Jasmine Guy Movies

Season five of A Different World finds sweethearts (and recent college grads) Whitley (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) resuming their romance; Whitley's pal Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) surprising one and all by eloping with hard-nosed calculus professor Col. Clayton Taylor (Glynn Turnan); and the off-and-on relationship between Ron (Darryl M. Bell) and Freddie (Cree Summer) back in "on" mode, with Ron actually evincing signs of growing up and accepting responsibility by heading a band called X-Pression. New to the cast is Jada Pinkett as streetwise freshman Lena James, who, thanks to a computer glitch, ends up staying in Whitley's extra bedroom. Lena later gets in trouble for her flagrant disregard of dorm rules; after setting fire to her room in an effort to cook dinner, Lena is forced to pay damages by the new dorm director -- none other than Whitley. This enables Lou Myers to make several amusing appearances as Vernon Gaines, chef at the local hamburger joint where Lena has landed a job in order to make money in a hurry. Ultimately, Lena is reinstated at the dorm, with fellow freshman Gina Devereaux (Ajai Sanders) as her roommate. Meanwhile, grad student Dwayne is teaching classes at Hillman college, with Whitley's former roomie Kim as his assistant. Feeling emboldened by his new status and a regular paycheck, Dwayne finally proposes to Whitley, and she accepts -- only to take back her "yes" when it appears that Dwayne has been unfaithful to her. It is at this point that Joe Morton joins the cast as Hillside alumnus Senator Byron Douglas III, who launches his own crusade to make Whitley his wife. Season five ends as Whitley prepares to march down the altar with Byron -- whereupon Dwayne appears, setting the stage for a gentle revision of the finale of the 1967 film The Graduate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Before Whitley (Jasmine Guy) can be hired as art buyer for her wealthy aunt's hotel chain, she must first entertain her lookalike cousin Liza (also Jasmine Guy). Unfortunately, Liza is an shameless man-chaser whose latest "quarry" is the Ron (Darryl M. Bell), compelling Whitley to rescue the poor guy from her predatory cousin--with an unexpected assist from Kim (Charnele Brown). Trivia alert: Jasmine Guy's real-life sister Monica Guy is seen as "body double" whenever Whitley and Liza share the same scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It's official -- the formerly self-centered Hillman College graduate Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) is definitely in love with her fellow collegiate Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) as A Different World begins its fourth season. Unfortunately, during the summer, Dwayne has met and fallen for someone else: a Japanese-American girl named Kinu. So disconsolate that she forgets to pay her room rent on time, Whitley temporarily moves in with another of her Hillman College confrères, the worldly Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) -- in an apartment right across the hall from Dwayne's! Hoping to make Dwayne jealous, Whitley finally agrees to go out with Dwayne's dweebish roommate Ron (Darryl M. Bell), but the scheme doesn't work. Incidentally, Ron is far more interested in the artistically inclined coed Freddie (Cree Summer), who isn't quite as waif-like as in previous seasons, and is beginning to emerge as something of a social activist thanks to the influence of her Black History professor. Meanwhile, the romance between Jaleesa and local community-center leader Walter (Sinbad) has gone south, with Jaleesa now hitching her star to hard-driving calculus teacher Colonel Clayton Taylor (Glynn Turnan), whose son Terrence (Cory Tyler) is currently driving everyone crazy as a new Hillman freshman. As the season progresses, Whitley lands a marketing job and later becomes assistant to an art gallery curator; Dwayne and Kina split, with Dwayne finally realizing he is as much in love with Whitley as she is with him; Ron is invited to join his dad's car business, but he opts instead to become a drummer in a band ; and Whitley's former roommate Kim is temporarily working at a mortuary. Season four ends with the possibility of Ron failing to graduate from Hillman, Walter accepting a job in Philadelphia; and Whitley laboring under the misapprehension that Dwayne wants to break off their relationship. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Whitley (Jasmine Guy) is convinced that she is the inspiration for Dwayne's poem "My First Love." Actually, Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) wrote the poem as a paean to mathematics--and its true inspiration turns out to be the spirit of William Shakespeare (John H. Francis), in one of his rare TV appearances. Meanwhile, Freddie (Cree Summer) suffers intense guilt pangs when she begins dating both Ron (Darryl M. Bell) and a dreamy pro-environmentalist named Livingston (Alex Gilbert). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Besieged with guilt, a teenage boy feels he's to blame for his friend's accidental death and hides away in the subterranean subway world beneath the streets of New York City. His grief and guilt are assuaged somewhat through two friendships he develops. ~ All Movie Guide

Season two of A Different World finds the overall quality of the series improving immensely, which many insiders attributed to the fact that the multi-talented Debbie Allen had taken over as producer-director. Originally intended as a vehicle for former Cosby Show co-star Lisa Bonet in her familiar role as college student Denise Huxtable, the series would be forced to undergo a major format change when Bonet dropped out of the series due to her real-life pregnancy. Also gone from the cast is Marisa Tomei, who had played Denise's naïve white college roommate Maggie Lawton. With Bonet and Tomei gone, the emphasis shifts to Denise's former dorm-mates at Hillman College's Gilbert Hall: streetwise 27-year-old divorcée Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) and spoiled, haughty Whitley (Jasmine Guy). Likewise carried over from the first season are Gilbert Hall's worldly dorm director Lettie (Mary Alice), self-styled campus Romeo Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), Dwayne's irresponsible roomie Ron (Darryl M. Bell), and local community-center leader Walter Oakes (Sinbad). New to the series are Whitley's new roommate, the iron-willed, slightly promiscuous pre-med student Kim Reese (Charnele Brown); fashion-challenged but cute and artistically gifted student Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer); and tough-as-nails calculus professor Col. Clayton "Dr. War" Taylor (played by Glynn Turnan, the husband of Aretha Franklin, who this year takes over from Phoebe Snow as the singer of the series' catchy theme tune). Major season two plot developments include the growing attraction between Whitley and Dwayne, although both continue dating others; the budding romance between Walter and Jaleesa; and the many benighted business schemes cooked up by Ron and Dwayne. Also, the characters begin spending more and more of their spare time at a local eatery called The Pit, presided over by philosophical chef Vernon Gaynes (Lou Myers). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season one of A Different World focuses primarily on former Cosby Show regular Lisa Bonet in her familiar role as Denise Huxtable, 19-year-old daughter of Cleveland obstetrician Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby). Having enrolled in Hillman College, the alma mater of both her father and grandfather, Denise is now in her sophomore year, living in the Gilbert Hall dorm with her two roommates: Maggie Lawton (Marisa Tomei), a dreamy and naïve white girl; and Jaleesa Vinson (Dawnn Lewis) a worldly 26-year-old who'd decided to enroll in college after getting a divorce. Much of the fun arises from level-headed Denise's tiltings with her neighbor across the hall, the wealthy, spoiled, and arrogant Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy). In the earliest episodes, Gilbert Hall's dorm director is Stevie Rollins (Loretta Devine), who lives with her son J.T. (Amir Williams). Also showing up on occasion are self-styled campus Casanova Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), who works as a DJ at the campus radio station; and Dwayne's lazy, irresponsible buddy Ron Johnson (Darryl M. Bell). Midway through the season, Loretta Devine leaves to get married, presumably to handsome Professor Walcott (David Alan Grier). Enter Lettie Bostic (Mary Alice), a globetrotting adventuress who has "seen it all" (and probably done it all), who has shown up on campus to give a lecture about the famous persons of her acquaintance. Enchanted by Lettie, Denise and Jaleesa persuade her to remain at Hillman as Loretta's replacement. Also joining the cast at this juncture is athletic coach Walter Oakes (Sinbad), who runs a local community center. Although Different World posted excellent ratings its first season on the air, many critics attributed this to the series' enviable Thursday night time slot, hammocked between The Cosby Show and Cheers. Of the series itself, few except its most loyal fans felt that it had any value past its theme song, performed by Phoebe Snow. Clearly, a major shakeup would have to occur if Different World were to survive past its next season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide