(NewsNation) — The late Malcolm-Jamal Warner never wavered in how proud he was of his work on “The Cosby Show.”
Warner, who died at the age of 54 on Sunday in Costa Rica, landed the role of Bill Cosby’s son, Theodore “Theo” Huxtable, shortly before taping began. The show lasted from 1984 to 1992.
The beloved actor was asked how he was chosen for the show in an interview on “Live with Mark and Kelly” in 2023.
“It was a standard audition,” Warner said. “When my agent first submitted me, they were looking for a 6-foot 2-inch 15-year-old. It was a running joke. Ennis, Mr. Cosby’s son, at the time was 15 and 6-foot-2.
“I remember one of the original scripts, there was something happening and Theo got in trouble. And Cliff would say, ‘Theo stand up.’ And Theo would stand up and he’s towering over Cliff, who would say, ‘Theo sit down.”
Warner said show producers were interested in “the physical comedy” but couldn’t find anyone tall enough.
“And literally, at the last minute, my agent resubmitted me,” Warner said. “I auditioned, and I was literally the last person they saw. I auditioned at 6:30 pm on Good Friday 1984 and the network callbacks were that Monday … I slid in in the last minute.”
As for the show’s legacy, Warner believes the program changed the landscape of television, especially for Black Americans.
“What made it so groundbreaking was its universality,” he told People Magazine two years ago. “NBC initially saw it as a show about an upper-middle-class Black family. Mr. [Bill] Cosby diligently impressed upon them that the show was about an upper-middle-class family that happened to be Black.”
Since 2018, the show’s footprint and impact on fans have changed due to star Bill Cosby’s legal troubles.
Cosby, 85, was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for charges involving sexual assault of a woman and drugs. Cosby’s sexual assault conviction was overturned in 2021, leading to his release from prison. Following his release, Cosby was sued by five more women for the same crime, while another sued him for sexual battery.
“I know I can speak for all the cast when I say ‘The Cosby Show’ is something that we are all still very proud of,” Warner said. “I’m still proud of the legacy and having been a part of such an iconic show that had such a profound impact on — first and foremost, Black culture — but also American culture.”
After “The Cosby Show” ended, Warner went on to have roles in “The Michael J. Fox Show,” “Key & Peele,” “American Horror Story,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “Suits,” and “American Crime Story.”