Understanding Will Smith’s Cameo in ‘Bel-Air’ Collection Finale

[This story contains major spoilers from the series finale of Bel-Air.]

Again in 2019, Kansas Metropolis native Morgan Stevenson Cooper made a daring transfer by releasing his imaginative and prescient for re-imaging the trailblazing sitcom The Recent Prince of Bel-Air. Although the collection premiered again in 1990, it remained a gift power accessible on a number of streaming platforms — so most individuals noticed no want for a reboot. Thankfully for Cooper, his imaginative and prescient resonated with the Recent Prince himself, Will Smith. And with that vast endorsement and collaborating power, Bel-Air boldly premiered Feb. 13, 2022, on Tremendous Bowl Sunday, on NBC’s then-new streaming service Peacock.

Now 4 seasons and 38 episodes later, the collection’ newcomer solid of Jabari Banks, Olly Sholotan, Coco Jones, Akira Akbar and, in fact, Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Jimmy Akingbola and Jordan L. Jones because the beloved Will, Carlton, Hillary, Ashley, Uncle Phil, Aunt Viv, Geoffrey and Jazz, resepctively, has additionally concluded. And to shut it out, Oscar winner and international field workplace star Smith confirmed up in a cameo within the closing minutes to reassure the youthful Will that making errors is simply part of life.

“Belief me, you’re going to mess some issues up and do some dumb shit. However you’re human — you’ll study, you’ll develop,” says Smith within the cameo. “Life goes by quick, man, attempt to benefit from the trip.”

To additional calm younger Will’s worries about returning to Philly as an Ivy Leaguer to Penn — and fearing dropping the individual he’s advanced into in his years away in Bel-Air — the seasoned Will reassures him of a brilliant future forward. “I’ll allow you to in on a bit of secret: we’re going to be alright,” he says as they overlook Los Angeles and fist bump.

Written by Bel-Air showrunner Carla Banks Waddles and directed by Cooper, the ending is a second stuffed with “gratitude,” Cooper tells The Hollywood Reporter. “These previous six, seven years since getting the showcase the bottom have been such a wonderful whirlwind — creating one thing that finally stands by itself.”

From day one, he says the purpose was all the time “to create one thing from the guts, one thing that felt impressed that I feel defied the expectations of many re-imaginings or reboots.” That success comes from the truth that “this concept wasn’t born within the C-suite. It was born in my head driving down the 71 Freeway in Kansas Metropolis. That sort of inspiration and of artistic output can all the time be felt within the texture of a undertaking.”

It wasn’t a straightforward course of, nevertheless. “We have been a COVID manufacturing in season one,” he recollects, noting the difficult period. “Everyone simply confirmed up every single day to do their greatest work. So I’m simply very pleased with the dedication this solid and crew confirmed since day one.”

Now, he says to have ended the collection on such an emotionally resonant notice is a blessing. Beneath, he speaks to THR about directing Smith for the primary time, in addition to what he hoped to attain with Bel-Air — and what he refused to compromise alongside the way in which — in addition to reflecting on the legacy and accountability Quincy Jones and Smith entrusted him with.  

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This was your first time directing Will Smith. How did you calm your nerves?

I’ve all the time dealt with stress properly. That’s one attribute that has helped me in my profession. When it’s excessive stress, excessive stakes, I like and luxuriate in these environments. I’m from Kansas Metropolis. Being from the Midwest we love these moments. We concentrate on the work and don’t let the second overwhelm by taking it shot by shot: Present up organized and ready, able to do the job. If you’re prepared and ready, that instills confidence to have the ability to do it. And whenever you’re assured, these nerves begin to soften away.

If you began this journey and received to the event course of, what have been your non-negotiables? What have been some rules you have been by no means keen to compromise?

I’ve by no means been requested that earlier than. What an important query. That the present begin in West Philadelphia, on location. That was one thing extremely essential to me, that we give context to Will’s life earlier than he received to Bel Air. If you consider that journey, that was all the time a lacking hyperlink. The unique Recent Prince pilot picks up with Will knocking on the door and we’re in Bel Air. What was his life like earlier than? What was the setting he woke as much as, what have been the sounds he woke as much as every single day? Giving that context makes the entire collection work, as a result of we perceive what his life was like. In order that was an absolute non-negotiable.

Casting was a non-negotiable for everybody. If we don’t solid this proper, it doesn’t work. The present falls aside if one member of this household is miscast. Everybody within the pilot, we needed to be assured with a household who aren’t solely phenomenal actors, however phenomenal individuals. The one approach I feel to inform an important story a couple of household is that they really need to be a household. That component was one other large non-negotiable.

Rising up with the unique Recent Prince, what have been the stuff you most wished to discover that resonated with you as an grownup male that maybe didn’t resonate with you as a baby?

From the start, I all the time envisioned this present coming full circle. That Will goes again house. Take into consideration having to depart your setting to develop new expertise to achieve extra perception, to widen your perspective. It’s that transformation that solely comes by leaving and having the ability to purchase all these new views, after which having the ability to carry that again to the place you’re from. That’s such an essential factor in life we have been in a position to discover. To see a younger man whose life modified via experiencing a brand new setting, and being round his household and rising together with his household.

It’s not a narrative a couple of younger man who goes to a brand new setting. It’s like a software program replace for our brains [like] once we journey, proper? After getting that, you’re in a position to come again to your setting the place you’re from with a totally new approach of current that may assist anyone else, that may assist widen different perspective. That story is extremely essential to me, and I do know it was extremely essential to the writers room.

It’s additionally redefining success. So most of the themes within the ’80s and early ’90s have been about getting away from the hood, with success being measured by how far you possibly can get away. Within the finale, it’s about how a lot it’s given Will and what extra Will can provide it.

We’re a lot stronger collectively as people. I’m actually proud this present has stayed dedicated to the significance of household and group. On the core it’s about empowerment, group and household. For that to be the messaging of a present is large. Folks will write or DM me, or I’ll see suggestions on-line of them simply saying. “It is a present I watch with my household each single week, and it brings us collectively. It’s one thing we discuss within the barbershops.” Or, “Oh, my son wished to start out a enterprise as a result of Will began a enterprise.” It takes us out of this mindset the place now we have to do every part ourselves. Like, when you may have household, you possibly can’t fail. And it’s a lot larger than simply making $10 million.

When you may have household, you might be stronger. You have got group, you may have groundedness. Now greater than ever, we want these messages. And to do this in a approach that’s fly and vibrant, in a approach that’s handcrafted was additionally actually essential to me once we began. One other non-negotiable was that this needed to really feel handcrafted in the way in which it’s shot and lit. I wanted the lighting to appear to be Italian Renaissance work. It’s very intentional, all these particulars of how we constructed the present.

When Recent Prince debuted, hip-hop-oriented scripted TV exhibits didn’t exist. It emerged in an period the place hip-hop was nonetheless being shunned by the mainstream. Recent Prince acknowledged that hip-hop was right here to remain. By making Hillary a culinary influencer, and bringing in components like proudly owning a hashish store, that Black athletes aren’t simply individuals who put a ball in a hoop or run a soccer down the sphere, Bel-Air does one thing related. All these issues add nuance and context to how Black persons are dwelling at present. The collection paid homage to these issues that got here earlier than, with the purpose of understanding that these are the instruments essential to create a much bigger and higher world.

This present is a mirrored image of the world, but in addition a mirrored image of what the world might be. Altering the narrative was additionally crucial. Programming can get caught on this cycle of regurgitated narratives. That is forward-thinking. There’s a futurist component that was extremely essential for this present to work that was embedded within the DNA. It’s all the time carried out via the context of character. And that’s one thing I’m actually pleased with. Carla [Banks Waddles, showrunner] did such an exceptional job of honoring the imaginative and prescient from all the selections being birthed from a spot of character, and never box-checking. Exhibits can get caught up in box-checking. However, what are we saying with these selections? When you may have a present pushed by selections impressed by and coming from writers’ sincere experiences, it interprets. I’m actually pleased with how a lot we have been ready to do this with this present.

Discuss increasing the illustration of Black males and Black manhood. When the present premiered, it addressed Phil and Will’s bond with familiarity as a result of Will had an expertise Phil associated to extra. However there was this gulf between him and his organic son Carlton as a result of his son was dwelling a life he knew nothing about. He and Will grew up enjoying basketball, Carlton grew up with chess and lacrosse. Are you able to discuss these totally different layers. in addition to bringing a brand new understanding to Geoffrey as properly.

I don’t have a elaborate reply. I assume my reply is a mirrored image of actual experiences. I really feel so usually the narrative round Black males on display screen is similar narrative: it’s one- or two-dimensional. Right here, we’re going to provide you three, 4, 5 dimensions, as a result of that’s our existence and that needed to be mirrored. After they’re mirrored, we are able to additional the dialog in our group. Outdoors our group, we are able to have a dialogue of sincere reflection. It’s not solely an honor to have the ability to try this, it’s a accountability to create from that lens. That can also be one thing uncompromising and a throughline in all my work.

Geoffrey’s such an attention-grabbing character as a result of I didn’t need there to be a Geoffrey character once we have been creating it. I instructed Will that. We have been on set of King Richard creating the present whereas he was taking pictures. He would do a take, come again within the tent for quarter-hour, and we might discuss. We have been making an attempt to crack Geoffrey as a result of I used to be like, “I don’t like the thought of there being [this butler character].” It simply made me really feel actually uncomfortable. And he was like, “Simply keep it up.”

I watched High Boy and simply beginning to study extra in regards to the Black expertise within the UK and the deep historical past of Black individuals in London, I used to be in a position to reimagine Geoffrey as this actually advanced human being who has a aspect that’s very tender and constant, and he’s a supercomputer. Geoffrey doesn’t miss something. But additionally, there’s one other aspect. There’s a darkness inside him. He has a yin and yang, so to talk. And that complexity is gorgeous.

Quincy Jones handed away final 12 months. An enormous purpose why Will Smith may come and do a Recent Prince is as a result of Quincy Jones was in a position to open that door. Then Will in flip was within the place to do this for you.

I met Quincy Jones after I first got here to L.A. in 2019, proper after we completed the deal. There was a screening at CAA, and I met him that evening. I met Clarence Avon that evening, too. I bear in mind sitting with Quincy and him saying, “I’m passing you the baton.” After I made that quick movie, Will may have simply sued me. As an alternative, he gave me a chance to adapt this into one thing huge. What a blessing. It’s such a lesson within the significance of opening doorways, and the way far again the branches can attain.

I take into consideration Jabari Banks, Olly Sholotan and these children who now have a chance to open doorways for different individuals. This complete human expertise factor turns into a lot extra wealthy and vibrant via opening doorways and planting new seeds. Hopefully by the tip of my life, these branches will proceed. However it began once more with Quincy. I really feel like a department of historical past in a approach. It’s simply an extension, and every part is related. So Will is anyone who I’ve an immense quantity of respect for. He’s a buddy, a mentor, and anyone who believed on this since day one. He reached out earlier than we even had 10,000 views. He cherished it then, and we received to see it via to the end line. I’m so grateful. God is so good.

All 4 seasons of Bel-Air are streaming on Peacock.