DJ COMMUNITY

Raven-Symone Will Not Tolerate Foolishness on her Set

Cherie Saunders

Raven-Symone attends Glitz and Glam Gala Presented by Grey Goose Vodka at The Louisville Palace Theater on May 7, 2011 in Louisville, Kentucky

*Raven-Symone returns to series television next week in ABC Family’s “State of Georgia,” which stars the 25-year-old as an aspiring actress from the south who moves with her best friend Jo (Majandra Delfino) to New York City where they pursue their respective dreams.

Loretta Devine stars at their New York landlord Aunt Honey.

“It’s gonna be interesting when people watch the show,” Symone tells EUR at a recent press day for the show, which premieres June 29 at 8:30 p.m. “I think they’re definitely going to see a great dynamic between us.” [Scroll down to watch the promo.]

Symone not only has a resume packed with acting gigs like “The Cosby Show,” “Hanging With Mr. Cooper” and “That’s So Raven,” but she’s also an accomplished player behind the camera, having produced 18 “Raven” episodes as well as the two “Cheetah Girls” TV movies and her 2008 feature film “College Road Trip” with Martin Lawrence.

(L-R) "State of Georgia" actresses Raven Symone, Loretta Devine and Majandra Delfino attend the Disney ABC Television Group Host "May Press Junket 2011" at ABC Studios on May 14, 2011 in Burbank, California

In the entertainment business since age 2, the Atlanta native says there’s a reason you’ve never seen her on TMZ drunk at the club, caught in a sex tape or posing for a mug shot. She credits the influence of her parents and early industry mentors in steering her clear of the Hollywood traps that land so many of her peers in hot water.

“I was very fortunate to be a part of the industry at a time where you walked on the set and it was a school,” she tells EUR. “I learned how to be in the industry from ‘The Cosby Show’ and ‘Hanging with Mr. Cooper.’ And nowadays I feel that sometimes [the set] is not necessarily [a school]. It’s, ‘Let’s get the funny, let’s get the laugh, let’s get the cuteness and put it out there.’

“And you’re getting kids that don’t really know exactly how the business works. You’re getting all this fame on your shoulders and putting people’s lives in your hands, because if we don’t show up to work, somebody doesn’t get a check – and that’s a problem. At 15, I knew that, but I wasn’t burdened by it. Even though it’s stressful, I knew it was coming because somebody taught me earlier. I don’t see kids getting that lesson now.”

In fact, in the bonus audio below, Raven describes how important it is for her as a producer to school the youngins on her set, and how she once had to check a four-year-old visitor who thought she was grown.