Will Smith surprises ‘Fresh Prince’ reboot star with news he got the role – NBC10 Philadelphia



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Will Smith gave actor Jabari Banks the surprise of a lifetime when he let Banks know he had been cast for the lead role in “Bel-Air,” Peacock’s next reboot of “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”.

Smith, 52, who starred in the original sitcom from the 1990s, announced the exciting news on a recent video call, then shared footage from the sweet moment on Tuesday on Instagram.

The video shows Smith waving to a surprised Banks during the call. “What’s up, Philly?” Smith asks the Philadelphia-based actor.

“It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you, to be with you,” Smith continues. “From the bottom of my heart I want to congratulate you. You have the role of Will in ‘Bel-Air’.”

Banks then throws his head back and screams in excitement. “I’m ready,” the young actor told Smith. “I’m so ready, all of you. I am ready to bite.

“Bel-Air” is based on the original “Fresh Prince”, but this time, the series will be a drama, each episode lasting an hour. The show will always follow the core story of a West Philadelphia kid who is sent to live with parents in upscale Bel-Air, California.

During the call together, Smith asks Banks, who graduated from Philly University of the Arts in 2020, what prompted him to audition for “Bel-Air”.

Banks responds with a funny story about his father. “So my dad actually sent me this article on (the reboot). He said, ‘Yo, you really should do that. “And I was like ‘Dad, that’s not how auditions work,'” the actor explains.

Two months later, his agent let Banks know he got an audition, and the actor “knew it was right” in his heart.

“It’s beautiful,” Smith replies.

Banks also takes a moment to prove to Smith that he’s been a “Fresh Prince” fan for years. “I remember in high school I begged everyone to be a part of this thing with me, where we dressed up as -” he told Smith, while holding up a picture of himself. and his friends disguised as characters from “Fresh Prince”.

The “Men In Black” star ends the call by telling Banks he’s excited about what’s to come, and adds that he intends to be an “asset” to Banks as he goes. ‘he starts working on the series.

Holding his hand over his heart, Banks thanks Smith for his encouragement, gushing, “It’s a dream come true.”

Smith captioned the video: “Welcome to the Bel-Air family, @jabaribanks!!! “

Peacock is part of TODAY’s parent company, NBCUniversal.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. MORE FROM TODAY:



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