The Cosby Show debuted in 1984 and ran for eleven years. Although Bill Cosby was an established actor and comedian, many of the internet generation grew up knowing him as Dr. Cliff Huxtable, father of five and a role model for the rest of us, too. But since it’s been thirty years, you might not know the story behind the series. There’s a lot to learn, like these tidbits:
9. Rudy Was Almost Played By Urkel
In Bill Cosby’s original vision, the Huxtables had two boys and two girls (this was before Sondra was added to the mix). The youngest child, Rudy, was originally supposed to be a younger brother who looked up to Theo. Eight-year-old Jaleel White (Family Matters’ future Urkel) had auditioned so strongly that his agent told his parents that they should start looking for apartments in New York, where The Cosby Show was filmed.
The producers still had a few more kids to consider, and one of those last-minute interviews was with four-year-old charmer Keshia Knight-Pulliam. Director Jay Sandrich recalled trying to talk to Keshia, asking her if she could remember lines, but she kept looking away from him. He finally asked her what was wrong. The story goes that she pointed to a monitor and said, “That’s me! How can you make me on the TV?” Immediately enchanted, Sandrich moved Keshia’s name to the top of the short list, and Theo became an only son surrounded by four sisters.
10. Theo Was Supposed to be Taller
The casting call for the role of Theo specified that he was 6'2" and 15 years old. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, however, was 13 and 5'5". Nevertheless, he landed an interview on the last day auditions were held. According to Warner, he read the Monopoly money scene with Cosby like a traditional TV brat—hand on hip, eyes rolled, a real smart-aleck. Everyone in the room was laughing ... except for Cosby. He asked the young actor if he'd act like that with his real father. With that advice in mind, Warner read for the part a second time and nailed it.
Read the rest of the fun facts about The Cosby Show at mental_floss.