is a performer in their own way,” but it depends on a parent to sense the spark from them. “It depends on what that parent feels from their child, and if the spark from that child is strong enough to overtake the room. That’s what they said happened, so I just got to follow the cookie crumbs.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be a rETrospective without a moment for some of Raven’s unforgettable roles, like becoming Disney Channel’s teen queen, Raven Baxter.
Recalling the journey that went into the show’s recreation — which was originally called Absolutely Psychic when Raven auditioned for the role of the lead’s best friend — Raven says the long road to That’s So Raven‘s conception made her “appreciate” the opportunity even more.
“[I] never wanted to leave Disney after that, honestly, because I learned so much,” she adds. “I was able to create relationships with the executives in a way that I had never done before, even on my past shows, long-lasting friendships.”
The series was reported to be the highest-rating original program in Disney Channel’s history, a record previously held by Lizzie McGuire. When the show premiered in 2003, Raven was the youngest and first Black woman to have her real name in a comedy series title. That’s So Raven went on to become the first Disney Channel series to reach 100 total episodes. The spinoff, Raven’s Home, also reached 100 episodes, meaning Raven has played Raven Baxter for over 200 episodes.
But Raven tells 360aproko that she never let the enormity of the show get to her head while she was working because “I had seen what some main character people attitudes can rise to if they totally believe in who they are and what they’re doing, and I didn’t like that.”
“I like a community; I liked the fact that I had friends and family around, and we can create fun times together. And if I ever had that ego, it was because I was tired…” she adds. “It created a sense in me [of] how important it is when you are considered the lead in a show, to have the right attitude, to make people feel loved and welcome so that they come to work and that they’re enjoying themselves. I work on that every day for myself from that point on.”
Raven’s relationship with Disney Channel didn’t end with Raven Baxter. The star portrayed 1/4 of the network’s Cheetah Girls in the popular film adaptations, a role that the star teased she might reprise in the future.
“Another moment in culture that gave girl power, that gave fashion, that gave songs — [I’m] very blessed to be a part of that and can’t wait to see what the future holds with that,” Raven teases. “It’s gonna be interesting to see what the future holds in regards to the Cheetah Girls.“
Although Raven didn’t appear alongside co-stars Adrienne Houghton, Kiely Williams and Sabrina Bryan in the 2008 threequel, Cheetah Girls: One World, she shares a vision with ET of what a reunion between the four characters could look like.
“If something happened where the Cheetah Girls came back together on screen, I think the new generation would see how important it is for girl[s to have] community — and this generation’s already doing it, right? I come from a generation [of] catty girls and things of that nature. And then my mom’s generation [was] the same way,” she shares. “I think now it’s starting to change a little bit. I think girls are more like, ‘I got you, girl,’ and to be able to mirror that back in such an iconic, cool, innovative way that screams Cheetah… I mean, I’d be a part of it.”
The fans are already putting together their cheetah print looks!
Although the star says she doesn’t know what the Cheetahs themselves would be up to in 2024, she says that she knows one thing, “Galleria is a mess.”
“I don’t know if she would calm down. Because there are those people in the industry. It’s like, all right, we understand you have dreams and hopes, and you’ll step on anybody to get there,” Raven says of her beloved character. “I think it’s probably something that reflects what’s going on in today’s culture. I think it’s something that touches the audiences, and you know, it’ll be interesting to see.”
And there’s no doubt that fans would be tuned in to watch whatever the co-stars cook up if a long-awaited sequel were to premiere. “I honestly attribute it to the fact that it’s a good girl-empowerment story about friendship and family, and standing up for your besties,” Raven says of the franchise’s longevity. “And that is, no matter how juvenile it might sound, important to continuously tell that story so girls know how important it is to stand up for your friends.”
When it comes to some of her later projects, like co-hosting on The View, Raven is quite happy leaving the past in the past.
The star firmly asserts that she would not do a talk show again after her year on the daytime show, but emphasizes that she learned a lot during her tenure. “That was a learning experience. I learned a lot on that show; I learned a lot about what I should say yes to and what I shouldn’t say yes to, I learned how to bottle my emotions real quick for cameras as best as I can, within certain reason and I learned that the hair and makeup on that show was amazing.”
“I learned that I have interesting views — pun intended — and I also learned that some conversations are couch conversations for home and not for live television,” she adds. “I learned that television is television. And sometimes they have to do things to make good television. And I don’t know if everybody knows that. I’ll keep it like that.”
Still, she doesn’t regret taking the opportunity. “You have to try out everything to find out who you are,” she says. “I think it’s very important that you do that for yourself because going into it while you’re growing up, your parents create this bubble for you of how they want you to be, your friends mold you, and then you have that moment where you’re like, ‘But what do I want?’ The only way you can figure that out is to try different things. That’s what I do in this industry; I try as many things as I can [and] if they succeed, let’s keep going. If they don’t, thank you much, moving on. I needed that, I needed to understand that I’m not good at live television and I’m OK with that.”
As for the future, Raven shares that “there’s a lot of stuff on the horizon” that she’s very excited about and “will make my heart happy as a creative, that will make my heart happy as that little girl who wants to create and produce and direct and do all these things.”
“I’m getting that opportunity and I’m really excited to see what’s on the horizon for me. I’ve worked really hard for this and I’m excited to see what happens,” she tells ET.
From her adorable beginnings to her career as a grown star, Raven says she’s enjoyed looking back at her career thus far.
“Watching all of those videos from the really, really difficult ones, all the way down to the good ones [I realize] I’m old,” the star quips playfully. “I’ve been here for a minute and I don’t remember all of it, which is also sad, but I did a lot of stuff, and it’s funny because I lived it and I’m like, ‘I haven’t done that much.’ That’s what I say to myself, … and when you bring it in my face like this, I’m like, ‘OK, let me go sit down [and] take a vacation.’ But I can’t, I won’t, I don’t wanna stop. Debbie Allen proves you never have to and I will use her as an example. I will not stop, I won’t.”
