Brian Damage
07-31-2011, 10:00 AM
Is it true that you were originally cast as Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show?
Yep, that’s why the character was named Rudy—it was intended to be a boy. That’s my tragic auditioning story. We were all packed up and ready to go to New York and my agent had told my parents that they needed to start looking for places to live out there. Next thing you know, there was one more audition and that was supposed to be a formality at the network. And a little girl comes walking in, and I’m like—even at eight years old—“Who’s she?” And they’re like, “She’s auditioning for Rudy, too.” So I’m like, “Oh, it’s not as much of a formality as I thought.” That was my first time walking into a room of 30 people staring at you going, “O.K., make me laugh.” They were in such a hurry to get to New York and start filming that they came out and picked the kids one by one right in front of all of us. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempest Bledsoe . . . The rest of us all went home crying. It was amazing. Obviously I’m grateful that things worked out the way they did; I think it put a little more money in my pocket.
Was Cosby in the room?
Yeah, he made the decision that he wanted the family to mirror his exact family.
Sadness and Bill Cosby’s presence don’t seem to go together.
Believe me, they do.
Sorry for bringing up a sad story.
First of all, let’s get something straight: all of these rejections resulted in me making a ****load of money elsewhere.
It’s not a goal to make you cry.
You ain’t gonna! [Laughs.] I’m literally looking at the marina water right now. You ain’t gonna, man!
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2011/06/qa-jaleel-white-on-his-31-year-career.html
Yep, that’s why the character was named Rudy—it was intended to be a boy. That’s my tragic auditioning story. We were all packed up and ready to go to New York and my agent had told my parents that they needed to start looking for places to live out there. Next thing you know, there was one more audition and that was supposed to be a formality at the network. And a little girl comes walking in, and I’m like—even at eight years old—“Who’s she?” And they’re like, “She’s auditioning for Rudy, too.” So I’m like, “Oh, it’s not as much of a formality as I thought.” That was my first time walking into a room of 30 people staring at you going, “O.K., make me laugh.” They were in such a hurry to get to New York and start filming that they came out and picked the kids one by one right in front of all of us. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempest Bledsoe . . . The rest of us all went home crying. It was amazing. Obviously I’m grateful that things worked out the way they did; I think it put a little more money in my pocket.
Was Cosby in the room?
Yeah, he made the decision that he wanted the family to mirror his exact family.
Sadness and Bill Cosby’s presence don’t seem to go together.
Believe me, they do.
Sorry for bringing up a sad story.
First of all, let’s get something straight: all of these rejections resulted in me making a ****load of money elsewhere.
It’s not a goal to make you cry.
You ain’t gonna! [Laughs.] I’m literally looking at the marina water right now. You ain’t gonna, man!
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2011/06/qa-jaleel-white-on-his-31-year-career.html