In case you missed it, last year Marvel (by way of Disney) introduced the first ever black teenage heroine, into the superhero franchise. Enter Lunella Lafayette, the star of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: a Black girl on New York’s Lower East Side, who accidentally brings a ten-ton T-Rex into her reality, by way of time travel. The show, now two seasons in, follows the duo as they protect New York City from harm.
The actress to bring Luna to life, is the talented Diamond White, who’s no stranger to GROWN (check out her last interview with us: Diamond White Talks New Music & Showing Up Authentically). This role has drawn on Diamond’s on-screen and voice acting, presenting both a new challenge, and an exciting new chapter.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is for the “weird” girls who were excluded growing up, yet knew their passion for science would lead to a better world. As Lunella, Diamond represents a superhero for a new generation of Black girls. We caught up with the actress to discuss her creative process, inspiration for the role, and what it means to have the smartest girl in the Marvel universe, be Black.
In first being approached to play Lunella, what was your initial reaction? How did you react to the prospect of playing one of the few Black comic book characters to exist for the emerging generation?
Diamond White: I remember reading the script for this once I got the first audition and I was like, “Mom, I really want this!” We prayed over it. We really were like, “We gotta get this!” And, I ended up getting it!
Basically, what I needed to bring to the show was perspective. I’ve been in Lunella’s shoes multiple times. Being the weird one at school or not really having friends and then finding your best friend. Doing all these adventures with her.
[At first I thought] it’s not as serious as an on-screen kind of thing because it is animated, but it has become that. So, I’m grateful. I’m happy that Lunella has been received so well and that I get to play her. It’s a blessing every single day and every time I have to record for her. I’m super excited to do it. I’m just happy with a show that represents someone that looks like me, that feels like me, and other communities like the LGBT+ community or the Latinx community can vibe with it too. So, yeah, it’s cool.
Did you feel particularly drawn to playing Moon Girl, given your similarities?
Diamond White: Well, I love the idea that a 13-year-old Black girl is one of the smartest, big-brained characters in the Marvel Universe. I love that! Now me, personally, I was never really a comic book person, but I remember on one of the release days for, it was like an event for, I think it was season 1, one of the gifts was a Moon Girl comic book. And I read that and I was like, “Oh my goodness! I see it!” I see why this is so cool.
When I originally read the script for it I was like, “Okay, am I the smartest person in the world? No.” But, I love just the representation that it had. It had to go through a couple of shifts, but I love Disney and Marvel for the fact that they turned to me and they were like, “Hey, do you have any ideas? You want to share your story a little bit?” And I was like, “Yeah!” Because I do live that life. Every day. I might not be the smartest in real life, but I do go through the same things that Lunella goes through. So, it’s just been a great opportunity and I’m super stoked about it.
Going back a little bit, you shared what you had to bring to Lunella was your perspective. Can you dive into that a little bit more?
Diamond White: Yeah! Lunella is 13. She’s one of, if not the smartest superhero in the Marvel Universe. I’m not the smartest. I did pass out of school when I was 16, and I love science. Math not so much, but science I love. And Lunella also shares that with me. I know that Lunella is 13, but when I was 9, that’s when I really had that– that’s what I go back to when I’m in the booth. Being my 9-year-old self, which is this girl who was very spunky, very just like energetic. My voice hasn’t changed since I was 9 either, so it’s easier for me to be like “Moon Girl Magic!” It’s not hard for me to do that.
I go in and I have a good time and I also share my own stories about growing up Black. Like, what is hair like? What is skin like? What is self-care like as a young Black woman. I kind of just had to bring all that to the character, and I’m happy that people are receiving it because it’s a little piece of me. So, it’s nice.
What are a few things that help you get into the headspace to voice Lunella? Any challenges?
Diamond White: One of the hardest things is pronouncing all of the words that are on the script. Because she’s always super speedy about her technical science terms, and mathematical terms. Whether it’s about plants or robots, she’s literally the smartest thing on the planet. So, it’s like, for me it’s an adjustment. But, I just find that playing her has kind of healed my inner child a little bit. I always go back to, like, seeing people at Comic Con dress up as Moon Girl and being like, “Wow, she resonated with you. That’s so cool!”
Lunella reminds me of my 9-year-old self. So, I just hop back into those memories of me getting angry at my brother and being mischievous. Not saying that Lunella is mischievous in any way, because she’s trying to protect the Lower East Side; that’s her thing with her dinosaur. For me, connecting to her when I was younger and was like “Hmmm, I can make soap, and like, some type of goopy thing to put in my brother’s shoe.”
For me, it’s just about the playfulness of her, because when you look at the animation of Moon Girl, it’s very colorful and it pops out at you. It’s very kawaii. Kawaii is Japanese, it’s the Japanese word for “cute.” And in certain scenes you can see the eyes change from regular eyes to kawaii eyes. That also pulls little things out of me because I grew up making Japanese charms. [There] is also a little bit of me in that character, and [that’s] what gets me into that headspace. Sometimes I go in to do ADR and they have the kawaii eyes when we’re bursting out into expressions, and that also brings me a little bit into the character.
The show was nominated for 8 Emmys and left with 5, congratulations! What are some of the things that you are hopeful for in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur as the show continues?
Diamond White: I’m hopeful that people see the growth of it; the growth of Lunella. Now she’s dealing with bigger problems and bigger situations. I hope that people see the growth of that character. Because we do get a little bit emotional and things change, and it’s a little scary.
Coming off of all those wins, and I just won an Annie [Award] for ‘Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’. I haven’t received my reward yet, they haven’t sent it to me. And, I didn’t know, that was my first award show ever, that I didn’t get to take the award home that they gave to me on stage. But, no, those are just props.
Diamond White has shown her range as an actress from voicing Holly in ‘Phineas and Ferb’ to Ruby on ‘Sophia the First’ being on screen in ‘Boo! A Madea Halloween’ to Penelope Conners-Fairbanks on ‘Dear White People’ and Lala on ‘Empire’. ‘Transformers: Rescue Bots’ was one gig White landed where she played multiple roles of Francine Greene, Cheerleader #2, and Phonebot. White has taken the chance to stretch herself across film and TV genres and show the different facets of Black girls while doing it.
You can watch both seasons of ‘Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’ on Disney Plus! Grab your snacks, friends, and a lab coat – and learn something new while you tune in.
