Dule Hill Calls Being A Part Of 'The Wonder Years' 'Truly An Honor' | The View

>> ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. HOW'S EVERYBODY DOING? >> Whoopi: ALL RIGHT. YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO SAY THAT I LOVE THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT "THE WONDER YEARS" BACK BECAUSE T NIT'S NOT LIKE IT'S A REDO. IT'S, LIKE, AN ALSO DO. IT'S, LIKE, WE WERE HERE TOO. >> THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S RIGHT. >> Whoopi: I LOVE THAT YOU DID THAT. DID YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEM GETTING

PEOPLE TO SAY, OH, THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO US OR DID THEY JUST SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? Y'ALL WERE HERE? >> THAT WASN'T REALLY MY PROBLEM TO SOLVE. THAT WAS THE CREATOR OF THE SHOW. SINCE THE SHOW THAT HAS COME OUT, PEOPLE HAVE REALLY ENJOYED IT. PEOPLE HAVE APPRECIATED IT. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR TIME AND YOUR SPACE, AND I THINK WHEN YOU

LOOK BACK AT THAT TIME, YES, THE ORIGINAL "THE WONDER YEARS" WAS THERE, BUT ALSO WE WERE THERE, AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE WERE THERE. >> Whoopi: YES. >> I THINK IT'S GOOD TO BE ABLE TO SHINE THAT LIGHT AND WIND THE LENS AND FOCUS ON MORE PEOPLE. >> Ana: HELLO. >> IT'S A LOVELY SHOW. I'M THANKFUL TO BE APART OF IT. >> Sunny: THAT'S WONDERFUL. >> Whoopi:

LET ME SHOW THEM A CLIP. >> LET'S DO THAT. >> Whoopi: DO WE HAVE A CLIP? >> ALL I'M ASKING IS FOR YOU TO LOOK AT THE HOUSE ONE TIME. JUST ONE TIME. >> I TOOK THIS MEETING TO PROVE TO MY WIFE I'M OPEN-MINDED. WHEN I FINISH THIS, I'M GONE. >> OKAY. BUT BEFORE YOU GO, I WAS HOPING YOU WOULD CHECK OUT THIS MAP OF OUR

DEAR OLD MONTGOMERY. IT DATES BACK PRE-WAR. IT SHOWS WHERE ALL THE PLANTATIONS ARE. YEP. I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO A RACE MAN LIKE YOURSELF. YOU BUY THE HOUSE, YOU'RE TAKING BACK THE LAND OUR FOREFATHERS SLAVED OVER, PROFESSOR. THAT'S A STRONG MOVE. >> THEY DO OWN ABOUT 40 ACRES AND A MULE. [ APPLAUSE ] >> Whoopi: IN THIS CLIP, YOU STAR WITH THE FABULOUS

DONALD FAISON. YOU GO WAY BACK. HOW WAS IT TO WORK TOGETHER AGAIN? >> OH, IT WAS A JOY. I'VE KNOWN DONALD FOR A VERY LONG TIME. WE WERE TEENAGERS HERE IN NEW YORK AUDITIONING, HANGING OUT, AND THEN WE DID A MOVIE CALLED "SUGAR HILL" WITH WESLEY SNIPES. > >> Sunny: THAT'S GOOD. >> I'LL NEVER FORGET WE WERE ON THE HILL TOP WATCHING THEM SHOOT THIS SCENE,

AND HE SAID, DULE, WE GOT TO MAKE A COMMITMENT. WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS THING. WE'RE GOING TO REACH FOR OUR DREAMS AND RUN THIS RACE, NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES AND WE'RE GOING TO DO IT. WE MADE, LIKE, A PACT TO EACH OTHER. YEARS LATER, AFTER HE HA HAD "SCRUBS" AND I HAD "THE WEST WING," IT'S A FULL CIRCLE MOMENT, FOR REAL. >> Sunny:

YOU DIDN'T GIVE UP. [ APPLAUSE ] WE SAW YOU STAR AS BILL WILLIAMS, THE DAD IN "THE WONDER YEARS" -- THE RE-IMAGINING OF "THE WONDER YEARS" WHICH IS BACK FOR A SECOND SEASON. IT'S CENTERED AROUND A BLACK FAMILY IN MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA IN THE LATE 1960s. IT'S ALSO NARRATED BY DON CHEADLE WHO STAYS BOOKED AND BUSY. >> HE DOES. HE'S MY HERO. >> Sunny: WE'VE SEEN HIM

HERE A LOT. YOU TALKED ABOUT BEING A FAN OF THE ORIGINAL WHILE NOT SEEING YOURSELF REPRESENTED ON SCREEN. WHAT'S IT LIKE NOW KNOWING YOU'RE GIVING THAT EXPERIENCE TO SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE WATCHING IT? >> IT'S AN HONOR TO BE APART OF THIS CHAPTER, THIS STORY. WE'RE MOVING INTO A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WITH SEE THEMSELVES REFLECTED AND THE MORE WE CAN DO THAT, THE BETTER OUR

NATION CAN BE, AND THE BETTER THE WORLD CAN BE. THE MORE WE CAN HAVE CONVERSATIONS AND YOU START ENGAGING IN OTHER PEOPLE'S JOURNEY. YOU START REALIZING THAT WE ARE CONNECTED AND WE'RE ALL THE SAME AND WE HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN WE HAVE -- THAN WE DO NOT. SO FOR ME TO BE APART OF THIS SHOW AT THIS TIME IS TRULY AN HONOR. >> Sunny: THAT'S

GREAT. >> Ana: ABSOLUTELY. IT MATTERS. REPRESENTATION MATTERS. >> ALSO FOR MYSELF, I GREW UP BEING A TAP DANCER. I KNEW GREGORY HINDS. I KNEW HAL NICHOLAS, AND TO BE ABLE TO SEE THEM, BLACK MEN, TAP DANCERS AND SEE THEM BECOME ACTORS, IT ALLOWED ME TO BELIEVE THAT IT COULD BE ACHIEVED. THAT'S WHY HAVING STUFF ON TELEVISION MATTERS, WHY IT MATTERS TO SEE YOURSELF REFLECTED. IT LETS

YOU KNOW, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. I EXIST. PEOPLE LIKE ME EXIST, AND IF THEY CAN DO IT, WHY CAN'T I? >> Ana: AND ON THE SUPREME COURT AND AT THE VICE PRESIDENT LEVEL AND AT THE OVAL OFFICE. >> IN THE CLASSROOMS, EVERYWHERE. >> Ana: EVERYWHERE. "THE WONDER YEARS" HAS NOT SHIED AWAY FROM TACKLING SOME VERY CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES. SOME OF THESE BIG ISSUES FROM BACK THEN

AND STILL TODAY. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING A LOT AROUND THIS TABLE AND I THINK AMERICA HAS ABOUT LGBTQ PLUS RIGHTS. THERE'S AN ATTACK ON THEM, AND THE CONSTANT THREATS TO THEM, AND IN THE FIRST EPISODE OF THIS SEASON, YOU TACKLE THAT, AND YOU HAVE A GUEST STAR. THE FANTASTIC ONE, AND YOU GET RIGHT INTO IT. SO HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO THE SHOW TO EXPLORE STORIES

LIKE THESE? >> WELL, I BELIEVE -- WHEN WE HAVE A SHOW LIKE "THE WONDER YEARS" WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO NOW SHINE A LIGHT AND WIDEN THE LENS TO BE ABLE TO TELL OUR STORY, WHEN YOU HAVE THAT PLATFORM, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT FOR OTHERS AS WELL, AND I APPLAUD PATTERSON FOR WRITING THAT STORY. IT WAS FOR BILL WILLIAMS, COMING INTO NEW YORK, SEEING

A MAN DRESSED AS A WOMAN WAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR HIM. WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THIS SHOW IS AS THEY TALKED, AS THEY COMMUNICATED, AS THEY TOOK THE TIME TO NOT PASS JUDGMENT, BUT TO LEAN IN AND UNDERSTAND, THEY WERE ABLE TO SEE HOW THEY COULD FORM A FRIENDSHIP. THEY COULD FORM A BOND AND THEY ACTUALLY COULD HELP EACH OTHER ALONG THE WAY, AND IF THAT CAN

BE REFLECTED IN OUR SOCIETY, I THINK IT COULD BE A MUCH BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN. >> Sara: YOU AND YOUR WIFE JAZMYN WROTE THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOK CALLED "REPEAT AFTER ME: BIG THINGS TO SAY EVERY DAY." >> YES. >> Sara: HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT? >> YOU SAID ME AND MY WIFE WROTE THE BOOK, AND MY WIFE WROTE IT AND I SAID, BABY, YOU MISSED A

PERIOD RIGHT THERE. IN DECEMBER OF 2020, SO MUCH WAS GOING ON. WE SAW GEORGE FLOYD AND BREONNA TAYLOR, AND WE WERE SITTING ON OUR COUCH AND JAZMYN WAS REALLY HEARTBROKEN SAYING HOW THIS WAS ON REPEAT. SHE SAID, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING BETTER SO BLACK BOYS, BLACK CHILDREN DON'T REALIZE THIS IS THEIR LIFE, BUT ALSO WHITE CHILDREN DON'T REALIZE THAT THIS IS THEIR LIFE EITHER. WE'RE

BOTH BETTER THAN THIS. SHE SAT DOWN AND SHE SAID, LET'S WRITE A BOOK. I SAID, OKAY. SHE WENT TO OUR JUNK DRAWER. SHE WENT AND PICKED UP A PEN AND PAPER AND SHE STARTED WRITING THE BOOK AND THEN HERE WE ARE, BUT REALLY IT'S BASED OFF OF OUR -- WHEN KEOUR DAUGHTER WAS CHILD, JAZMYN HAD READ IF YOU REPEAT THINGS IN THE FIRST PERSON TO YOURSELF,

YOU CAN REWIRE YOUR BRAIN. WHEN SHE WAS A CHILD, SHE WOULD DO THESE AFFIRMATIONS ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL AND SHE DID IT WITH OUR SON AND WE DO IT AND WHAT JAZMYN AND I DID, IS HE PUT IT IN BOOK FORM. IT'S THESE AFFIRMATIONS, BUT IT EXPANDS ON. IT'S NOT JUST, YOU ARE UNIQUE. YOU ARE GIFTED. YOU ARE ENOUGH. IT PUTS IT IN A WAY

THAT CHILDREN CAN UNDERSTAND IT. AS THE PARENTS OR ADULTS ARE READING IT TO THE CHILDREN, YOU'RE SOWING SEEDS OF SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE INTO THE CHILDREN, BUT YOU'RE ALSO REMINDING YOURSELF THAT YOU ARE GIFTED, THAT YOU ARE UNIQUE, THAT YOU ARE LOVED, AND. >> Whoopi: YOU KNOW WHAT? I CAN SAY ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE YOU. ALL THOSE THINGS YOU JUST SAID HAVE TO DO WITH YOU.

YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE GIFTED, AND YOU ARE EWE DEKE. DULE, THANK YOU FOR COMING TO "THE VIEW." COME BACK. >> I APPRECIATE IT. >> Whoopi: IF YOU WANT TO CATCH "THE WONDER YEARS," YOU CAN DO