'All About The Washingtons' Netflix’s newest autobiographical family sitcom follows Joey Washington, played by Joey Simmons (better known as Rev Run of Run-DMC) and his wife Justine Washington, characterized by Run’s real wife Justine Simmons. On screen, they play fictionalized versions of themselves raising a family of four which is sure to remind you of 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air'. Nathan Anderson plays the eldest son, Wesley, “He’s an interesting individual. He’s definitely trying to be like his dad, trying to live off his success a little bit. But he’s very much his own man” says Anderson.
The eldest daughter Veronica is played by actress/singer Kiana Ledé, followed by Leah Rose Randall as Skyler Washington, who according to Randall is “very wise beyond her years, very very smart, very intelligent. She’s homeschooled, she’s very sassy - kind of like me, but more outgoing. She’s also very shy and timid, like I am.”
Many viewers may be used to seeing Rev. Run as a rapper, or know him from his beloved MTV reality series chronicling his family, but in this new scripted comedy series, you get a fresh side of Run. “He’s awesome, he’s a great leader. And he’s just fun to work with, he’s laughing all the time. He’s such a character. He’s amazing,” says Ledé.
Regarding his decision to take on a scripted series after such as successful music career and reality show, Run admits, he wanted to try “something new, something different. A different challenge. Taking it to the next level.” As for the challenges, and working with his on-screen family, Run gushes, “they’ve been killing it on screen, they’re giving us tips.“ Justine chimes in, “They’ve done this scripted stuff before, it’s our first time.” Run adds, “Adjusting to scripted hasn’t been easy, but it’s been fun.”
“What you see on camera is exactly what you see in real life, because they’re so funny, they’re so loud so crazy, so amazing and I’m glad to call them my parents,” says Randall.
Since starting on the series Run and Justine have become 'parents' to their young costars, often providing fatherly advice. Randall says she’s constantly being reminded to, “Do you. Be Yourself. Don’t care what people think. Hold your head high.” Echoing the sentiments, Ledé recalls being told “staying true to yourself. Money doesn’t really mean anything. As long as you’re a good person at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters, and what really counts.”
When asked about their previous knowledge of Rev. Run, two of the actors playing his children had similar experiences. Anderson admitted, “It started with my sister. She’s older than me, and she was always watching Run’s House in her room and I just happened to walk in, and it’d be on, and we’d just sit and watch together.” He later learned that Run was a highly successful artist. Similarly Ledé’s family watched the MTV series as well. “My whole family watched Run’s House when I was a kid, so… my generation, yeah, I knew who he was. My generation knows him from ‘Run’s House’. It’s the first thing we think of. And of course, Run-DMC. But I didn’t really listen to Run-DMC music, I just watched ‘Run’s House’.”
As for Randall, who plays his youngest daughter, she has “no clue!” who the Run-DMC or his family was. “When I found out I booked the show last year, I was like ‘who is this?’”
With so many shows out there, what sets this show apart is actually its familiarity. Ledé loves that “this show is all about being an amazing American black family and raising families the way we were raised by, like, ‘Fresh Prince’, and ‘The Cosby Show’.” Anderson agrees, “At the end of the day, it’s a family show. And it’s just about love and comedy and being around each other and who can’t relate to that?”
'All About the Washingtons' streams August 10th, only on Netflix.
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