‘A Different World’ star says Debbie Allen ‘mothered us immediately’ on sequel set

Cornell Young IV says Allen and the original cast helped ease the pressure of carrying forward a show that inspired generations of Black students.

Stepping into a show that shaped how a generation of Black kids thought about college could crush a young actor. Cornell Young IV, though, says the people who built it made sure that didn’t happen.

Speaking with PEOPLE at Netflix’s End of Summer Bash in Los Angeles, Young, who plays Shaquille Johnson in the streamer’s “A Different World” sequel series, described what happened when the incoming cast met executive producer and director Debbie Allen.

“We met Debbie, and she mothered us immediately,” he said, calling it a feeling he had never encountered in the industry and one that left him feeling protected.

That reception, he told the outlet, dissolved the pressure almost instantly. He compared the working environment to being surrounded by relatives rather than colleagues, and said the set generated enough laughter and bonding that anxiety never really got a foothold.

Allen’s guidance was direct when doubt did surface. Young said the 76-year-old reminded the newcomers they had been hired for a reason, telling them they already possessed what the characters required and simply needed to trust themselves.

The returning cast members reinforced a simpler instruction: have fun. Young said they also told the new class they recognized themselves in them, particularly in how closely the group connected.

For Young, the assignment carries personal weight. He grew up watching the original, and told PEOPLE that seeing college portrayed as attainable mattered enormously coming from a place where few people went. Being part of that legacy now, he said, and finding that the people who created it are genuinely good, has meant everything.

The sequel follows Deborah Wayne, played by Maleah Joi Moon, as she begins her first year at Hillman while navigating the shadow cast by her parents, Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert.

Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Darryl M. Bell and Cree Summer all return, alongside newcomers Alijah Kai, Chibuikem Uche, Jordan Aaron Hall and Kennedi Reece.

The series premieres Sept. 24 on Netflix, with Brandy handling the reimagined theme song most memorably performed by Aretha Franklin.