Nearly four decades after the debut of the original series, Netflix’s 2026 reboot, A Different World has already been renewed for a second season.
The show follows a new generation of Hillman College students as they navigate friendship, romance, identity, and the ups and downs of college life.
Among them is Amir Rodale, a Harlem-raised psychology student played by Jordan Aaron Hall, who fans may recognize from FX’s Pose and Amazon’s The Idea of You opposite Anne Hathaway and Ella Rubin. Hall began his career on Broadway at just 11 years old, playing roles including young Simba in The Lion King, young Michael Jackson in Motown the Musical and Tommy in Matilda. Since then, he has expanded into writing, producing and directing, including his own short film Graduation Day, which premiered last summer at the American Black Film Festival.
Photo by Sarah Katherine Lawless
Growing up in Harlem, he watched the original series with his parents, so upon landing the role in the sequel, it was a moment he says he’ll never forget.
“My mom was crying, I was crying, my manager was crying, my dad was crying,” Hall told The Knockturnal. “It’s two of their favorite shows, and I understood that I’m stepping into something so special.” It felt like a culmination of a lot of hard years of work.”
That sense of responsibility also followed Hall into his approach to playing Amir.
“It was a beautiful gift as an actor to receive such a multilayered character,” Hall said. “Because he’s the first queer character in the A Different World universe, I was nervous about that, and I think all of us, the writers and myself, felt like he needed to be much more than that.”
One of the other meaningful parts of the show for Hall was getting to see close, healthy, male friendships on-screen.
Jordan Aaron Hall as Amir, Cornell Young IV as Shaquille, Chibuikem Uche as Kojo, and Dasan Frazier as Xavier | Photo by Eli Joshua Ade
“I think it’s something that’s needed to show the dynamic between straight men and queer men and to show that there doesn’t have to be anything that divides them.”
And then there’s Amir’s housing situation, or, more accurately, his insistence on calling himself “unhoused.”
It started as a small change to the script and quickly became one of the character’s most recognizable running jokes. By the time the joke made its way across social media, Hall was surprised by how far the small suggestion had taken a life of its own.
“It’s crazy to see something that came from that small moment of me being like, ‘I think it should be this,’ to see that it totally rippled into a running joke,” he said. “I still see posts where it’s like, ‘Guys, I’m having a bad day. But just in case you didn’t know, Amir is unhoused,’” Hall said.
His Harlem upbringing also made his way into Amir’s wardrobe. The character rocked Timberlands and various New York designers, including the Telfar backpack he wears throughout the series.
“That is my nod to New York where I’m like, look y’all, I tried to get us in there,” he said. “So I’m excited to see the more I can sprinkle in of Harlem because I love it.”
Various characters from the original series made appearances in the show, and Hall expressed that their presence left a meaningful impact on him as a young actor. Darryl Bell, who played Ron Johnson on the original series, gave the new cast a simple piece of advice.
Darryl M. Bell as Ron | Photo by Quantrell Colbert
“This experience is going to be beautiful, but also a lot,” he recalled Bell telling them. “And it might be overwhelming at times, but as long as the six of you stay together, you won’t falter, you won’t fail.”
Hall is taking that advice with him as he continues to grow as both a multi-hyphenate creative. Even as he continues to establish himself as an actor, A Different World is only one part of what he hopes to build.
“I just love making things,” he said. “There’s such power in being able to put your own stamp on it, your own aesthetic, and your own thoughts, whether that be music, whether that be writing things, or directing things, and of course seeing me very, very soon again as Amir.”
A Different World (2026) is now streaming on Netflix.
