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There are many reasons why тАЬA Different WorldтАЭтАШs┬аbougie southern belle, Whitley Gilbert, and confident math whiz, Dwayne Cleofis Wayne, seem as if they wouldnтАЩt work but Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison make it obvious why they do in an instant: chemistry.
The dynamic duo reunited over a video call to chat with ET about their adventure with their former castmates on E!тАЩs new series, тАЬReunion Road TripтАЭ, and itтАЩs plain to see how the two managed to make complete opposites become such a beloved couple┬аin TV history.
тАЬItтАЩs boy meets girl, girlтАЩs not interested in boy, boyтАЩs not interested in girl. Then the writers came up with some great idea to put boy and girl together, and then we ended up married and happily ever after,тАЭ Hardison says, succinctly describing the turbulent relationship between their characters.
Although HardisonтАЩs Dwayne was more devoted to Lisa BonetтАШs Denise Huxtable in the first season, the show teases at his attraction to Whitley тАФ and vice versa тАФ before it becomes more fleshed out as the series changed for season 2┬аand onward. Dwayne and WhitleyтАЩs intense тАШwill they, wonтАЩt theyтАЩ theme carries on until they eventually become a couple in season 4, only to break up and see Whitley almost marry another man.
тАЬI realized that Whitley becomes another kind of character when sheтАЩs with him,тАЭ Guy shared, reflecting on the charactersтАЩ relationship. тАЬDwayne brought out her vulnerability, which she was never comfortable with. She always had to think she was in control.тАЭ
Much of WhitleyтАЩs journey throughout the series is focused on learning to shrug off her motherтАЩs attempts to turn her into the perfect bride for a well-off husband. It regularly interferes with her relationship with Dwayne, who comes from a less affluent family. Whitley goes through several humbling experiences in the show as she struggles with her finances, the reality of being independent and wanting to establish her career as an art buyer. Her love for the finer things in life clashes with DwayneтАЩs less upscale lifestyle and leads to several blowups in their bumpy romance. But in the end, the two manage to find their happy ending and become one of the golden standards of onscreen Black love stories.
тАЬI donтАЩt think I looked at our love story as a Black love story. It just seemed like a story that people can go through,тАЭ Guy explained. тАЬPeople that keep missing each other and then somehow find a way back and then split again. I think at the age that our characters were, you always think there may be something else. That there may be something better. And then we both had familial pressures too because we were in different classes. I donтАЩt think it mattered to us as much as it did to our moms.тАЭ
тАЬThere [are] so many ways that this relationship was doomed,тАЭ she added. тАЬIt had more to do with the young love and what young people know about themselves and know about who they want to be with than it does about race. IтАЩm glad weтАЩre in the realm of love stories. But I donтАЩt know that we told a particularly Black love story. I think it had a lot to do with age, classism and parental interference.тАЭ
Despite their many ups and downs, Hardison believes that the two would still be married in 2021. The couple ended the series with a baby on the way as they moved to Japan, where Dwayne would work at Kinishewa. Hardison notes that he wouldnтАЩt be surprised if the couple had a separation here and there, but тАЬtheyтАЩd still be kicking it.тАЭ
Guy agreed but with the addition that they would be going through a rough patch as Whitley goes through a bit of a mid-life crisis. тАЬShe┬аmay say, тАШThis is the only man that IтАЩve ever known. I want to explore the world.тАЩ Whereas Dwayne is more, тАШIтАЩm finally where weтАЩre stable, our kids raised, weтАЩre in a good place.тАЩ And just how we used to do on the show; when somebody is just in another lane and weтАЩre missing each other, we need to intersect,тАЭ she explained.
She added, тАЬI kind of thinkтАжbecause Whitley still is a couple of years older than Dwayne and heтАЩs the only man sheтАЩs ever lovedтАжthis is what happens to us when our kids leave us. We start looking at ourselves like, тАШOK, now what do I do?тАЩ And so, I think it would make for an interesting exploration, and I have written a pilot for thatтАжabout how I think we would look 40 years later.тАЭ
It may be almost 30 years since the series finale aired, but weтАЩd watch that!
More from ET:
Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison Reflect on Iconic Romance on тАШA Different WorldтАЩ (Exclusive)
тАШA Different WorldтАЩ: Lisa Bonet and Cast Talk Making the Groundbreaking Sitcom (Flashback)
