'That's So Raven' Star Says She Rejected Disney's Progressive New Direction for Her Character
A lesbian actress said she refused to let Disney transform her character from straight to gay.
Raven-Symoné, who starred in “That’s So Raven” from 2003 to 2007, said Disney offered to make her character, Raven Baxter, a lesbian when it was time for the spinoff “Raven’s Home.”
According to Insider, Symoné has been public about her sexual preference since 2013.
And when Disney wanted to revive her character, she said during a recent episode of the “PRIDE” podcast with Levi Chambers, the company made her an offer she could, in fact, refuse.
Raven-Symone Said She Turned Down Change Of Her Character From Straight To Gay https://t.co/GCGYOi8U14
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) September 12, 2021
“You know what? There was a conversation before the series started, and I was asked the question, ‘Would you like Raven Baxter to be a lesbian?’ And I said no. I said no,” Symoné said.
“The reason I said no wasn’t because I wasn’t proud of who I was, or I didn’t want to represent the LGBTQ+ community in any way,” Symoné said. “It was because Raven Baxter is Raven Baxter is Raven Baxter.”
She said the character as she was did not need to be revamped.
“There was no reason for me to change the human that she was in order to fit the actress that played her,” she added.
“And Raven Baxter is a character that I was proud to play, even if she is straight, cisgender — I don’t mind — let her have her moment.”
“She was divorced, though, and I had no worries about saying ‘no boyfriends,'” she said.
When gay liberals don’t agree with the intense virtue signaling, you might be overdoing it. ?
Raven-Symoné Refused Disney‘s Offer to Make Her Character Lesbian in ‘That‘s so Raven‘ Spinoff https://t.co/flpS5SHXtG via @BreitbartNews— All Hearing Ear ? (@1AllHearingEar) September 12, 2021
Symoné said an actor or actress and a character ought to be different people.
“I didn’t want to change who she was. And again, when you really start blending your personal self with your character self, it’s even harder,” she said. “Like, I’m stereotyped for the rest of my life. Let’s just keep it 100. You know what I mean?”
Raven Symone reveals execs asked if she wanted her character to be a lesbian on ‘Raven’s Home’:
“The reason I said ‘no’ wasn’t because I wasn’t proud of who I was, or I didn’t want to represent the LGBTQ+ community…it was because Raven Baxter is Raven Baxter is Raven Baxter,” pic.twitter.com/fPQvyffD0q
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 8, 2021
“If you ever see me in another character, you see Raven Baxter, and that’s just what the deal is,” Symoné said.
“And I think the one thing that differentiates me from her is now a lot more.”
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