This interview is part of “Pivotal,” a Q&A series where we highlight the defining moments that have shaped a star’s career — from breakthrough roles to game-changing milestones to epic moments that catapult them into the spotlight. Read our previous interview with Lady London here.
Jabari Banks felt completely out of his depth when he moved to Los Angeles years ago to take on the lead role in Peacock’s “Bel-Air.”
The breakout reimagining of the beloved ’90s sitcom, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” marked the newcomer’s first true step into Hollywood. Though he had auditioned for various projects prior to the show, he’d never booked a television role before — and certainly had never found himself at the top of the call sheet above other veteran actors. The actor admits it was a “nerve-wracking” experience right off the bat, “but also really encouraging.”
“I think they all wanted to see me win,” Banks told HuffPost. “And so when you have a community like that around you, it feels good. I don’t want to disappoint them or disappoint myself, but there’s no reason to overthink or second-guess.”
“Nobody wants to see that,” he added, “and I didn’t want to see that for myself either.”
It didn’t take long for Banks to find his footing as a rising star. With support from “Bel-Air” creator Morgan Cooper — who birthed the show’s dramatized concept from a viral fan-made trailer he released in 2019 — and from the original Fresh Prince himself, Will Smith, the now-27-year-old actor quickly realized he had what it took to meet the moment.
He also didn’t have much time to hesitate.
Banks learned he’d been cast as Will Smith — the young teen who goes from the streets of West Philly to a gated mansion with his wealthy family in Bel Air — and began filming the show’s first season all within the same month. He had almost no time to process the whirlwind journey ahead, but he ultimately knew it’d transform his life.
Four seasons later, “Bel-Air” has done just that. And now it’s coming to an end.
The fourth and final season, which kicked off Nov. 24, is a bittersweet occasion for Banks, who has grown so much alongside his leading character these past few years. But he told HuffPost he “couldn’t be happier” with how the series wraps up its final chapter.
“They put a great bow on the show,” Banks said. “People are going to be very, very pleased with how the show ends.”
And how will “Bel-Air” end after such a momentous journey? Well, from what’s been revealed so far, Season 4 brings major turning points for every member of the Banks family as they step into new phases of life.
High school seniors Will (Banks) and Carlton (Olly Sholotan) face big choices about their futures as college approaches. Meanwhile, freshman Ashley (Akira Akbar) wants to step out of their shadows with a rebellious phase, as her newly widowed sister, Hilary (Coco Jones), is off doing some soul-searching. As for the adults, a pregnant Vivian (Cassandra Freeman) is adjusting to a new chapter of motherhood, while an “unexpected power shift” threatens Phil (Adrian Holmes) and Geoffrey’s (Jimmy Akingbola) bond once again.
While it’s tough to say goodbye to “Bel-Air,” Banks said viewers still have plenty to look forward to, including star-studded appearances from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Tyra Banks and even “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alum Janet Hubert. This season also features some “really beautiful” storylines he’s eager for audiences to see.
But as his time on “Bel-Air” winds down, Banks is already looking ahead at what’s next. Before the Season 4 premiere, the actor-musician dropped his debut EP, “Ultra,” giving fans a taste of the music chops he was honing even before his acting career took off. And with a voice role in the forthcoming “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw” movie, he plans to pursue more work in film in the near future.
“I know I have so much to give to the world, to this industry,” said Banks. “I’m excited to be able to take on roles that allow me to show the different sides of me.”
In this installment of Pivotal, Banks looks back on the TV show that launched him to stardom, how he’s evolved over the last four seasons of “Bel-Air” and reveals where he wants his Hollywood journey to take him next.
In conversation with HuffPost, “Bel-Air” star Jabari Banks (center) reflects on his four-season journey and the breakout role that changed his life.
It’s well-known that “Bel-Air” was your first television role. Had you auditioned for other projects before the opportunity for the show came about?
Yeah, I was auditioning for a lot of stuff. I got really close [to landing a role] on this show called “All-American” for this character named Jabari, actually. I was like, “That’s my role! He’s got my name, I gotta play the character.” But I’m glad that didn’t happen, because I probably wouldn’t have been available for “Bel-Air.” I started auditioning for other stuff, maybe a couple of months before I got “Bel-Air,” so it was a pretty quick process. I know a lot of people usually audition for years, so I’m blessed to have a show like this.
What did you think of Morgan Cooper’s dramatized concept of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” when you first heard about it?
I saw it went viral, and I was like, I don’t know why they would bring “The Fresh Prince” back. But then I watched it, and I was like, I could see that. I would actually watch that. But I didn’t think anything else of it. And then, like a year or two later is when I actually got the audition for “Bel-Air,” and I realized that it was tied back to Morgan’s trailer at the time. I know Morgan’s been on this journey for like eight years, and this is his baby, so I can’t imagine saying goodbye to this.
Will Smith passed the Fresh Prince torch to you years ago when he told you that you got the lead part on “Bel-Air.” Since then, have you two had any one-on-one conversations about what you’ve done with this role?
Not this role specifically, but a career in general, yeah. We’ve had great, great conversations about career and what I want to do, where I want to go. He’s been a great guiding light in my career so far.
Has he given you any specific tips about your character on the show?
No but, for instance, I remember he visited the set last year, and he was like, “Anything that you guys want to do outside of [the show], I think you should probably do it now, because, you know, strike while the iron is hot.” And that’s been a great tool to use. I’m taking that advice. I mean, I dropped a music project. I’m dropping some more music very, very soon, so I’m excited about that. And I’m just staying on that.
[Will] is a really, really hard worker. I knew that even before I knew him. He was a life coach of mine before he was a mentor and a friend, so it’s been dope to have that transition.
What did it mean to you to get his stamp of approval in taking over the role of Will?
I mean, it meant everything. He’s my hero. They say don’t meet your heroes, but he’s definitely a great hero to me, a great dude all around. Getting that stamp of approval was like, “OK, I’m doing something right.”
“Everyone was on my side, so it was hard for me to lose,” Banks said of pushing past nerves over his “Bel-Air” role.
I’m sure leading a TV show when it was also your first time on TV came with a ton of pressure, especially a show that’s associated with such an iconic legacy. How did you push through those initial nerves?
I had to get over them really quickly because with the timeline of how we started shooting, it was very, very quick. From when I got the role to when I started shooting was probably about a week and a half. Yeah, so no time to think, no time to second-guess. Just get in there and do it. I think that was kind of what propelled me to move forward with confidence, that time to sit back and not get in my own head about it. And getting the reassurance of Will and Morgan and everybody on set. They definitely reassured me, like, you got this. Everyone was on my side, so it was hard for me to lose.
No one knew how big a success “Bel-Air” would be, but four seasons later, the show has broken ratings records, it’s obviously a hit with viewers, and more importantly, it’s able to stand on its own now without being constantly compared to “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” How does it feel to have helped establish a unique legacy for this show?
We blazed our own path. To my knowledge, we are Peacock’s longest-running original scripted series —
And a Black show that did that.
Exactly, that’s a big accomplishment. So I’m proud to be a part of this project, super duper proud. That’s my first project, and I’m very excited for what comes next. But as far as the legacy of the show and the path that we blazed, it feels amazing that we have something that we can call our own. There’s a lot of people who haven’t seen the original show, and they’re like, “I like the show ‘Bel-Air.’” I’ve seen [some] who prefer “Bel-Air” over “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and I’m like, that’s crazy. To be a part of something that compared to the original source material, and it stands on its own… Yeah, we’re on the shoulders of giants, and so we created one of ourselves.
For this to be your first acting gig, I feel like you lucked up being on a show where your castmates, and folks behind the camera, too, look like you, talk like you and can relate to you. That’s not a common experience for many young Black actors in Hollywood. Looking back at Season 1, how did that help ease you into this entertainment space and make you feel more comfortable about the journey you were embarking on?
It felt like community, you know? It felt like a big family in front of the camera, behind the camera… The community was there, and the care was there, from hair to makeup to lighting. Everyone wanted us to look our best, act our best, and feel our best. To have a group of people on a team that really, really cares, and it’s my first job, I’m so grateful and so blessed that everyone put so much love into this show.
Olly Sholotan (left) and Jabari Banks in a scene from the fourth and final season of “Bel-Air.”
Tell me a bit more about the community you established through the show while being so far away from home in a totally different space.
It was natural. You wake up every morning at 4 a.m., 5 a.m., 6 a.m., go to set, see the same people every day for five days out of the week for five months out of the year. You can’t help but start to like these lovely people [laughs]. So, it was natural building that community. I came out to Los Angeles not having any family out there or any friends. It was really quickly that we all knew that we were doing something really big, and so we all leaned on each other to get us through it. And those five days out of the week that I would see the cast quickly turned into seven. We would see each other on Saturday and Sunday, too, because we just became a family so quickly.
Out of all your “Bel-Air” castmates, who is the person you’ve been able to lean on the most for support throughout your experience on the show?
That’s tough to pit them against each other. But I have to say two people, they’re my brothers: Olly and Jordan [L. Jones]. We’re, obviously, similar in age. We’re all guys. We all have similar interests. We definitely have a great group chat. We talk every day, even to this day. I don’t see that group chat dying down. I just called them last night, randomly, and we were on the phone for like an hour, just chatting.
I love that. The good thing about this show is that it, of course, had a huge, positive impact on your life professionally. But you also get to come away with real-life friends that you’ll have after the show ends.
Life-long friends. You know, years from now, I’ll see them have their kids, and they’ll be raising their [families]. I’m just happy that we have that community and that brotherhood.
Who would you say has challenged and pushed you the most as an actor on the show?
Marlon [Wayans] definitely is a big one. Because when he gets in a scene, it’s a bit unpredictable, which is what I love as an actor. We’ll do the scene as scripted the first couple of times, and then the second, third or fourth time, he’ll throw some crazy wrench in the scene. Which, a lot of the time, makes the scene a lot better, because you start to live in the present. Rather than sometimes, as an actor, when you’re doing the scene five, six, seven, eight times, it’s like, alright, cool, we’re just going through the motions right now. But he’s one of those actors who loves throwing in something extra that gives the scene that breath.
I’m glad you said that because I was going to ask, out of everyone on the show, who’s your favorite scene partner?
I would say either Olly or Adrian, because I love my scenes with Uncle Phil as well.
“Bel-Air” marks Banks’ first television role, an experience he says has taught him a lot about himself “as a human and as an actor.”
We’ve seen Will mature so much throughout the show, which I’m sure has had an impact on you in real life. So, how would you describe your own personal journey over these last four seasons?
A lot of mess-ups, a lot of mistakes, but it’s the people around me that continue to lift me up. That’s what makes me call them family. That’s what family does. They don’t judge you based off your mistakes. They help you and teach you and have you learn, and I definitely learned a lot about myself as a human and as an actor. I’m grateful to have a group of people around me to help me and lift me up through this process.
I’ve learned a lot over these past four years about discipline, consistency, integrity and showing up for the people around you. Care, real care, being intentional with the words that I use and the moves that I make. And keeping my heart open, continuing to stay hungry and to stay a dreamer. Sometimes when you get that job or that success, it’s easy to sit back and be like, “OK, I did it.” But I learned a lot about keeping the iron hot.
Do you have an all-time favorite moment from the show?
I have a couple, but these two are from the first season. The first one is when me and Uncle Phil are in the foyer, and Will just tried to sneak out and go back to Philly. Uncle Phil is telling him to give Bel Air a chance and that his family loves him — a real man looks another man in the eye when he’s talking to him. I mean, that emotion in that scene, for me, when Will is finally like, “OK, I’m going to give this place a chance.” I love that scene a lot. And then the second scene was with me and Marlon, the season finale of Season 1. Really great scene, again, that’s one of the ones where he threw a wrench in it. And the scene turned out totally different than what was on page, but I think it made that episode 10 times better.
Do you guys improvise a lot when you’re doing scenes?
I do all the time [laughs]. And I’m grateful to the writers that they gave me that free space, too.
One of the most iconic scenes from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is when Will breaks down over his father walking out on him again. Do you think you have a scene from “Bel-Air” that’s just as memorable as that?
I definitely think the Will and Lou scene from the Season 1 finale. Obviously, different emotions, less sadness and more anger. But still, I think that rivals that one for sure. And kind of mirrors it a little bit, too.
Of all the things you’ve learned from your “Bel-Air” experience, what’s the one lesson you definitely want to carry with you in this next phase of your career?
Professionalism, showing up to work prepared. Seeing how the big dogs do it — Cassandra, Adrian, Jimmy — they’re all always prepared. This season, Snoop Dogg came in, too. It’s the reason why they have such longevity in this business, so I’m taking that on my next go-round. When you’re number one on the call sheet, the energy on set flows from you. Obviously, everyone comes in with their own energy. But as number one, you have to show up and not only think about how you’re feeling, but how the energy of the set is feeling, and try to give everyone the best day possible. It’s a big responsibility, but I’m hoping to take that on over and over and over again. I’m willing to, because it’s great.
After four seasons of starring on “Bel-Air,” Banks isn’t worried about being boxed in as he explores other projects in the future. “Because people saw Will [Smith] do it first, they won’t be surprised when they see me do it,” he said.
Has the definition of being No. 1 on the call sheet changed for you after this whole experience?
I didn’t really understand what it meant, obviously, because I had never done anything on set before. But I remember I definitely had multiple conversations with some actors before I even got on set, and they were like, “Man, you’re No. 1 on the call sheet. Everything flows from you.” And I got it. Like, I’m the leader of the set. I go in, and people are looking at me, and if I’m having a bad day, sometimes I can make other people have a bad day. And I try not to take on that responsibility too seriously, because I know people have their own stuff going on. But I do know that when I show up to work smiling, ready to have a good day, it brightens the room and gives people the levity that they need. Being that person for them is a big responsibility, but I love it. That’s the type of person I am. I’m such a people person. I love humans, and the energy in each space that I’m in is important to me… Thank God we didn’t have any crazy divas on this show. Everybody, generally, showed up and was ready to work and had good hearts.
Talk to me about where you go from here. Music is something you’ve been focusing on again recently, having dropped your EP, “Ultra,” back in September. What other things do you want to explore in your post-“Bel-Air” era?
I want to get into movies. I want to do the movie thing. Playing a role for four years was fun, but I’m excited to play different types of characters. I know I have so much to give to the world, to this industry, and I’m excited to be able to take on roles that allow me to show the different sides of me.
People are probably going to continue to recognize you from “Bel-Air” for a very long time because of how pivotal this role has been. Do you think that’ll make it difficult for you to go out for other roles in the future?
No, I’m not worried about that. Not at all. I think because people saw Will [Smith] do it first, they won’t be surprised when they see me do it. They’ll be like, this makes sense. I don’t think it should be too much of an issue. But obviously, people will know where they saw me first. And there’s not a problem with that, especially when your first thing is a big thing. It’s a pretty good launching pad to do other great things.
If you could pick your next acting project, what would it be?
I love biopics. Even before I started doing all my work today, I woke up this morning, and I threw on “Ray.” So, probably some sort of biopic. I think it can be really fun. I love diving into someone else’s skin and being their story. “Bel-Air” is like a slight form of a biopic. Obviously, I’m not playing Will Smith himself, but the essence of the character is still in there. So I think it’s great practice for doing something like that.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
