Actress and singer Diamond White, who plays the title role in Marvel and Disney’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, didn’t see cartoon characters who looked like her when she was growing up.
via: People
White stars as Moon Girl (a.k.a. Lunella Lafayette), the first Black teen superheroine in the Disney+ series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Based on the Marvel comic book Moon Girl, the series fittingly premiered during Black History Month on Feb. 10.
“It’s really cool,” the 24-year-old tells PEOPLE at Disneyland Resort while celebrating her character’s real-life streaming debut. “I think that you have to show representation to younger kids.”
According to the network, Lafayette is “arguably one of the most brilliant characters in the Marvel universe. With her superpower of pure intellect and the real-life power of STEM, she uses her smarts combined with determination and confidence to protect her beloved Lower East Side neighborhood from danger.”
White says of Lunella: “It’s cool to be smart. I wish I had a show like this growing up, because then maybe I would’ve been a little bit smarter. It’s cool just to see all the different flavors of the show. It’s really an all inclusive show. It’s really beautiful.”
The Bold and the Beautiful actress hopes the animated character will teach young Black girls that they can have both beauty and brains.
“It teaches you a lot about quantum physics,” White explains. “You learn about science and stuff, but not only does she do a lot of science-y things, she also is just a 13-year-old Black girl growing up.”
The former X Factor contestant continues to elaborate how her life would’ve been a bit simpler if Moon Girl existed when she was growing up.
“It would’ve made my life a little bit easier, especially the perm episode,” White adds. “The ‘hair today, gone tomorrow.’ I would’ve loved to have seen a Black character getting her first perm, because that’s what I went through growing up. Maybe it would’ve deterred me from getting my first perm. That’s one of the main storylines in that episode: Don’t get perms, they ruin your hair, and you’ve got to take care of your crown.”
White hopes fans of the show will feel inspired and empowered when watching her character partake in her adventures across New York — though she’s trying to not put too much pressure on herself.
“Overall, I think that it’s such an important character, but I try not to think about it too hard,” White says. “Because at the end of the day, she is just a 13-year-old girl. It’s important to have her resonate in that.”
Despite the title and shoes she’s filling, especially during Black History Month, White is honored to play the character and just wants to have a good time.
“What I do when I go into the booth is make sure I have fun,” White says. “Make sure I bring my authentic self to the character. I get to have a lot of fun with Lunella, and Disney trusts me to make the right choices with her.”
Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur — which has already been renewed for season 2 — is streaming now on Disney+.
Congrats Diamond!!
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