Jaleel White in 2010 and 1990. Left, by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for VEVO; right, from Fotos International/Archive Photos/Getty Images.Jaleel White will never understand your pity. White, who has branched out into a plethora of projects over the last 13 years since Family Matters ended, still gets a tad touchy when the subject of Über-nerd Steve Urkel comes up. Not because he’s trying to disassociate himself from the character that made him a star (although he did once plead, “Put a bullet in my head” if ever caught playing the role again), but more because he doesn’t quite understand why some people think it was such a bad gig. As White says, he made a “shitload of money,” even if that did mean having to cover up a newfound bulge in his pants as he aged.

I caught up with White to reflect on his 31-year career (yes, 31 years), which includes the heartbreak of coming this close to being a Huxtable on The Cosby Show. Make no mistake, White—who also plays a banjo-wielding teacher in this past weekend’s pre-teen comedy film Judy Moody and the No Bummer Summer and is set to shoot a film that he’s been writing for the past four years—is still very proud of his accomplishments on Family Matters. So proud, in fact, he’s willing to challenge the legitimacy of Tyler Perry.Mike Ryan: I apologize, I haven’t seen Judy Moody. Though I’m not sure that I’m the intended demographic.

Jaleel White: I almost preferred that you had a six-year-old daughter and sent her in there and let her come out with her review.

I did see a clip where you’re playing the banjo.

Yeah, I spent about three or four weeks working on it. Apparently I followed in Steve Martin’s—one of my heroes—footsteps and I didn’t even know it.

You two should tour.

Set it up! I’m a huge fan.

You’re getting ready to shoot a film that you wrote?

I’m keeping it under wraps, but I will tell you it’s a romantic comedy that Joel Zwick is producing. He directed My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I wrote the script four years ago and I’m really excited about this project. We’re shooting in Canada later this summer.

Your first acting role was as Van Van Morris, a child-prodigy pianist on The Jeffersons. Was it intimidating to play Weezy Jefferson’s foil at such a young age?

You’ve been doing your homework. At that age, I’m just wide-eyed and just can’t believe I’m at a table reading with George Jefferson and Florence and Mr. Willis. It was amazing and it was surreal. I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. I was just being a cute kid. That was such a fun week and I remember Sherman Hemsley being so nice to me. I did an episode of Mr. Belvedere, too. I’ve been working in TV, man, for 31 years.

That’s going to make a lot of people feel old.

I’m 34! It doesn’t make me feel old. If anything, it makes me feel really proud.

Is it true that you were originally cast as Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show?

Yep, that’s why the character was named Rudy—it was intended to be a boy. That’s my tragic auditioning story. We were all packed up and ready to go to New York and my agent had told my parents that they needed to start looking for places to live out there. Next thing you know, there was one more audition and that was supposed to be a formality at the network. And a little girl comes walking in, and I’m like—even at eight years old—“Who’s she?” And they’re like, “She’s auditioning for Rudy, too.” So I’m like, “Oh, it’s not as much of a formality as I thought.” That was my first time walking into a room of 30 people staring at you going, “O.K., make me laugh.” They were in such a hurry to get to New York and start filming that they came out and picked the kids one by one right in front of all of us. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempest Bledsoe . . . The rest of us all went home crying. It was amazing. Obviously I’m grateful that things worked out the way they did; I think it put a little more money in my pocket.