“I learned that what we do is not for us, it’s not about us we are here to bring dignity, to represent, to expand, to push forward, and I learned that here, at his feet,” Ali said of working with Avery, the patriarch of the Banks family and “heart of the show,” per the cast. James Avery taught a masterclass in acting, and in life Sometimes the actors were able to influence these elements of the show - or at least specific lines of dialogue, as Reid recalled telling the writers at a table read that Tatyana Ali had a line that would make “her lose her teeth” if she actually said it to her father in a Black family. “What we’d always do with ‘The Fresh Prince,’ there would be very powerful ideas under the jokes, under the comedy,” Smith said. Similarly, they looked back on the time Will and Carlton were pulled over, which gave Carlton a glimpse into how some police see Black men. Jeffrey Allen Townes aka DJ Jazzy Jeff looked back on the scene in which his character was testifying in court and at-first didn’t want to put his hands down because the white bailiff had a gun, noting that they focused on stories “that had a truth” to them. But within that family, no two characters were entirely alike, even if many of their circumstances were similar (and privileged). The show started when Smith’s self-titled character went to live with his well-off aunt and uncle in California, which already showcased a Black family in a unique way. Black culture was not depicted as a monolith - nor a stereotype

“It felt like it was a show - it wasn’t a TV show, it was a show,” Ribeiro said. Smith himself would grab a microphone and get everyone’s hands in the air, as well. To keep the energy up for all involved, there was a basket on set full of tambourines, sticks and other items that could be used to hype up the crowd. Theres a new Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and hes got a royal group of co-stars joining him on Peacocks highly anticipated and reimagined drama series, Bel-Air. The vibe extended to the live studio audience, too, who “would come to the taping like they were going to a club,” Smith recalled. The party vibe was something that brought everyone together and got them pumped to perform, but they also brought it down with inspiration speeches at times, too. “You’d just start following like the Piped Piper,” said Parsons. Saying she was so nervous during preparation and production for the pilot that she was “praying for an earthquake,” she added that what ended up making her more nervous on the show’s tape night was Smith silently repeating her lines back to her on-set, something he had been doing during rehearsals. When asked for early memories of the show, it was the first thing Karyn Parsons, who played Will’s cousin Hilary Banks, called out. Here are the top 7 things learned from HBO Max’s “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” reunion: Smith admits to being a line-mimickerĪ few years ago a popular thread on Reddit discussed Smith’s apparent mouthing of other performers’ dialogue in scenes in the hit 1990s sitcom. Bringing the Banks family back together, series star Will Smith will be joined by series regulars. “Yes it’s fun to watch, but the idea of it translates to so many different places,” said Will Smith. Stream The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion on HBO Max. You were a puppet who was told what to do, ‘Say this line, move over here.'”īut by having a Black family on-screen, millions of audience members around the world tuned in and saw themselves reflected - or tuned in and saw a Black family that was just like their own family. “As an actor, you never had a voice - you never had a voice in the room. Yes, you’re welcome, Will.“The idea that we, as a Black show on TV - one of three at the time - there weren’t really us in the writers’ room,” said Alfonso Ribeiro. The reunion - directed by Marcus Raboy with Rikki Hughes as showrunner - streams on HBO Max on 19 November with Smith adding in the trailer, “Happy Thanksgiving. Theres a new Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and hes got a royal group of co-stars joining him on Peacocks highly anticipated and reimagined drama series, Bel-Air. He surprised the group with her being there, saying, “I couldn’t celebrate 30 years of Fresh Prince without Janet,” and there were gasps and “wows.”

“I said, Uh, pass!”Īnd, as reported, Hubert was there for the reunion - despite a long-running rift with Smith. “They said, ‘Oh, we want you to audition for this new sitcom with a rapper,’” she remembered. And Reid talked about being asked to audition for Aunt Viv after the original actress, Janet Hubert, was fired. However, he ultimately had a recurring role through all five seasons.

For instances, Jazz talked about turning down Smith’s requests to be on the show at first. Though it almost wasn’t what it became, various stars revealed. THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR - 'Mother's Day' Episode 23 - Air Date - Pictured: (l-r) Will Smith as William 'Will' Smith, James Avery as Philip Banks, Joseph Marcell as Geofrey - Photo by: Joey Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank

Fresh prince of bel air reunion