Jaleel White has loads to say — and fortunately he nonetheless has the voice to achieve this.
Speaking at 90s Con 2024 in Daytona Beach, Fla,, on Sunday, Sept. 15 in a panel moderated by actress Kimberly J. Brown, White mentioned his profession at size, fielding a number of questions on his beloved Family Matters character, Steve Urkel. The character was often known as a lot for his distinct character and style decisions as he was for his voice — though White, 47, admitted that talking in that top, nasal tone really “damaged my voice.”
“I spoke to a doctor,” he defined, “and what happened is during puberty I spoke at the same pitch for extended periods of time. If the pitch had been going all over the place I wouldn't have damaged it quite as much.”
Adding that “it's been in remission and I'm fine now,” he stated he went by means of a interval round 15 or 16 years outdated when “I felt like I was really losing it. I would constantly get network notes like, ‘We can't hear him. Please be more clear.' It was kind of a scary thing for me to go through.”
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content by way of Getty
White stated he did not work with a voice coach when selecting Urkel's tone, leaving him with out instruments to defend his voice. Now, he has each vocal teaching and a physician's assist to “get it under control.”
However, he added, “I wouldn't do anything differently. It was a great experience and it was a small sacrifice to make for one hell of a legacy.”
White performed Urkel on the collection' nine-season run from 1989 to 1998.
Although his position was a staple on the present, White beforehand revealed that he was “not welcomed to the cast at all.”
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content by way of Getty
“They know what it was … I didn't think anything of it being cast to be on Family Matters, because it was supposed to only be a guest spot, one and done,” White stated on TV One's Uncensored in 2021, including that he was simply as “caught off-guard” by the “phenomenon” his character went on to turn out to be.
Never miss a narrative — join PEOPLE's free each day e-newsletter to keep up-to-date on the perfect of what PEOPLE has to supply, from superstar information to compelling human curiosity tales.
At 90s Con 2023, solid members Jo Marie Payton, Reginald VelJohnson and Kellie Shanygne Williams reunited and spoke fondly of their costar whereas acknowledging their previous variations.
“He had a lot to deal with, because we were already established as a family but he had to get into the group and introduce himself,” VelJohnson stated. “We love him … he’s a special person.”
“Hate is not a part of anything you do,” Payton added. “I will always love him.”
White promised extra tales from set and his prolonged profession in his upcoming ebook, Growing Up Urkel, out this November.
90s Con Florida is going on by means of Sunday, Sept. 15, on the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.
