Joshua Suiter is a breakout star from Netflix’s “A Different World” reboot, which was renewed for a second season.
He plays Andre, a jock with a chip on his shoulder who reveals his nerdy side and becomes a gentle “lover boy” — no Drake intended. Suiter had big shoes to fill working under acting legend and executive producer Debbie Allen.
Allen directed the original series from 1987 to 1993. And according to the new cast, Suiter’s already a phenomenal actor but nothing like his character.
As a longtime fan of “A Different World,” Suiter brought something not all the cast members had: insider knowledge of the show’s playbook and a clear vision for his role.
In an exclusive interview with Atlanta Black Star, he says acting has always been his passion.
The North Carolina native got his start in theater at a young age at Durham summer camp. He performed in stage plays like “The Wiz,” “Midsummer,” “In the Heights,” and as Robert Smalls in “Finding Freedom.”
He pivoted to sports in high school, but his early childhood in theater seemed to always be his real passion. He starred in August Wilson’s “Fences” in high school and later obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts from North Carolina A&T University.
While at the HBCU, he was crowned Mr. North Carolina A&T, a title he doesn’t take lightly.
He watched “every episode” of “A Different World” during the pandemic, not knowing a reboot was in the works.
“This is my favorite show of all time. That’s why this was so big. I watched this at … North Carolina A&T,” Suiter told Atlanta Black Star in a recent interview.
“I almost cried when I saw the last episode because I was so sad that this was my last time watching this for the first time. That’s how much I love that show, genuinely.”
The iconic final episode shows Whitley Gilbert telling her husband, Dwayne Wayne, that she’s pregnant.
Suitor said the series’ messages, themes, and characters stuck with him. To now work with them is icing on the cake.
“I learned a lot just by watching them,” Suiter said, “Honestly, just having the people that I watched while getting my degree and pour genuine love into the cast.”
Early in his career, Suiter spent about 20 hours a week driving from North Carolina to Atlanta for auditions. He proved he was more than an attractive face and brains, and the cast noticed it too.
He recalled Jasmine Guy once telling him after filming a scene: “We already know you look good, but you can act too?”
He had another solo moment with Cree Summer, who played Winifred “Freddie” Brooks in the original series. She allegedly told him, “I know I’m going to pay a boatload of money to be at your movies.”
The “All’s Fair” star intentionally built Andre’s backstory himself. This includes a reason why his spot as quarterback matters beyond football, which fans will see more of in season 2.
“I did a novel’s worth of work and discovery on Andre to make sure that he was a full-fledged human being. And he feels like that in my heart. I love him. I love that like he’s a real person. I’m still doing research on him every day,” he explains.
But the goal has always been to put forth his best effort on and off camera.
“Any second I get on screen, my job is to knock the ball out the park. I’m going for a home run, nothing less,” he said. “So every second is impactful, which I love about him [Andre], is that he is impactful and he impacts so many characters. But I love that he wasn’t just wrapped up as a meathead jock.”
But Andre is involved in a messy love triangle with Rashida Duvall, portrayed by actress Alijah Kai.
Their relationship blossomed after Rashida briefly broke up with Kojo Achebe, played by Chibuike Uche. They developed a bond and eventually slept together (her first time), a fact Rashida intentionally withheld from Kojo until it was too late.
“I had come in like a heater, like a sixth man off the bench, rip the sweatsuit off, go in and give you 20 [points],” Suiter said.
He described playing romance on screen as a real challenge for actors like him, who rarely get the chance, since he started so young.
“It’s a nice challenge, and again, it’s good to show all the sides of the emotional wheel. So I enjoy what that brings to the depth of the character, so I’m rooting for more of it. I’m rootin’ for more,” Suiter said.
“Everything you need is already inside of you. And you know where your strength comes from, and that’s the Lord. So never lose sight of that, because you about to go change the game. And that’s what I’m about to do right here, right now. And I’m only … I’m only just beginning.”
Season 2 of “A Different World” has yet to begin filming.
Alijah Kai and Joshua Suiter, who play Rashida Duvall and Andre in ‘A Different World,’ share a cute Instagram reel of themselves dancing to "Da Problem Solva" by Thirteendegrees "I don’t know he just gets me🥰🤓" (📹:IG/alijahkai)
— sitcom crave (@sitcomcrave) September 26, 2026
