NEED TO KNOW
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Kyla Pratt revealed she felt insecure about her voice while voicing Penny Proud in The Proud Family as a teenager
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The Proud Familyrevival, Louder and Prouder, will release its final season on Disney+ on July 29
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Pratt told PEOPLE revisiting the role connects her to her younger self and brings her joy and nostalgia
<a href="https://people.com/kyla-pratt-squirms-while-watching-one-on-one-scenes-with-daughters-exclusive-11925589″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Kyla Pratt is speaking candidly about an insecurity that plagued her as a teenager.
On Thursday, July 16, the actress, 39, spoke exclusively about portraying Penny Proud in The Proud Family during an appearance on PEOPLE in 10. Pratt was 14 years old when the animated series debuted on the Disney Channel in 2001.
The Proud Family ran for two seasons and had a televised movie, The Proud Family Movie, before it concluded in 2005.
“Filming the show when I was a teenager, I didn’t like my voice,” Pratt exclusively told PEOPLE. “I was like, ‘How am I auditioning for a voiceover? How is this happening?’ And I was like, ‘I’m going to get fired. They are not going to like this.’ “
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The Disney Channel star joked that she was her own “biggest critic” as she reflected on the iconic role 25 years later.
In 2020, Disney+ announced the revival of the animated series with The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. The fourth and final season of the revival series is set to be released on the streaming platform on July 29.
Pratt stars alongside Tommy Davidson (Oscar Proud), Paula Jai Parker (Trudy Proud), Jo Marie Payton (Suga Mama), Cedric the Entertainer (Uncle Bobby), Karen Malina White (Dijonay Jones), Soleil Moon Frye (Zoey Howzer), Alisa Reyes (LaCienega Boulevardez), Carlos Mencia (Felix Boulevardez), Alvaro Gutierrez (Papi), Raquel Lee Bolleau (Nubia Gross), Marcus T. Paulk (Myron) and Melissa De Sousa (Sunset Boulevardez).
Guest stars include Mariah Carey, Vanessa Williams, Romany Malco, Chloe Bailey, Lorraine Toussaint, Kym Whitley, Anthony Anderson (Ray Ray) and Tiffany Haddish (Ms. Hill).
A trailer on the Disney+ YouTube channel shows Penny Proud being “pulled into a series of unexpected adventures that test her courage and identity.”
Pratt expressed to PEOPLE an appreciation for the opportunity to revive the character decades after the series’ debut.
“The vibe when I am stepping into the booth to be Penny Proud is always amazing. It’s complete nostalgia,” Pratt said. “I was talking to my kids earlier this week about getting older and how you can still stay a kid inside, and I’ve had the pleasure of being able to do that.”
“Especially just energy-wise, but also just to have something like The Proud Family to connect me to my younger self,” she continued. “So for me, every time I step into the booth it just feels amazing and then you realise these things don’t last forever, you take it in a little bit more.”
Pratt — who shares two daughters, Lyric, 15, and Liyah, 12, with her longtime partner, Danny Kirkpatrick, 39 — said she’s “finding the good in everything” ahead of the series’ final chapter debuting.
“Not a lot of artists get to experience playing a character that they started when they were 14,” she said.
All previous seasons of The Proud Family are available to stream on Disney+.
Read the original article on People
