Saved by the Bell’s Dexter Darden Has Hopes For Devante in Season Two

ORIGINAL SAVED BY THE BELL

ComicBook: My first question has to be if you grew up watching the original show.

Dexter Darden: I did, growing up on the East coast every Saturday morning, you wake up, you go through your reruns and you wait for your cartoons, but while those cartoons are queuing up, you're looking for Saved by the Bell. Those reruns are always playing. It's really nice to be a part of a show that has such a history and such a reach.

CB: You got to work pretty closely with Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley on the show. Did they ever tell stories about the original or offer up any advice?

DD: Who are those people? Only joking. Of course, of course, of course they did. Mario and Elizabeth could not have been more welcoming, more kind, more genuine. And you know, they've been through it before. They've been through the ups and downs. They've been through the wringer, they understand what it's like to be in the show with such history. So they were just trying to guide us in the best way possible and contributing advice here or there. And just letting us know, 'Listen, I know this is going to be a rough ride. Something that you guys might not necessarily be used to, but we're here for you and we support you.' And they really poured into each and every one of us individually.

CB: Is there anything from the original you'd like to see brought back? Whether it's a cast member who hasn't shown up yet or a specific episode reference?

DD: Remember when they did that season when they're all in the beach and they were volunteering at the beach club? The beach volleyball games, and all that kind of stuff? I would love for us to have the opportunity to go ahead and do something like that. Then, you know, maybe John Michael Higgins finds a way for us to all do a charity effort like cleaning up the debris on the beach. And we all end up playing volleyball or something like that. Anything that we can do to continue to pay homage to the original series in a new and creative way. I'm always here and down for.

CB: I'd love that. I'd love to see Leah Remini show back up too as Stacey.

DD: Yeah, me too.

THE REBOOT

CB: Reboots tend to make the mistake of just redoing the same old show which you guys don't do, and I think that is what makes it so strong. Was there anything specific that you loved the most about the project?

DD: Well, yeah. I knew first and foremost when I got the audition, I was like, 'Saved by the Bell, I love the show, but I'm not sure it works in 2020.' And then, of course, I dive in and I read the script and I started getting a new understanding of what Tracey [Wigfield] and Franco [Barrio] were really trying to do here. And that's one thing that really attracted me to the project. They were using a show that had such a light-hearted foundation to portray such real conversations and real topics that need to be explored and talked about. And so that's one thing that really, I love moving the needle. I love having progressive conversations and being a part of a show like this. I had my first cast represented across all fronts, really means the world to me.

CB: I'm sure you cannot answer this question, but have you heard anything about Season Two?

DD: We've heard things about Season Two, but you know, right now with COVID and with everything that's happening in terms of the country and Los Angeles specifically going back into lockdown, we just want to make sure that we do it in the safest way possible. And nothing's been confirmed yet, but with the reception, we hope that people are continuing to enjoy the show and allow us the opportunity to have Season Two.

CB: I'm taking a poll. Are you team Jamie and Aisha or team Jamie and Lexi?

DD: My favorite thing about Jamie is he's not afraid to push the needle. He's dating an Afro-Latina girl, and then he's dating the first true representation of a transgender female in high school. So I'm like, whoever Jamie ends up with, I think he's winning. He's just winning. You know what I mean? And so he's really pushing the envelope, he's just really taking risks, even though it doesn't seem like he is. So I don't ship either one of them, I just ship Jamie's happiness.

CB: Do any behind-the-scenes stories come to mind?

DD: I mean, the BTS stories that always come to mind is any time Mario comes to my trailer, and knocks on it and says, 'Mijo, we have to do something for TikTok.' I'm like, 'Okay.' Because, you know, a dream come true for me is having Mario Lopez asking to dance with me.

Not many people are as multi-talented as that guy. So every single opportunity that we got to go into his trailer and come up with a new dance on social media, or do a dance, or him telling me about what he and his daughters do back home, it's all been surreal for me. So I really just try to hold those moments up and put them in a place of high regard because it's really, really a special thing that I try not to overlook.

DEVANTE YOUNG

CB: Was your singing talent a big part of the audition process?

DD: Yeah, in their mind, they had hopes and intentions of Devante being able to sing. So they made everybody sing in their audition. And one thing that I was really, really comfortable with was because I grew up singing in church and having the opportunity to grow up around family. And so, I was really happy that the musical aspect of Devante was being brought to the forefront. Tracey Wigfield, our showrunner, gave us the opportunity to collab and talk a little bit more about what the song should be that he actually sings in the audition and what it means to him and what it means to the rest of the crew and to the story and how it evolves. So we really got the chance to cultivate that moment together, which really made me feel included.

CB: Is it weird going back that far and playing someone in high school? Did you pull anything from your own teen experiences?

DD: Well, so high school's really different than when I was in high school to what it is now. You know, we didn't have iPads and iPhones and social media and all that kind of stuff. So for me, the really interesting thing that I really loved and started trying to dive into as I create Devante and his journey is knowing what it's like to be a student in this day and age. Knowing what it's like to deal with having the pressures of social media and trying to apply that to your everyday conversations and all those kinds of things. I'm really, really happy that I got the opportunity to play a high school student now and kind of articulate what I think kids in this generation are going through.

CB: Devante had a crush on that one girl at the dance. Are you hoping that gets explored more or are any other characters you'd like to see him with romantically?

DD: Oh, wow. I'm open to exploring the teen romance. I think Zack and Kelly were such a big thing for us growing up as kids, and having them to look up to, even Slater and Jessie. So I think it's really great that Devante has somebody who he is interested in. And I'm really looking forward to just showcasing love, true love from a Black man to anybody, whether it be a Black female or a Latinx female or anybody. It's very rare you get to see a young Black man be emotional and vulnerable on television and connect with somebody. And so I really am just looking into diving into that a little bit more with Devante, regardless of who it is on the opposite end.

BEYOND THE BELL

CB: You recently played Representative John Lewis in Son of the South. Were able to meet him before he passed or discuss the role with him at all?

DD: I was not able to meet him, unfortunately. When I got cast in the role and started shooting the project, he had just started to begin to fall ill. So I didn't get the chance to meet him, but I did get a chance to speak with him. And I know that he co-signed on me having the opportunity to play the role. And our conversation was very brief, very quick. I just said, 'Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to tell a part of your life.' And he said, 'Thank you for being young and talented and a trailblazer.' And that was kind of really it.

CB: Wow, that's something that you'll have forever. That's amazing.

DD: I will hold onto that for the rest of my life... I'm going to continue to try to get in good trouble.

CB: I obviously have to ask if there are any comic franchises you'd like to be a part of or any superheroes you want to play one day.

DD: So I'm a massive comic book fan. I'm a massive, massive comic book fan. I have a Spider-Man pillow, my recording studio and my room is dedicated to Marvel. And so, any opportunity to be a part of any franchise would be fantastic. But I know there's a rumor of Static Shock coming back around and Michael B. Jordan doing some producing. So if there is a way for me to get involved in that, if I have an opportunity to be a part of such an amazing trailblazing project like that, I wouldn't mind being a part of it.

CB: Do you have any projects coming up that you can tease?

DD: Yeah, I think a lot of things that are happening right now in this day and age is social media. And so I'll be able to partner up with my boy, Dave Thorne Power and Adam Waheed to do an original project for ICTV called The Confession Game. And that's coming out at the top of the year. So really, really cool and interesting. Not to give too much away, but basically, it's about a friend who passes away and he leaves a million dollars to each of his friends but they have to tell a secret to a specific member of the group. And that's the quick pitch. That's coming out at the top of the year. And other than that, I'm hopefully looking forward to Saved by the Bell Season Two.