Fun Facts from Raven-Symone

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Last week, ABCFamily's State of Georgia premiered. If you didn't catch it, be sure to tune in tonight to see the second episode of the new series. It stars Raven-Symone as Georgia, a girl in her mid-twenties who moves from Atlanta to New York with her best friend. Georgia attempts to make it big in show business while her pal Jo seeks to enter a physics graduate program. ABCFamily & New Media Strategies gave TheTalkingBox the opportunity to take part in a Q&A with Raven-Symone, and included in today's post are some highlights we learned from the star and her latest sitcom!

- Raven-Symone describing the show: "the show is about a young lady who moves to New York with her best friend into her Aunt Honey's where Loretta Devine has a condo in New York, she wants to be famous. And her best friend is a physicist or she's trying to become one, and its trials and tribulations of these two girls having a great time in New York, taking odd jobs here and there, trying to find their way, while having that Down South, more home-type of vibe to them, it's fun." 

 -In describing the Georgia character, she said that Georgia is a strong-willed individual, can be flighty at times, gallant. Georgia's character has a lot of confidence because her well-to-do family always promoted and supported her dreams. They always told her she could be anything she wanted. She learns about her privileged childhood here and there. Raven-Symone believes that it's "very important for females to stay confident and to go off and venture into the world, but to come back knowing that you have family to come back to." 

- When asked what she is enjoying most about working on State of Georgia, she said that she enjoys working with Majandra Delfino and Loretta Devine. She's learning a lot from them. There was instant chemistry between her and Majandra and Loretta. Plus, “Aunt Honey is a scene-stealer.” She's a sweetheart and the voice of reason.

- I asked about the background behind the main characters' relationship. Georgia and Jo have been friends since they were four years old. Even throughout high school, when Georgia became popular, she kept Jo close because she knew they'd be friends for life.

- I also asked whether we'd be seeing any romances throughout the early episodes. The characters are 24 and 25, and there's plenty of cute guys in New York City. There are a lot of possibilities and they're going to touch on everything that life has to offer.

- When asked what shooting in front of a live audience is like, Raven-Symone said that it's "one of the best things you'll ever experience" and it "just brings more joy into the script when you can actually enjoy it a little more. It's fun, exciting, and the audience is cheering. There's music. It's like a little gathering every tape night."

- some of her favorite scenes include: singing, dressing up, and doing standup comedy.

- If she were mentoring real-life Georgia, she would tell her that "it doesn't get any easier. It's a grind no matter how famous you become and you have to do things that you don't want to do to start, and then when you think you've made it, things will just drag you down and make you start over again, and you have to keep the confidence up and you have to keep your family and friends close." Keeping her friends and family close is her secret to staying so grounded and professional throughout her career. To aspiring actors, Raven-Symone would suggest that they always be professional and that they enjoy themselves.