“Kyla [Pratt]is amazing.
The stuff that we got, I’m glad that she’s Penny.
“And Tommy Davidson is always Oscar.
Penny Proud (Kyla Pratt) on ‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.'.Disney +
That unit together has just taken over their characters and taken ‘em to whole new dimensions.
We couldn’t have wished for anything better.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How long has this revival been in the works?
Trudy and Oscar Proud (Paula Jai Parker and Tommy Davidson) with toddlers BeBe and CeCe.Disney +
RALPH FARQUHAR:We started this version probably about two and a half years ago, Bruce?
BRUCE W. SMITH:Yeah, somewhere up in there.
What would you do?’
‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder’ creators Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar.Image Group LA/Disney via Getty Images
What were some of those changes that you guys wanted to make once it became aProud Familyproject?
And so that’s where we knew we had to take the show.
So Michael got the biggest upgrade of all our characters.
‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder’ is now streaming on Disney+.Disney +
Just so you know, Bruce and I have only aged two years since then too [Laughs].
So they gave us license with Michael, whose character design is just simply fabulous all the time.
So those were the two biggest areas.
And their parents are same-sex parents voiced byBilly PorterandZachary Quinto.
So now we’re completely up to date.
We’re the state-of-the-art family TV show.
And were those changes challenged at all, or was it something that everyone was excited about?
And so that’s what we comprise all of Penny’s surroundings with.
That’s really what makes the show work.
Was it fun or challenging playing around with being more suggestive?
SMITH:Oh, that’s always fun.
That’s fun because why not?
Listen, Penny’s trying to navigate the space of getting a boyfriend, which she does ultimately.
You’ll see episodes where we introduce her boyfriend and Oscar has a fit with that.
We’re gonna be all up in your face.
We’re gonna be louder and prouder.
And that’s what makes the show genuine and funny.
And once we find those entry points, how can we make them as funny and compelling as possible.
We hired two African American women as directors.
We got artists, people of color at every level in the writing room, PAs, producers.
We are truly, in its fullest form, a diverse and inclusive environment.
And that’s what you get on the screen.
Adding to that are the guest stars.
FARQUHAR:That’s mostly what we were getting.
“It’s been my dream to be onThe Proud Family.
And we took full advantage of it, trust me.
SMITH:And Ralph, the first time around too.
People forget that that was our mode of casting the first time around.
We hadVanessa Williams,Ving Rhames,Smokey Robinson.
Man, Ralph, you remember the first time around, some of the cast?Tisha Campbell.
FARQUHAR:Yes.Nick Cannon’s wife, Mariah [Laughs].
SMITH:Mariah Carey at the time.
Yes!Mariah Careyplayed a real pivotal role.
She played herself in an episode.
It’s an episode that introduced the beloved Mr. Chips.
This time we got those kids.
SMITH:There you go.
FARQUHAR:That’s what’s going down.
We got killer guests.
Look, we gotLena Waithe,Jeremy O. Harris.
I mean, we got some names in here.
SMITH:Oh my gosh,Lil Nas X.
FARQUHAR:Lizzo!
SMITH:We got Tiffany
FARQUHAR:Tiffany Haddish.
Yeah, we got everybody.
If you’re not inThe Proud Family, you’re probably not a star.
Who is on the wishlist for more guest stars then?
So, I mean, our wishlist was really fulfilled.
Our cast is amazing, and yo, it really shows up on screen.
For us that makes it fun.
Finally, what has the cast reaction been to being back?
He saw himself for the first time singing thePrincesong.
And he came around to me and we were just busting up laughing about how the visuals came together.
So the cast has been amazing, and they really appreciate what we’ve done with the show.
And they’ve truly embraced their characters.
They came to the table with the sharpest tool kit ever.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
