“I didn’t want anyone to know about it before I did it,” the actor explains.
Reginald VelJohnson did not feel the need to Family matters Co-star Jaleel White for advice before joining the cast of Dancing with the stars.
The actor, who starred in the popular sitcom as Carl, patriarch of the Winslow family, tells Weekly entertainment that he kept quiet about his decision to appear in the upcoming 33rd season of the hit dance competition until the full lineup was announced last week.
“I didn’t want anyone to know about it before I did it,” VelJohnson said at a press conference for the show in New York City. “I wasn’t going to ask (White). I could ask him, but he’s so busy now, you know? I decided to do it myself.”
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Reginald VelJohnson and Jaleel White
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VelJohnson and White played side by side in Family matters for nine seasons from 1989 to 1998, in which White played the nerdy neighbor of the Winslow family, Steve Urkel. In 2012, White took part in season 14 of Dancing with the stars Together with his professional partner Kym Johnson, he finished 8th in the overall ranking.
While he hasn’t gotten any hints from White, VelJohnson is open to the idea of his co-star — as well as the rest of the Winslow family — stopping by the show sometime this season to see him perform. “Maybe!” he replied, breaking into a laugh. “That would be cool.”
VelJohnson may have shown his smooth movements in the past on Family mattersbut the actor admitted that it took a little more convincing to get him into the ballroom for Dancing with the stars.
“My agent asked, ‘Do you want to do this?’ I said, ‘No.’ Then I said, ‘Yes,'” he recalled. “I could still do it, so I decided to do it, and then they introduced me to (my pro partner Emma Slater). That’s when I knew I could do it.”
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Reginald VelJohnson on “Dancing With the Stars”
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Slater also had high praise for her partner, whom she described as “the nicest person” ever. “It’s been amazing to see how his movements change when he believes in himself,” she said. “I teach him a step, we keep trying it as we go along, and when he realizes, ‘Oh, I can do that,’ he progresses quickly.”
VelJohnson added: “I think I can do it. When the show airs, I’ll be a professional.”
Winning the Mirrorball would also be a “blessing.” “And unexpected,” VelJohnson noted. “Because I don’t expect to get as far as…” he paused. “I love doing this show, that’s all I really know. And (I’m) having fun trying!”
Dancing with the stars It premieres September 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
