Jabari Banks knew he used to be just about getting the starring position of Will in Bel-Air, the dramatic take of The Contemporary Prince of Bel-Air, however his self belief began to wane when he used to be requested to do yet one more Zoom audition with display director Morgan Cooper.
“I’m like, ‘I don’t know what he needs to look, however I’m gonna give him the entirety I were given,’ recalled the 23-year-old in a up to date interview. “I used to be like, ‘I’m gonna put the entirety into this audition.’” Banks discovered a quiet position — a chum’s closet — and logged in, best to look an excessively acquainted face staring again at him, Will Smith.
“I didn’t suppose it used to be actual,” Banks stated. “He’s like, ’I wish to congratulate you. You were given the a part of Will in ‘Bel-Air.’” After which in true Smith exuberance, the celebrity directed Banks to ask the ones with him to sign up for the Zoom. “He used to be like, ‘The place is everyone? Pass get them,’” stated Banks. “So numerous my buddies met Will.”
And that’s how Jabari Banks was the (new) prince of Bel-Air. The sequence is streaming on Peacock with a brand new episode on Thursdays.
Morgan Cooper says looking for the actor to play the brand new Will used to be no longer a very simple process, and that he used to be having a look “for a unicorn.”
“Loads and masses and masses of auditions poured in. We would have liked a man who had the swagger, the air of mystery, but additionally the natural performing chops, who makes use of his eyes,” he stated. “Jabari Banks is any such megastar and he shines so vibrant.”
The parallels between Smith and Banks appear tailored for Hollywood. Like Smith, Banks is from west Philadelphia. He’s additionally a musician running on his personal EP, which he says is a mixture of R&B, hip-hop and choice genres, and plans to free up it later this yr. He additionally loves type and The Contemporary Prince used to be a trend-setting display. Banks says he’s taking this large alternative “at some point at a time,” and cites an anecdote from Smith’s autobiography, “Will,” about his father assigning him and his brother to construct a wall brick by means of brick.
“I’ve been following that motto and going about my daily like that,” he stated.
Bel-Air used to be conceived by means of Cooper, a filmmaker in Kansas Town who taught himself to shoot movie on a digital camera purchased at Perfect Purchase. He grew up loving The Contemporary Prince and believed the basis of the display may just nonetheless paintings lately — but additionally replicate the days.
“When you take away the snort monitor from the sitcom and actually have a look at the state of affairs from a chicken’s eye view, the tale actually lends itself to drama. A tender Black males from west Philadelphia will get right into a scuffle and is pressured to relocate around the nation. What does that seem like in modern-day lifestyles? It lends itself to a couple actually fascinating dramatic moments which can be rooted in very actual conversations.”
Morgan Cooper famously made a trailer for this concept the use of native actors and uploaded it to YouTube. Now not even 24 hours later, Will Smith’s manufacturing corporate Westbrook reached out for a gathering. Two weeks later, Cooper flew to Miami to satisfy Will Smith the place he used to be filming Unhealthy Boys for Lifestyles. Issues took off, and the primary 3 episodes dropped Sunday after the Tremendous Bowl. The display has been given a two-season order.
In Bel-Air, a 16-year-old highschool basketball megastar named Will is enjoying at an area courtroom when he will get right into a scuffle with a gang. The location escalates briefly, and Will is arrested. As soon as he’s launched, his mom takes him immediately to the airport to catch a flight to Los Angeles. She’s sending him to stick with his aunt and uncle and their kids, the place it’s more secure. He’ll sign up in class there till issues loosen up.
In actual lifestyles, Jabari Banks discovered himself at a crossroads all the way through his junior yr of highschool. He beloved basketball however low grades made him ineligible to play.
Banks’ mother advised him, “It’s a must to to find one thing to do after faculty,” so he joined a theater workforce. That’s the place he says he fell in love with acting.
The newcomer says he’s having a look ahead to assembly extra Black artistes who can assist him navigate showbiz. “I’d like to paintings with LaKeith Stanfield. Giant fan of him. Large fan of Denzel (Washington.). Daniel Kaluuya, I’d like to paintings with him and Sterling Ok. Brown. Damson Idris. Those are all artistes that I glance as much as.”