Veteran actor Morris Chestnut shared how his audition for the original "A Different World" sitcom sparked his interest in a serious acting career.
Chestnut told the story during a recent appearance on the "R&B Money Podcast":"In this audition, it was in the cafeteria. The girls are at the cafeteria line and I'm back there serving food and the girls walk by. It was one line. I was supposed to smile and say hi. So I did that in the audition."
The show was interested in potentially casting him and wanted to know his availability. The pay for the small role got Chestnut's attention.
"And they said if you do the job, it's going to pay $1,500 per week," he said. " All I heard was $1,500. I said, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa.'"
"I just started doing the math. So
if I'm saying 'Hi' for $1,500 a week, what's Dwayne Wayne doing? What's Whitley Gilbert...what are they getting?" Chestnut said, referring to the main characters played by Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy. "So I said, 'Oh yeah, I got to go after this.'"
Chestnut auditioned for 'A Different World' multiple times
"A Different World" was a spinoff of "The Cosby Show" that followed students at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black institution. The show ran from 1987 to 1993.
In September, Netflix released the modern version of the series, starring a mix of new and original cast members. USA TODAY's TV critic Kelly Lawler saidthe revival "feels so fresh and new, in spite of being inspired by something old."
On "R&B Money," Chestnut said that the role was eventually nixed from the script: "They wrote that role out, so I did not get that. Then I just started auditioning."
He also shared that he auditioned for "A Different World" several times after that but didn't land a part. Chestnut's career catapulted after his breakout role in John Singleton's 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood." He starred in other classic movies including "The Best Man," "Two Can Play That Game," "The Brothers," and "Like Mike." He's currently in the Hulu drama "Reasonable Doubt."
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Morris Chestnut reveals check for small role on ‘A Different World’
