Former Teen Disney Star Claims ‘That’s So Raven’ Casting Team Was ‘Racist’

etcanada.com:

Anneliese van der Pol, who starred in Disney Channel’s “That’s So Raven”, is speaking out on the “racism” she witnessed amongst the show’s production team during its initial casting.

The Dutch-American actress, who portrayed Chelsea Daniels on the beloved show, claims that the series lead, Raven-Symoné, was originally cast in a supporting role before she became the lead character. READ MORE: Raven-Symoné Admits ‘There Were A Lot Of Challenges’ When She Came Out A Decade Ago “When I went in to audition, the show was called ‘Absolutely Psychic,’” van der Pol, 38, revealed during Tuesday’s episode of the “Vulnerable” podcast. “It wasn’t called ‘That’s So Raven’ at all. “At the time, Raven wasn’t the lead.

She was the sidekick. They were looking for a lead and I came in to audition for the lead. I think the character’s name was Molly,” she continued.

The actress, also known for her theatre work, went on to tell host, fellow child star Christy Carlson Romano, that Symoné landed the “sidekick” role, however, after the production team noticed her unforeseen talent, they decided to make a major change. READ MORE: Halle Bailey Addresses Racist Backlash To ‘Little Mermaid’ Casting: ‘As A Black Person, You Just Expect It’ “When they filmed, they realized Raven was the funniest one and had a following, and so they bumped her up to first position, and then they started auditioning people again,” van der Pol explained. “I think that was kind of, like, racism at a low level — I guess if that’s even a possibility.