On a recent October morning, Raven-Symoné, now 36, sat for a video call over Google Meet. She had a golden, mellow aura about her — a far cry from the spunky characters she played as a child — framed by the west coast morning light, plants named by her wife on either side.
Symoné said she’s “had to go through a mental grow up,” and that she’s excited to be behind the scenes.
“I have a lot more control over how I present myself,” the actress said. “Up until my late twenties, there were people telling me how I should look — it was just easier to be told what to do. But now that I’m feeling empowered by the new generation of just being yourself on camera, and my own self really marinating in my own juices and understanding who I am and who I feel comfortable being, I’m able to present how I feel as Raven-Symoné, the entertainer.”
For Symoné, that journey has been three decades in the making. She and the camera have had a lifelong relationship. After her parents signed her on with modeling agencies as a toddler, Symoné first began gracing the screen through television commercials, daintily spreading peanut butter on Ritz crackers and spooning bites of a Cool Whip-crowned ice cream sundae.
She recalls watching “The Cosby Show” as a three-year-old when she decided that she could “do what Rudy does,” taking the first steps in what would become her acting career, the actress told Insider. Though she was too young for the role she auditioned for in the Bill Cosby movie “Ghost Dad,” Cosby was so impressed with Symoné that he created a new character — his step-granddaughter Olivia — for her on the very show that had first drawn her to acting.
In the years that followed, Symoné was cast in a succession of television shows and movies featuring Black casts, including “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Dr. Dolittle.” In 2001, she landed the role of Raven Baxter in the show “That’s So Raven,” which swiftly became one of Disney Channel’s most successful series and catapulted Symoné to mainstream fame.
But growing up in the public eye inevitably came with challenges. Like many child stars, Symoné faced pressure to conform to the image that had been crafted for her since an early age. And, as a female actor of color, Symoné grappled with extra scrutiny from the public and media.
“When you’re in the industry and in front of millions of people whose livelihoods depend on your work and engagement, things can get a little strenuous,” Symoné told Insider.
“That’s So Raven,” a sitcom about a teenager with hidden psychic abilities, garnered accolades for its engaging premise and charismatic performances. In the early 2000s, it was also one of the rare live-action shows with a Black female teen lead.
“A Black young girl on television — there’s not a lot of roles for them. You have to wait until a Bill Cosby or Mark Curry come and have their show. Otherwise you’re just going to be the Black best friend,” Symoné said.
Symoné called the lack of diversity in the entertainment industry a “form of racism.”
“I remember my dad saying, ‘I sent you out on auditions for ‘young white boy,’ ‘young white girl.’ I sent you out on everything just so you could be seen, because there were no roles for ‘young Black girl,’” she recalled.
