Apparently everything wasn’t so Raven.
According to ‘That’s So Raven’ actress Anneliese van der Pol the Disney Channel sitcom about a teen psychic in San Francisco was originally supposed to be quite different.
van der Pol appeared on former fellow Disney star Christy Carlson Romano’s podcast “Vulnerable” recently and broke down what “Raven” looked like when she auditioned at the age of 15.
“When I went into audition, the show was called ‘Absolutely Psychic’–it wasn’t called ‘That’s So Raven’ at all,” the actress told Romano. "At the time, Raven wasn't the lead, she was the sidekick. They were looking for a lead. I came in to audition for the lead. I think the character's name was Molly. I auditioned and a couple other people auditioned. I didn't get the part — somebody else got the part — but when they filmed, they realized that Raven was the funniest one and had a following, and so they bumped her up to first position and started auditioning people again."
Disney then decided to shift the focus to Symoné and new auditions were held.
“I went into a big cattle call and I finally got the part,” van der Pol said. “I think the characters name was like, Molly, then Emma, and then it became Chelsea. And I think it was kind of like racism at a low level, if that’s even a possibility. They couldn’t really see a Black girl leading a show.”
“With Disney, it’s like, it’s not personal, it’s business,” Romano responded.
“That’s So Raven” aired on the Disney Channel from 2003 to 2007.
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