Legacy Talk with Lena Waithe: "Building a Legacy with Cree Summer"

Podcast: Legacy Talk with Lena Waithe
Host: Lena Waithe (Hillman Grad & Lemonada Media)
Guest: Cree Summer
Date: September 16, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of "Legacy Talk with Lena Waithe" is an in-depth, heartfelt exploration of Cree Summer’s rich career and her profound impact on Black storytelling—both in live-action and animation. Waithe guides a conversation that unveils pivotal moments, career crossroads, friendships, and the cultural significance behind many of Cree’s beloved roles. Together, they celebrate legacy, uplift artists who shift narratives, and underline the importance of community among Black creators in Hollywood.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. How Cree Summer Began: "Pure Nepotism" and Inspector Gadget

• Cree candidly shares that her entrance into entertainment was through her father Don Franks, a Canadian voiceover legend ([03:04]).
  • Quote: “My career started with pure nepotism…My father was a huge voiceover man in Canada…He said, ‘why don't you give Cree a read?’” – Cree Summer [03:04]
• She describes her youthful excitement at 11, auditioning for the role of Penny on Inspector Gadget and mistakenly thanking producers before she’d been cast ([03:57]).
  • “Thank you. I can't wait to start this job.” – Cree Summer [03:58]
• Cree reflects on those early days, motivated mainly by dreams of having her own bike, little realizing she was making history ([04:20], [04:37]).

2. A Different World: Audition Ordeal and Show Impact

• Lena and Cree dive into the audition gauntlet for A Different World ([05:29]–[09:50]).
  • Eleven auditions, including a nerve-wracking experience where Cree hosted a direct competitor in her own apartment.
• A moving depiction of the makeshift, familial support system—specifically, the instant bond with Jasmine Guy, who became an on-set (and lifelong) sister ([10:12]–[11:19]).
  • “It was an instant love affair with Jasmine Guy, who took one look at me and decided we were gonna be sisters.” – Cree Summer [10:27]
• The instability of Black actors’ positions at the time and the unique dynamic created on set.
  • “We got three episodes, and if we were good, we could get another three. Do you know how fucking stressful that is?” – Cree Summer [00:02], [10:14]
• Jasmine Guy’s mentorship in both craft and presence:
  • “Madam, what are you looking for?…That's what it looks like.” – Jasmine Guy via Cree Summer [11:19]

3. Pushing Boundaries: Challenging Episodes of A Different World

• Discussion of pivotal, emotionally demanding episodes (“Mammy Dearest,” date rape episode) and the cultural weight they carried ([18:10]–[22:12]).
  • “Did you see what I had to do? I was in full black face, right?…I was very uncomfortable. And also I was young, don't forget. So I didn't know that it was important to do, you know, when you just don't know.” – Cree Summer [18:23], [21:15]
• The evolution from discomfort to retrospective pride and recognition.
  • “We had to mature into loving that episode. We didn't even know what we were doing, how prolific and how important that was.” – Cree Summer [21:59]
• The genuine familial love and sense of Black cultural Camelot experienced on set ([12:32]).
  • “It really was for this black Camelot.” – Lena Waithe [12:32]

4. Life After A Different World: Harsh Realities and Lifelines

• Cree shares the immediate downturn after the show ended—being unable to find an agent or work until writer Gina Prince-Bythewood gave her a lifeline ([16:39]–[17:14]).
  • “I couldn't get an agent. There were no auditions. And then you want to know who saved me? Gina Prince.” – Cree Summer [16:39]
• The myth of instant career ascent post-hit TV (“the world wasn't waiting for us like that, and you saw how that show ended, with a whimper, not a bang”) ([16:14]).

5. Trailblazing in Animation: Rugrats, Proud Family, and Atlantis

• Rugrats: The excitement and pride of voicing Susie Carmichael—finally a little Black girl on TV who felt authentic ([26:28]–[27:43]).
  • “Susie Carmichael. What the fucking best. She looked like us. Finally.” – Cree Summer [26:28]
• Proud Family and the joy of playfulness in the booth, the significance of diverse Black representation ([38:16]–[39:39]).
• Atlantis: Voicing Princess Kida—Disney’s first Black princess—and the bittersweet pride in a film that wasn't initially celebrated ([34:55]–[36:36]).
  • “My character, Princess Kida, is the first black Disney princess. They don't give me no love for that shit. Let's talk about it!” – Cree Summer [35:05]
  • On the process: inventing a language and accent, and her reverence for genre fans:
    • “These nerds don't fuck around. So it was a full bible for the language.” – Cree Summer [37:43]

6. Legacy Sitcoms: Living Single, Fresh Prince, and More

• Living Single: Delighting in Yvette Lee Bowser’s success, the interconnectedness of Black television writers and actors. Cree notes how guest-starring is like “sleeping on somebody’s couch” ([32:56]).
• Fresh Prince: On being part of the “Beauty of the Week” parade and working with Will Smith ([33:14]–[34:48]).
  • “I had to straddle him and kiss his neck…I've really been lucky.” – Cree Summer [33:39], [34:08]

7. Atlanta and New Black TV: Artistic Innovation and Continuity

• Guest-starring on Atlanta felt like a full circle moment. Cree and Donald Glover turn a real phone conversation into a scene ([40:34]).
  • “That scene in Atlanta is a phone conversation Donald and I had…Next thing I knew, it was in classic.” – Cree Summer [40:34]
• Power in seeing Black multidimensionality onscreen:
  • “That's what I loved about Atlanta…we've been so hindered by caricature and lack of opportunity, which doesn't get us to see all the dimensions that we are.” – Cree Summer [41:54]

8. Better Things: Rescued by Friendship, Embracing Insecurities

• The raw vulnerability of returning to on-camera work after years in voiceover, post-breakup and battling self-image ([43:23]–[45:22]).
  • “I was deep in heartbreak…I didn't feel like I could get out of bed, let alone come audition for something.” – Cree Summer [44:01]
  • Pam Adlon’s insistence, and the improvisational joy on set.
• Transitioning from actor to staff writer, learning to appreciate her abilities, and the lesson that her value isn’t tied to physical appearance—a gift for herself and her daughters ([47:56]–[49:50]):
  • “I learned I can do it…that my acting doesn't have anything to do with what I look like.” – Cree Summer [48:01]
  • “For someone to give me the opportunity to be a staff writer on one of the 10 biggest shows in America, says Time magazine, Right? And now I'm in a writer's room. Are you fucking kidding me?” – Cree Summer [47:26]

9. Presence, Vulnerability, and Defining a Great Actress

• The recurring theme of presence—Jasmine Guy’s teaching, career movitation, the importance of being present as an actress ([11:19], [50:41]).
  • “A great actress is someone who stays in that character, is in the body of that character and is present. It's like what Jasmine said to me. 'What you looking for in that drawer, Miss Thing.' A great actress knows what the fuck she's looking for.” – Cree Summer [50:41]
• Cree’s influence as a beloved, authentic presence who inspires both peers and viewers; Lena Waithe's gratitude and emotional close ([52:47]–end).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Early Career:
  • “My career started with pure nepotism.” – Cree Summer [03:04]
• On Sisterhood:
  • “Jasmine Guy…decided we were gonna be sisters. And she took care of me. She coached me...That's sisterhood. That's love.” – Cree Summer [10:27], [12:17]
• On Anxiety and Instability in Black TV:
  • “Do you know how fucking stressful that is? …If we were good, we could get another three.” – Cree Summer [00:02], [10:14]
• On Breaking Ground – Mammy Dearest:
  • “We had to mature into loving that episode. We didn't even know what we were doing, how prolific and how important that was.” – Cree Summer [21:59]
• On Atlanta & Black Creativity:
  • “That's what I loved about Atlanta…That's what we gotta keep doing.” – Cree Summer [41:54]
• On Being Present:
  • “A great actress is someone who stays in that character, is in the body of that character and is present.” – Cree Summer [50:41]
• On the Support of Friends:
  • “My friends have saved me. My friends are the reason I still have a career. And Jupiter saved me.” – Cree Summer [47:35]

Structural Timeline: Important Segments

• [03:04] – Early start via Inspector Gadget and nepotism
• [05:29] – Grueling audition process for A Different World
• [10:14] – On-set anxieties, mentorship, sisterhood
• [18:10] – Emotional weight of “Mammy Dearest” and key episodes
• [16:39] – Post-show struggle and being rescued by Gina Prince-Bythewood
• [26:28] – The significance of voicing Susie Carmichael in Rugrats
• [34:55] – Princess Kida and Atlantis: Disney’s Black princess
• [40:34] – Atlanta: Full circle, Black creative continuity
• [43:23] – Better Things: Reentry into acting, staff writing, empowerment
• [50:41] – Cree’s definition of a great actress, closing reflections

Closing Reflection

This episode is an inspiring testament to the enduring bonds between Black artists and the power of community, vulnerability, and authenticity in building a legacy. Cree Summer’s honesty, humor, and generosity of spirit mirror the very essence of the Black storytelling community Lena Waithe seeks to honor. Whether recounting the chaos of auditions, the support of colleagues, or the lessons discovered through challenges, Cree emerges as both a beloved icon and an invaluable mentor for future generations.

For listeners who missed this episode, "Building a Legacy with Cree Summer" is a masterclass in craft, courage, and the friendships that bolster Black storytellers.