Who plays will in bel air

Jabari Banks knew he was close to getting the starring role of Will in Bel-Air, the dramatic take of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but his confidence started to wane when he was asked to do one more Zoom audition with show director Morgan Cooper.

“I’m like, ‘I don’t know what he wants to see, but I’m gonna give him everything I got,’ recalled the 23-year-old in a recent interview. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna put everything into this audition.’” Banks found a quiet place — a friend’s closet — and logged in, only to see a very familiar face staring back at him, Will Smith.

“I didn’t think it was real,” Banks said. “He’s like, ’I want to congratulate you. You got the part of Will in ‘Bel-Air.’” And then in true Smith exuberance, the superstar directed Banks to invite those with him to join the Zoom. “He was like, ‘Where is everybody? Go get them,’” said Banks. “So a lot of my friends met Will.”

And that’s how Jabari Banks became the (new) prince of Bel-Air. The series is streaming on Peacock with a new episode on Thursdays.

Morgan Cooper says searching for the actor to play the new Will was not an easy task, and that he was looking “for a unicorn.”

“Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of auditions poured in. We needed a guy who had the swagger, the charisma, but also the pure acting chops, who uses his eyes,” he said. “Jabari Banks is such a star and he shines so bright.”

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The parallels between Smith and Banks seem tailor-made for Hollywood. Like Smith, Banks is from west Philadelphia. He’s also a musician working on his own EP, which he says is a mix of R&B, hip-hop and alternative genres, and plans to release it later this year. He also loves fashion and The Fresh Prince was a trend-setting show. Banks says he’s taking this huge opportunity “one day at a time,” and cites an anecdote from Smith’s autobiography, “Will,” about his father assigning him and his brother to build a wall brick by brick.

“I’ve been following that motto and going about my day to day like that,” he said.

Bel-Air was conceived by Cooper, a filmmaker in Kansas City who taught himself to shoot film on a camera bought at Best Buy. He grew up loving The Fresh Prince and believed the premise of the show could still work today — but also reflect the times.

“If you remove the laugh track from the sitcom and really look at the scenario from a bird’s eye view, the story really lends itself to drama. A young Black men from west Philadelphia gets into a scuffle and is forced to relocate across the country. What does that look like in modern day life? It lends itself to some really interesting dramatic moments that are rooted in very real conversations.”

Morgan Cooper famously made a trailer for this idea using local actors and uploaded it to YouTube. Not even 24 hours later, Will Smith’s production company Westbrook reached out for a meeting. Two weeks later, Cooper flew to Miami to meet Will Smith where he was filming Bad Boys for Life. Things took off, and the first three episodes dropped Sunday after the Super Bowl. The show has been given a two-season order.

In Bel-Air, a 16-year-old high school basketball star named Will is playing at a local court when he gets into a scuffle with a gang. The situation escalates quickly, and Will is arrested. Once he’s released, his mother takes him directly to the airport to catch a flight to Los Angeles. She’s sending him to stay with his aunt and uncle and their children, where it’s safer. He’ll enroll in school there until things calm down.

In real life, Jabari Banks found himself at a crossroads during his junior year of high school. He loved basketball but low grades made him ineligible to play.

Banks’ mom told him, “You have to find something to do after school,” so he joined a theater group. That’s where he says he fell in love with performing.

The newcomer says he’s looking forward to meeting more Black artistes who can help him navigate showbiz. “I’d love to work with LaKeith Stanfield. Big fan of him. Huge fan of Denzel (Washington.). Daniel Kaluuya, I’d love to work with him and Sterling K. Brown. Damson Idris. These are all artistes that I look up to.”

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First published on: 15-02-2022 at 09:25:12 pm

'Bel-Air' is a gritty new ten-part drama based on the hit 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air which catapulted Will Smith to TV fame. 

British actor, Jimmy Akingbola, has a starring role in the new reboot, however, things could have been very different when Jimmy reveals he almost didn’t do the audition. 

Here in an interview with WhattoWatch.com, Jimmy, whose acting credits include The Tower, Kate & Koji, Rev, Ted Lasso, Holby City, and In The Long Run, tells us about playing the role of the wealthy Banks family’s housekeeper, Geoffrey, in Bel-Air, working with Hollywood legend Will Smith and why he almost passed up the role….

'Bel-Air' is set in LA and filmed in LA. How did this role come about? 

Jimmy Akingbola: "I was asked to audition for it but it was in the middle of the pandemic. I was doing a lot of self-audition tapes at the time from home, it was all starting to get a bit taxing. When I saw ‘Geoffrey, mid-50s’ I was like, ‘55-plus is pushing it!'

"I thought it would be better to concentrate on other auditions I was working on but my team were like, ‘Hell no, we’re not passing on this, ignore the age, do the audition!’"

"Then I saw the trailer that film-maker Morgan Cooper had done, (which was the catalyst for the Bel-Air's creation), I was like, ‘Wow!’ Suddenly I was looking at the job through different eyes thinking, this is perfect for me."

So how did the actual audition go? 

"I had to do it on Zoom. There were massive technical difficulties so  I couldn’t see any of the other guys which meant I was crashing over the casting director’s lines. I was doing the biggest audition of my life. It was a random very hot day in London and I was sweating in a three-piece ‘Geoffrey’ suit. But they liked me and the rest is history!"

Were you a fan of the original 'Fresh Prince Of Bel Air'? 

"Definitely. Dinnertime was always Home and Away, Neighbours then Fresh-Prince. There is something iconic about the show. We all grew up with it, no matter what age you are, what country you’re from, it’s global. So to get a part in and play this legendary British character, Geoffrey, is just fantastic." 

Do you think this rebooted and much grittier version will appeal to a whole new generation and audience? 

"Yes, It’s really exciting, because it’s hour-long episodes, we can really peel back the layers of each character and explore them in-depth. To be able to push the boundaries of the original Fresh Prince is brilliant. There are lots of beautiful, respectful nods to the original. If you loved that, you’ll love this but equally, if you’ve never watched it before you can watch this and then go back and enjoy the whole Fresh Prince journey." 

Did you speak to British actor Joseph Marcell who played the original Geoffrey?

"I worked with Joseph in an episode of Death in Paradise. He’s a legend, and someone I’ve looked up to for years so when I got the role I was able to share the news with him. He was so happy for me, I started tearing up. He told me what an amazing opportunity it was and to enjoy every minute." 

How different is your version to the original? 

"Joseph’s Geoffrey was much more suave and James Bond. Mine is more swagger and Jason Bourne (from The Bourne Identity). He’s streetwise, book-smart and from East London like me. He’s got an interesting background that we’re going to tap into across the two seasons."

Did you have fun working with the rest of the cast? 

"Oh yes. We all met up recently and it was like a family coming together for Christmas dinner with everyone talking over each other, the banter, the interaction but that’s so beautiful. It’s a fantastic cast." 

"Jabari Banks who plays Will is so talented, he’s from Philadelphia, he dances, makes music, raps and this is his first-ever acting gig. And Olly (Sholotan) who plays Carlton, is such a perfect fit. He’s a chatterbox, crazy intelligent, and has a lovely old soul. We became like one big family right from the beginning." 

How have you found the experience of working in America?

"I’ve been living in LA for five years. I wake up, go to Universal Studios, I'm going past the sets of Jaws and all these iconic Hollywood movie sets and I'm having to pinch myself, I'm seeing  Ted Danson just being driven around the corner. It’s just beautiful."

"I’m the boy from East London, from Barking Road and now I’m walking down James Baldwin Boulevard of Universal Studios."

"Bel-Air is filmed here in LA so I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot. I do miss my friends and family. That chimes with Geoffrey because he’s a fish out of water and I can relate to that. I’m the Brit in LA with a lot still to learn!"

Hollywood legend, Will Smith, who starred in the original 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' is the executive director on this, how exciting is that?

"It’s been fantastic. At the moment Will’s been filming Emancipation and he’s doing the Oscar run, so we've not been able to have a lot of interaction. A lot has been through video messages and text messages and stuff like that. But we’ve all had the thumbs up from Will. It’s so exciting because of course you want the original cast’s blessing and for them to be happy with it. The rumor is they’re ecstatic and they can’t wait to see Season Two."

The first three episodes of Bel-Air are available from Monday 14 February on Sky and NOW.