A Different World viewers are eating good with the finest cast on TV which, based on viral thirst tweets, is co-headlined by Vincent Jamal Hooper, 31, who shines as heartthrobby Hillman junior, Ellington Kendall, on the hit sequel series.
Confident, intellectual, and handsome, Kendall works as a student assistant for Professor Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer) and eventually becomes Deborah’s tutor before becoming her boo thang, or something.
“I think [he fell for her] before they met—that is my personal opinion,” said Hooper in an interview with Teen Vogue.
“I think that because he’s a very tapped-in individual, he was aware of her early on in the semester because she’s just very active in the community. With that kiss, a lot of the push and pull I felt with him was that he’s an upstanding guy, and he doesn’t want to cross any boundaries with her. He doesn’t want to overstep, and he knows that she has this relationship with Shaquille.”
“So there’s this desire in him to maintain that boundary, but then also this immense desire for her. I think it’s one of those moments where it’s like, “Oh, we’re alone in this classroom. I’m trying to not cross the physical touch boundary, but now we’re hugging.” You just get caught up in the moment and you can’t resist going for it.”
In one of the buzziest moments of the series, it’s revealed that Ellington is the son of Dwayne and Whitley’s former classmate, Denise Huxtable, who has since divorced Martin and gone back to using her maiden name.
Series creator, showrunner, and executive producer, Felicia Pride, also confirmed that Ellington has two older siblings: a half-sister named Olivia (played by Raven-Symoné in the original series) and an older full sister whom Denise was pregnant with at the end of The Cosby Show.
“We had a Super Bowl party, and it was a bunch of the writers and cast and some crew folks all gathered around,” recalled Hooper about learning about that shocking character twist.
“It was also my first time meeting the rest of the cast, the main six. Des [Moran], one of our writers, was like, ‘Oh, there’s a twist with your character later in the season.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, what is it? Is it something that might be useful to me in crafting this guy? Maybe I can litter things throughout the season that hint at that reveal.’ Felicia was there and Des asked permission to let me know, and then they told me at the table.”
“They’re like, ‘Yeah, you’re a Huxtable.’ And I was like, ‘I’m sorry, what? Oh, okay.’ I found it really exciting because then I was able to go back and watch some of the older episodes of A Different World and also of [The Cosby Show], and try to pick up on little mannerisms and little quirks that maybe he would’ve picked up from them.”
With that major reveal lingering in the background of Deborah’s love triangle with Ellington and Cornell, viewers will have a lot to look forward to when Season 2 premieres next year.
Are you rooting for Ellington and Deborah to be together? Which plot thread are you excited to see continue in Season 2? Tell us down below and enjoy the hilarious Ellington thirst tweets, memes, videos, and reactions to Vincent Jamal Hooper on the flip.
