The Proud Family's Penny Talks Disney+ Reboot

How's it going?

It's going, girl. I heard you've had a full day. Oh, and it's not over yet. But it's all good. I'm I'm enjoying myself. I had a I had a little break, which all which usually doesn't work well for me. Breaks. I'd rather just keep. A break makes me go wait, what? Yeah, wait. I'm to go back out there. But how are you doing today?

I'm good. I have I I've been going since like noon, so I got a couple less hours than you, but it's fine. It's fine. Do you get hair and makeup done like before zooms and stuff? Do you get a glam yourself?

No, I do. I have to do hair and makeup. Um, uh, makeup and I can do a little bit of hair cuz I barely have any now. Um, but makeup is not, you know I'm a perfectionist in a lot of ways and but I also know when someone does something better than I do. Makeup is not makeup is one of those things for me. So we're just gonna we're just not going to play any games and struggle, you know?

I love it. Okay, so you have a lot of different projects going on right now. You're a full-time mom. So how do you have time for everything you think?

I do not, actually. Um, no, I I I make time, you know? I've always wanted to do everything that I am doing and I was always told, you know, it would be hard, and you always see how much it, you know, puts on you, um, emotionally, physically, to, you know, take on motherhood. Um, but I've always, you know, wanted to continue doing all the things that make me happy, and being a mom and working in this industry has, you know, always been that thing. So, um, I also have, you know, a lot of people around me that, you know, I have a it's a village. It's not just, you know, I'm not just on my own making things happen. So it's a struggle, but uh, we doing it, girl.

What is one thing that motherhood has taught you that acting just wouldn't teach you or like your your career? One thing that motherhood has taught me that acting could never, um is there anything you think?

I just feel like when I when I when you first asked that question, the first thing that comes to mind, I don't know if it's the right answer, but it I want to say that it gave me more emotions. And more, um, uh, just feelings and ways to connect to people in in situations and empathy and sympathy and, you know, like I have this I have these human beings that I am now responsible for, and I need to, you know, learn to look through the different different eyes and and how the world moves, and you know, that helps with developing characters, and, you know, and developing a person, and becoming that person while you're filming, and I really think that it's motherhood has opened my eyes in a lot of ways that I don't know if I would be at that place if I hadn't if I hadn't had this experience.

That's so special. That's so cool to hear. Um, and you have those so the Proud Family reboot, that is that is coming. How do you feel about kind of going back to your roots? Like that's a huge project to re-enter.

I think it's absolutely amazing to be able to uh, be a part of a project that affected so many people in such a positive way, um, and to be a part of something that I got to be like I started when I was 14 years old. And now I get to relive that experience as a grown woman, as, you know, someone who's sure of herself now and and being in a different place in my life and being able to go back and be like, it's like you you can basically see like this crazy I see my growth. You know? Like we don't always sit back and focus on our growth, and me, I'm one of those people that's like, uh-uh, how can I grow? How can I be better? But to have a situation like this and a show like this that's always been absolutely amazing, and now we get to do it for like the the nostalgia for for us, and then for a new generation to be able to connect with it as well, it's like, it's an amazing feeling, and I'm so happy that people care, you know? Yeah.

Did you go back and watch the original to prep for this one at all, or do you you just went into this reboot?

No, actually, my my kids, I played The Proud Family movie for them, um, years ago before The Proud Family original series was on Disney Plus. I just wanted to see if they recognized my voice, and they did. Um, and then Disney Plus released The Proud Family episodes, and my kids were watching them, you know? It was just something that they were like, oh, this is cool. And now, you know, having to jump back into being Penny just isn't a difficult situation. Like I feel like Penny is so much of me.

It's part of you.

Like she's so much of me, and I'm so much of her. So it was just an amazing feeling to be able to get back in the booth and to collaborate with such amazing creators and producers and writers and talent, you know? Yeah.

Oh my God. I can't even imagine. Like it's like full circle. Like it was your life, and then you had a whole life, and then now it's like your life again. It's crazy.

Right. And what's crazy is like all these years went by, and I hadn't seen like a lot of the cast members

Yeah.

for like since the last time we recorded, and we saw each other during the premiere uh, party last week, and it was like, Whoa. It was like it had just been 20 minutes. Like literally, it felt like I just saw these people. And I tell people like that's what it feels like to feel like someone is family. We don't have to talk all the time. We don't have to be a part of every moment. But when you come together, the energy and the vibe is just still the same. It's still great, you know? So to have that with these people, and along with our new cast members that just felt right at home, it's a the whole experience has been absolutely amazing, and to have it still have the essence of the original show and but but taking it to a point where now my kids can watch and relate is just a That's insane. Like that's insane.

I watch it when I was a kid, and I was like, wait a second. I'm interviewing her. I was like, I grew up with her kind of thing. Like I grew up with Penny, and now it's like your kid's are gonna get to grow up with a whole new Penny. Like that's insane.

It's it's it's an amazing feeling. It's like it's it's like my my kids watching Aladdin, like the new version of Aladdin. Like I, of course, me my brothers and I forced my kids to watch like every watch this kids we're like, oh, this is a good one. And it was like I got to watch watching the new Aladdin, and I was like, you know, Robin Williams is my genie. And then now seeing my Will Smith is genie to my kids. Yeah. Like, isn't that crazy? It's weird. Life is weird. Like.

So weird.

Mhm.

And then on top of the Proud Family, you have Call Me Kat, which how do you figure out your filming schedule? Like, how does this all work? Cuz you have filming so many things.

Well, it's I mean, luckily, I'm not I have a team who is amazing, who organizes things. Because me and my brain, I'm just like, wait, what's happening? Um, no, but Call Me Kat has um, a significant, like our schedule is pretty straightforward. We usually shoot three episodes and then we're off for one. Um, so usually when I'm off for one episode, I have time to um, do The Proud Family or do press or do anything, you know, at home with family. Um, and then we only shoot a certain time out of the year. The Proud Family, it was it was crazy because we announced that we were going to do the revival, and then the pandemic happened. So we actually had to start recording from home because people were so anxious and wanted it so bad. Yeah, they wanted it. Like we don't know when the world's going to open back up. So they sent us equipment. I'm like in a closet with a blanket over my head, like trying to give you guys Penny, okay? Like trying to yell it through And then also my kids are they're my kids, so they're loud like me. I'm like, baby, I know you're not in school, but I need you to be quiet for one hour. Please. Like, give me

Right.

So it's been it's been a struggle juggling it all, but I always say it's it's it's just a fact. It's not a complaint. I love working. I love what I do. I love when people are able to take something away from, you know, something that I had a part in creating. So, I'm just I'm happy that um, this is happening. And it's crazy because the first time I did Proud Family, I was shooting one on one at the same time. And then now it's like, oh, you're going to do Proud Family, and now you have to do another series, and you have to do another sitcom. And then, you know, so I'm just hoping that, um, things keep flowing like they have been, you know?

That's so awesome. And you're so positive. So that's fun.

You're all You have to be. I mean, we we all have our moments, of course, but I say you have that moment of negativity because we are normal, we are human beings, as long as you don't allow yourself to sit there. Yeah. And and live in it. Yeah, then get on get over it. Well, I said yes, I'm I I think I posted it one time.

It was like, yeah, I'm gonna cry about it, and I'm but in five minutes, I'm gonna be a gangster. I'm ready.

I love it. Those are the best like the memes where like it's like, oh my God, or the the TikTok are you on TikTok at all?

I just stocking my daughter. I just made my first TikTok.

Well, you need to keep it up because you're gonna get addicted, and there's gonna be so many. I bet there's probably memes about you on there, or not memes about you, but like there's like Proud Family stuff. You're probably all over TikTok. Like people make

She comes and she comes and shows me stuff sometimes, and I'm like, baby, how do you guys do this? And then she's with me, and she's like, all right, Mom. Now hold the camera, and then slide through. I'm like, what?

You're like, what do I do? What is happening?

But I was like, hey, she's editing. She's learning transitions. She's

There you go. Sounds like learning coding. It's just crazy because like, imagine the original Proud Family or like all the projects you did back then. If imagine you had TikTok then. Like you would be her. You'd be your daughter. Like with

I would be her, but I am very happy that I did not grow up in the age I think it's it's very, um, difficult to grow up especially in the age of like all the social media. It's difficult as an adult sometimes to see things and you're like, wait a minute, wait a minute. I'm feeling some type of way, but this is not real life. Like this is not this is just this is content. This is something that somebody's putting out there, you know what I mean? So as a teenager, it's like I'm constantly telling my kids. I'm like, hey, focus on this. Focus on that. It's okay to it's okay to see it, but don't let it consume you, you know? And and even in one of our, um, episodes that just launched, we have a whole thing about, um, a guy, makeup boy, who is basically convincing all of the teens or tweens on The Proud Family to come and buy his makeup thing, and he's able to do it because he's so popular on social media. And Penny's like, what? I'm not giving him my money, you know? So, you know, and that's what that's what's great about the the revival is we've upgraded so many things to everybody can relate.

Yeah. Yeah. That's good too because like shows that are it's actually like, oh, wow, like that actually like that hits, you know? Then you actually feel a connection to the show, which is cool.

And I think that's why people love The Proud Family because we we've always talked about, um, things and subjects that, you know, back in the day people were like, don't talk about that. You better not bring that. Like, don't Ooh, no, don't you know, like we kind of, I think our writers always like dabbled with certain things. And then now because of the climate of everything of our society, it's like, no, we need to have these conversations, love. Like, we're not we're not gonna create something that just has this little bubble of Butterflies and rainbows and everything's fine. Like, no, it's not fine.

Right. Or this bubble of one type of person or one type of like, you know what I mean? Like, let that go, and let's have conversations. Let's enjoy. Let's laugh, you know? And I I love that that brings that forward as well.

Yeah. Well, you're actually really cool. Not that I doubted that you weren't cool, but when you grow like you've done this your whole life, and to be like positive, cool, and like you'd be like someone everyone would want to hang out with. So like, you're awesome.

Thank you, girl, cuz if not, I would go crazy. And then what's gonna happen to children? I gotta keep it together.

You're the cool mom. You're the cool mom.

Hey, I try to I try to remind them that all the time. I'll tell them I said it.

And it'll be like, they'll be like Thank you. I'm just telling her everyone thinks it.