Raven-Symone teams up with Martin Lawrence for the Disney family film College Road Trip. The movie features Lawrence as an overly protective dad who decides the best way for his teenage daughter to decide on what college to attend is for him to accompany her on a tour of potential schools. In real life, Raven-Symone has a road trip memory of her own that stands out. “I definitely went on a road trip with my entire family: my mom, my dad, my brother and my 70-pound-dog in a truck across country from Los Angeles to Atlanta. And I really wish we could experience what I did: fighting with a 70-pound-dog and a brother who is bigger than you to sleep on the couch, rather than sleeping on the floor of the truck with the McDonalds’ bags.” Sounds like a lot of fun…
Not only does Raven-Symone star in College Road Trip, she’s also one of the film’s producers. “I enjoyed being a producer,” said Raven-Symone. “I actually have to say I kind of just took a step back because this was my first executive producer title on a big screen movie. I didn’t want to walk into it acting like I knew what I was doing. So, I just made sure I paid attention to the people that gave me this opportunity. Even producing on The Cheetah Girls 2 and That’s So Raven I understood TV, but it’s definitely different with the big screen.”
Although she worked behind the scenes, casting Martin Lawrence wasn’t part of her job. “No, no, no,” declared Raven-Symone. “Somebody who is first executive producing a movie doesn’t choose Martin Lawrence. You choose like the person down the line that you won’t ever see again. Martin Lawrence? He chooses you.”
Director Roger Kumble allowed his cast the chance to change things up and to throw in their own lines. “I have to say there is definitely in each scene a couple of lines that are taken, but that’s not just because me and Martin,” said Raven –Symone. “That’s because of Mr Roger Kumble, the director, too. He’s a writer too, that’s what he is. He’d come in there all the time and say, ‘Okay, change this line and say this. Do this. Do this.’ I’m like, ‘ADR is going to be difficult.’ But I think that comes with the people they hired. We love to have fun. We loved to take something and twist it and work it to make it mold to us. And if it’s in the script, I will tell you something. Martin Lawrence is very like, ‘This is in the script and if it’s not, I’m changing it this way and this is what’s going to happen.’ Which I really loved about him, because he’s improving but he makes sure his co-stars are right there with them so that you don’t get caught off guard so that everybody looks smart in it.”
As for which of the two stars came aboard first, at the movie's Los Angeles press junket Raven-Symone said it wasn’t the chicken or the egg. It was the pig. “You’re laughing, but I’m dead serious. I remember the day they were like, ‘So, do you want to do this movie? Oh, you do? Good, good, because we are going to get the pig right now.’ So, they already had it scheduled. So, I think him and I were simultaneous.”
Raven-Symone has no problem keeping busy with projects, but College Road Trip was one of the films that drew her attention based on its central storyline. “I love the father/daughter story. I love that it’s especially touching on a subject that’s important to talk about in today’s day and age. The father/daughter relationship is very strained right now. And I think it’s very important to show that it’s possible to have a healthy relationship with your daughter. You just have to work at it. Because, yes, there are so many things that are tearing you apart, but if you care enough, it will fit back and just do it.”
Her character in College Road Trip is ready to spread her wings and get out from under her parents’ control. Raven-Symone can vividly recall a similar turning point in her own life. “The day that I left my mom was like, ‘No!’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’ And she was like, ‘Wait, wait, wait.’ And I was like, ‘I’m packing.’ And she was like, ‘Okay.’ So, I left. I went to go live with my friend for a little while and then I found my own place, but I made sure she knew I was responsible and could take care of myself. I am telling everybody today, auto payment is amazing. Especially when you are young and moving out. You know what I’m saying? And I learned how to balance a checkbook when I was in high school. I mean middle school. So, I understood the concept of money. My parents taught it to me well, but you know some schools teach that. I understood it and I knew I wasn’t responsible enough to write checks and keep up with paper, but I will use the Internet all day. So, I just found the right way to live by what I knew what I could do.”
And speaking of figuring out the right way to live a life (she’s been in the public eye since starring in The Cosby Show back in 1989), Raven-Symone says she maps out detailed plans of what she wants to accomplish and then stays on path in order to get there. “What happens is, I have a lot of goals I need to reach and I don’t want anything to stop me. I have people around me that tell me the truth. I have no ‘people’ in my life and you only speak to people that can, not in a way of making you more egotistical, but you only speak to people who can tell you yes. I don’t want to talk to someone who can tell me no, because I want what I want done, especially when it comes to the business aspect of it. I don’t want you to tell me yes just because you think I might look cute, because if I look crazy I need you to tell me. If I look bad in this outfit I need to change it,” said Raven-Symone.
