After 17 years, ‘The Proud Household’ is again. HL spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Penny Proud herself, Kyla Pratt, about reviving the long-lasting character and introducing the beloved collection to her daughters.
Get able to really feel all types of 2000s nostalgia. The Proud Household returns with The Proud Household: Louder and Prouder, a continuation of the long-lasting Disney Channel collection. This time round, the collection is airing on Disney+, nevertheless it’s nonetheless The Proud Household you realize and love. Penny Proud continues to be navigating life as a 14-year-old alongside together with her Proud Household and buddies.
When The Proud Household premiered in 2001, Kyla Pratt was simply 14 years previous, identical to Penny. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Kyla, now 35, about stepping again into Penny’s sneakers, the brand new tackle the theme tune, and the way her two children, Liyah and Lyric, love the present. Learn our Q&A beneath:
Did you ever assume, previous to realizing about this present, that you just had been ever going to play Penny Proud once more?
Kyla Pratt: I didn't. I believe I hoped. There’s at all times been somebody coming as much as me and yelling at me about why we weren't on the air anymore, and why did I try this? And I’m like, “I didn’t do it. Why are you yelling? I’ll inform ‘em to carry it again. I don’t have any management.” However realizing that folks needed this for therefore a few years, I form of hoped. I’m glad that it’s taking place. I imply, to me, this was a present that was wonderful. It didn’t shrink back from sure matters like different individuals would. You have got so many alternative individuals on the present, various kinds of individuals. Everyone, at the same time as a teenage woman, it doesn't matter what you appear to be, you knew what Penny was going via. Everyone has some sort of Sugar Mama that's loopy however has your again. Everyone has that Uncle Bobby who you don’t need to declare however you're keen on. I believe it’s simply tremendous relatable, and we talked about issues, and now I really feel like we’ve upgraded it a lot, nevertheless it nonetheless has the identical essence. I’m simply excited for everyone to see.
When the unique present ran, that was the early 2000s, which looks like one other life in the past. Now the present is within the 2020s and takes place within the present day. Discuss to me just a little bit about how the present has been up to date to mirror the instances that we’re in.
Kyla Pratt: So the present has been up to date quite a bit. We have now new characters which can be coming in, we've a personality Michael, who’s performed by EJ Johnson. We have now Keke Palmer as my new buddy Maya. We have now same-sex mother and father on the present. We talk about social media and the pressures of that for younger children. It’s thrilling for me as a result of I’m a kind of individuals, I really feel like individuals must really feel seen. Whilst a younger Black woman rising up, I didn’t notice that we didn’t have a cartoon a couple of Black household. Once I was recording it, it was identical to, “Oh, I simply relate to those individuals a lot. That is cool.” However I didn’t notice till in a while how a lot of an impression it had on different individuals. I felt the identical approach about all illustration. I really feel like mentally it’s very useful whenever you’re going via one thing, whether or not you’re a child, a teen, or an grownup, to see somebody on display screen who both appears such as you or acts such as you or goes via the identical issues as you. I’m excited as a result of 20 years in the past I by no means would have thought any individual would say, “Oh, in 20 years we’re going to be louder.” I’d have been like, “We’re already loud. What are you speaking about?” However, in fact, with the instances that we’re in now, we’re in a position to contact lots of topics that we didn’t actually contact again then.
There are such a lot of wonderful visitor stars on this new present like Gabrielle Union, Lena Waithe. Was there one which whenever you heard the information that you just had been like, “Oh, I'm simply over the moon excited?”
Kyla Pratt: I believe the primary person who involves thoughts that I used to be tremendous enthusiastic about was Tiffany Haddish. As a result of to me, who’s louder and prouder than me? I’m like, oh yeah, positively Tiffany.
Inform me just a little bit about your response whenever you heard this revamp on the theme tune.
Kyla Pratt: I used to be very shocked. I really feel like I’m a fan making an attempt to attend and see when issues are going to occur as a result of they gained’t inform me something… I didn’t know that they had been altering the theme tune or that they had been updating it. Once I heard it, I used to be actually excited. The unique, in fact, was so legendary. The brand new tune has that very same essence however brings it to now, brings it to 2022, and the way it's a must to draw younger individuals in is quite a bit via the music.
Followers are going to need to know if there’s going to be the chance for extra seasons down the street. Are you open to that?
Kyla Pratt: I’m positively open to it. I’m hoping so. I really feel like social media is the explanation that we’ve gotten so far. I really feel just like the extra followers of the present keep engaged… I do know they’re gonna like it. I’m hoping for the chance. I believe how nicely we did with this season, I’m simply hoping and praying. My fingers are crossed.
You had been 14 years previous whenever you first began the unique present. Seventeen years later, you’re in your 30s. Do you continue to discover that you just actually relate to Penny quite a bit?
Kyla Pratt: I do. As a result of, truthfully, I’ve been a teenage woman. It wasn’t arduous to leap again into that. I’m elevating women at house. I've an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old. So it’s like, I’m in a position to see issues from different characters’ views now. It wasn’t arduous to leap again into it as a result of all I needed to do was faucet into my childhood.
Have they watched the unique collection?
Kyla Pratt: Sure, I truly performed the DVD for them of The Proud Household Film after they had been a lot youthful simply to see in the event that they acknowledged my voice. I didn’t have entry to the episodes at the moment. I believe they’re on VHS in storage someplace, however who has a VCR anymore? However then when Disney+ put the collection on their app… they like it a lot. My 8-year-old was enjoying the preview for this actually like 100 instances and I used to be like, “Okay, I’m uninterested in listening to myself. Can we hearken to one thing else, please?”