{"id":79212,"date":"2022-02-13T01:16:59","date_gmt":"2022-02-12T19:46:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/peacocks-bel-air-gives-fresh-prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers\/"},"modified":"2022-02-13T01:16:59","modified_gmt":"2022-02-12T19:46:59","slug":"peacocks-bel-air-gives-fresh-prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/peacocks-bel-air-gives-fresh-prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers\/","title":{"rendered":"Peacock&#8217;s &#8216;Bel-Air&#8217; gives &#8216;Fresh Prince&#8217; characters dramatic makeovers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\" aria-label=\"Video - 'Fresh Prince' stars revisit show's biggest controversy\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">We&#8217;d like to take a minute, just sit right there. We&#8217;ll\u00a0tell you how &#8220;<a href=\"\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2020\/11\/19\/fresh-prince-bel-air-reunion-will-smith-janet-hubert-feud\/6339597002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Fresh Prince<\/a>&#8221; was rebooted for a\u00a0drama called &#8220;<a href=\"\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2020\/09\/08\/smith-bel-air-fresh-prince-drama-reboot-lands-peacock\/5749734002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Bel-Air<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Peacock, the streaming service that premieres the first three episodes of the\u00a0weekly series Sunday, and producers recognized elements of a drama in the hit\u00a01990-96\u00a0NBC sitcom that launched <a href=\"\/story\/entertainment\/books\/2021\/11\/09\/smiths-will-shocking-takeaways-his-memoir\/6344343001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Will Smith<\/a>&#8216;s acting career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The theme song of\u00a0&#8220;<a href=\"\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2020\/09\/11\/fresh-prince-bel-air-smith-janet-hubert-chat-after-feud\/3466919001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air<\/a>&#8221; helpfully explains the premise: A\u00a0young Will is sent to live with his well-to-do Uncle Phil, Aunt Viv, and their three children\u00a0\u2013 Hilary, Carlton and Ashley\u00a0\u2013 after getting into a fight in his West Philly neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;You just ask the question, &#8216;Why\u00a0are Will and his mother living in Philadelphia\u00a0and struggling to get by, at times, (when) they have these relatives living in Bel-Air in luxury?'&#8221; says co-executive producer T.J. Brady of turning the show into a drama for <a href=\"\/story\/entertainment\/movies\/2021\/07\/06\/peacock-nbcs-streamer-have-all-universal-films-starting-2022\/7883798002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Peacock<\/a>.\u00a0&#8220;It&#8217;s just looking deeper at the actual premise and asking, &#8216;OK, if this was real, what would that look like?'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">&#8216;Excited&#8217; Will Smith\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2020\/09\/08\/smith-bel-air-fresh-prince-drama-reboot-lands-peacock\/5749734002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">reveals dramatic &#8216;Fresh Prince of Bel-Air&#8217; reboot coming to NBC&#8217;s Peacock<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">Will Smith\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"\/story\/entertainment\/books\/2021\/11\/09\/smiths-will-shocking-takeaways-his-memoir\/6344343001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">talks\u00a0abuse and Tupac Shakur: 5 surprising revelations from his new memoir<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img gnt_em_img__inset\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:451px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Peacocks-Bel-Air-gives-Fresh-Prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers.JPG\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The cast of the \u201990s comedy &quot;The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air&quot;: Joseph Marcell, Janet Hubert, James Avery, Karyn Parsons, Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, and Will Smith.\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Although &#8220;Fresh Prince&#8221; had drama of its own \u2013 Will was\u00a0shot during a\u00a0robbery, and\u00a0broken-hearted when his absent father abandoned\u00a0him once more\u00a0\u2013 the show was generally light\u00a0and showcased Smith&#8217;s knack for physical comedy. &#8220;Bel-Air,&#8221; in contrast, mirrors the seriousness of\u00a0film director Morgan Cooper&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/322620538\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">speculative trailer<\/a>\u00a0that went viral in 2019. (Cooper is a director, co-writer and executive producer for the new series.) Brady says the short served as &#8220;a very good North star&#8221;\u00a0for the new show&#8217;s aesthetic and tone.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">But\u00a0who would the &#8220;Fresh Prince&#8221; characters\u00a0be in today&#8217;s world?\u00a0&#8220;What would a three-dimensional version of that character look like?\u00a0What would they want? What would their dreams be? What would their flaws be?&#8221; Brady wondered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Rasheed Newson, another co-executive producer,\u00a0says &#8220;Bel-Air&#8221; &#8220;nods to the original and character traits&#8221;:\u00a0the new Will\u00a0borrows from the &#8220;Fresh Prince&#8221; theme song to explain his scuffle in Philly.\u00a0But\u00a0the remake avoids borrowing storylines, he says, &#8220;because that felt a bit disrespectful. We didn&#8217;t feel like we could do that better than they did it.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">&#8216;Fresh Prince&#8217; reunion:<\/strong><a href=\"\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2020\/11\/19\/fresh-prince-bel-air-reunion-will-smith-janet-hubert-feud\/6339597002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Will Smith and\u00a0Janet Hubert extinguish ugly, decades-long feud<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">Peacock,<\/strong><a href=\"\/story\/entertainment\/movies\/2021\/07\/06\/peacock-nbcs-streamer-have-all-universal-films-starting-2022\/7883798002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">\u00a0NBC&#8217;s streaming service, will have all Universal films starting in 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_vp gnt_em_vp__yt\" data-g-r=\"vp_tp\" data-c-vt=\"youtube\" aria-label=\"YouTube video\" aria-live=\"polite\"><a class=\"gnt_em_vp_a gnt_em_vp__yt_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rQ1uG91Bbls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-g-r=\"vp_tg\" data-c-vpattrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;rQ1uG91Bbls&quot;, &quot;id&quot;:&quot;6728674001&quot;}\" aria-label=\"Play YouTube video\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"gnt_em_vp_img gnt_em_vp_img__yn\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/rQ1uG91Bbls\/maxresdefault.jpg\" onload=\"if(this.naturalWidth&lt;200){this.setAttribute(&#039;onload&#039;,&#039;this.classList.remove(&#039;gnt_em_vp_img__yn&#039;)&#039;);this.src=\" https:=\"\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"\"><svg class=\"gnt_em_vp_svg\"><use xlink:href=\"#gnt_svg_video_play\"><\/use><\/svg><\/a><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;Bel-Air&#8221; also side-stepped\u00a0<a href=\"\/story\/life\/people\/2019\/03\/07\/alfonso-ribeiro-drops-carlton-dance-suit-against-fortnite\/3098433002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">the Carlton dance<\/a>, Alfonso Ribeiro&#8217;s memorable move of snapping and swinging his arms. (Ribeiro created the dance by marrying Courteney Cox&#8217;s appearance in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=129kuDCQtHs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Bruce Springsteen&#8217;s\u00a0&#8220;Dancing in the Dark&#8221; music video<\/a> and\u00a0Eddie Murphy&#8217;s impression of white people dancing in his comedy special &#8220;Raw,&#8221; the actor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YU-nVmcoDJs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">told HuffPost<\/a> in 2015.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;We&#8217;re trying very hard to establish our own world,&#8221; says Newson &#8220;We don&#8217;t want to take people out of the reality of our show, and, boy, the Carlton dance feels like maybe a step too far.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Meet the series&#8217; re-imagined characters:<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">Alfonso Ribeiro drops &#8216;Carlton Dance&#8217; suit\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"\/story\/life\/people\/2019\/03\/07\/alfonso-ribeiro-drops-carlton-dance-suit-against-fortnite\/3098433002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">against &#8216;Fortnite&#8217; video game creators<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:372px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Peacocks-Bel-Air-gives-Fresh-Prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"It&#039;s Jabari Banks&#039; turn to take over the role of Will for Peacock&#039;s hourlong drama &quot;Bel-Air.&quot;\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Will Smith\u00a0(Jabari Banks)\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">For the role of the new Will,\u00a0Brady envisioned\u00a0&#8220;someone with swagger&#8221; and &#8220;maybe a little bit more of a street edge.&#8221; Will is now a bright student with hopes of playing\u00a0basketball at\u00a0a Division 1 school. He&#8217;s shipped to Bel-Air after cops break up a brawl on the court in which Will pulls a gun on a notorious criminal in his neighborhood. &#8220;I\u2019m not gonna bury my son,&#8221; Will&#8217;s mom Viola (April Parker Jones) says while driving her son to the airport. &#8220;You got a second chance, baby. Don\u2019t waste it.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">As Newson explains, swapping a sitcom for a drama means the &#8220;Bel-Air&#8221; Will&#8217;s actions would follow him after\u00a0at an episode&#8217;s end. &#8220;Will would do something\u00a0rash or dangerous, and it would all be worked out\u00a0in 28 minutes.\u00a0Here, Will has to live with his bad decisions. He has to live with his mistakes. That opens him up to being more vulnerable,&#8221; he says. &#8220;It also means at times he can be angry, he can be upset. He just gets a fuller spectrum of emotions.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:441px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/1644695218_42_Peacocks-Bel-Air-gives-Fresh-Prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Olly Sholotan portrays Will&#039;s rich cousin Carlton Banks, initially threatened by his relative&#039;s presence.\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Carlton Banks (Olly Sholotan)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Carlton 2.0 is well-liked at Bel-Air Academy, in contrast to the dorkier depiction in the original series.\u00a0Older sister Hilary dubs him &#8220;the Jackie Robinson&#8221; of lacrosse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;In the sitcom, they\u00a0made fun of him because he did well in school and had assimilated to what could be thought of as a white culture,&#8221;\u00a0Newson says.\u00a0&#8220;But when we looked at that today, and we said, &#8216;OK, this kid is rich. He&#8217;s attractive. He&#8217;s an athlete. He makes good grades, and he&#8217;s of this rarified world,&#8217; it\u00a0dawned on us, this Carlton would be popular. He&#8217;d be one of the leaders of the school, and that was refreshing because it made him more of an equal to Will when Will arrives. And it made a clash inevitable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">This Carlton also dabbles in drugs. In the premiere, Will finds Carlton snorting what he says is Xanax when Will walks into his room unannounced. Later in the episode, Carlton sniffs more white powder at a party. Brady says Carlton&#8217;s drug usage adds\u00a0authenticity: &#8220;If you look at the realism of the situation, of privileged\u00a0young people in rich areas of Los Angeles, it&#8217;s just a reality. And for us not to acknowledge that would be a disservice to what we&#8217;re trying to do with the show.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u00a0But &#8220;it&#8217;s tied to his anxiety disorder, and it helped him have confidence and be the person who&#8217;s outgoing,&#8221; Newson says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img gnt_em_img__inset\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:450px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/1644695218_55_Peacocks-Bel-Air-gives-Fresh-Prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Adrian Holmes as Phillip Banks, who has his sights set on District Attorney.\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Uncle Phil Banks (Adrian Holmes)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In the debut episode Will arrives as the Bankses are hosting\u00a0a fundraiser for Uncle Phil&#8217;s bid for district attorney. Phil (originally portrayed by <a href=\"\/story\/life\/people\/2014\/01\/01\/james-avery-fresh-prince-of-bel-air-will-smith\/4278865\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">the late\u00a0James Avery<\/a>) tells attendees\u00a0he\u2019s \u201ctired of watching this broken system discard young Black men into the for-profit school to prison pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Brady says the campaign allows &#8220;the show to examine some of the larger issues, especially when it comes to the legal system as it relates to families of color.&#8221; It also spurs an internal conflict for the character, says\u00a0Newson.\u00a0&#8220;This Uncle Phil, he still has his own ambitions,\u00a0and he&#8217;s trying to do right by Will without letting Will complicate and ruin those ambitions,&#8221; says Newson.\u00a0&#8220;What is he going to choose? The well-being of his family or his own personal goal?&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:441px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/1644695219_591_Peacocks-Bel-Air-gives-Fresh-Prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks, the sister of Will&#039;s mom.\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Aunt Viv Banks (Cassandra Freeman)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Brady describes Will&#8217;s re-imagined Aunt Viv as &#8220;a brilliant artist who had to put her pursuit of an art career on hold when life got a little overwhelming.&#8221; He also notes that when Viv (a role shared by <a href=\"\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2020\/11\/19\/fresh-prince-bel-air-reunion-will-smith-janet-hubert-feud\/6339597002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Janet Hubert<\/a> and\u00a0Daphne Reid in the original series) was aspiring to become an artist, &#8220;the world was in a different place at that time and not necessarily as open to artists of color as it is now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The original premise allowed producers to draw parallels\u00a0between Will and Viv, who made her own journey to Bel-Air from Philadelphia decades earlier. &#8220;We realized these two are kindred spirits,&#8221; Newson\u00a0says. &#8220;It also got us thinking about who was Viv before she had children, before she met Phil. What we&#8217;re going to see in this new version is Will&#8217;s arrival really reawakens\u00a0Viv&#8217;s artistic side and her early ambitions that she\u00a0let slip away.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:441px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/1644695219_457_Peacocks-Bel-Air-gives-Fresh-Prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Coco Jones&#039; version of Hilary Banks is an influencer who has skills in the kitchen.\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Hilary Banks (Coco Jones)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Brady says the new version of Hilary (originated by\u00a0Karyn Parsons) is inspired by the\u00a0shopaholic. Still fashionable, the new Hilary helps Will dress for Phil&#8217;s fundraiser.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;Hilary, in the original, was often very concerned about appearances and how she looked, and she had a hunger for attention,&#8221; says Newson. For &#8220;Bel-Air,&#8221; she becomes an influencer with 75,000 followers. Newson says the team also &#8220;wanted to give her a skill that would translate and have value outside of social media.&#8221; They decided this Hilary can cook. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@warnerbrostv\/video\/6832052038101224709?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">The first Hilary at least learned to make toast<\/a>.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:441px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/1644695219_132_Peacocks-Bel-Air-gives-Fresh-Prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks, center, with her onscreen family played by Olly Sholotan and Adrian Holmes.\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Ashley Banks (Akira Akbar)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Viewers briefly meet Ashley, the youngest Banks child, in the &#8220;Bel-Air&#8221; premiere. She&#8217;s a 12-year-old who&#8217;s concerned about climate change and a &#8220;polarized political climate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cAshley is still an adorable sweetheart,&#8221;\u00a0Newson says,\u00a0&#8220;but in this re-imagining we will have her tackling some of the issues about identity and privilege that preteens face today.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The role was originally played by Tatyana Ali.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:441px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/1644695219_432_Peacocks-Bel-Air-gives-Fresh-Prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Geoffrey, the Banks&#039; butler on &quot;Fresh Prince,&quot; has been promoted to house manager. The role is played by Jimmy Akingbola.\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Geoffrey (Jimmy Akingbola)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The &#8220;Bel-Air&#8221; Geoffrey has the title of house manager, rather than butler-like &#8220;G&#8221; (Joseph Marcell) in &#8220;Fresh Prince.&#8221; And he doesn&#8217;t wear a uniform.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;We didn&#8217;t just want him to feel like an employee or a servant,&#8221; says\u00a0Newson.\u00a0&#8220;We try to elevate him more to the role of confidant&#8221; to Phil. He says the switch\u00a0also &#8220;gave the show someone who could speak truth to power. Geoffrey isn&#8217;t just some employee who&#8217;s like, &#8216;Yes, boss.&#8217; &#8216;OK, boss.&#8217; He can really challenge Phil in ways that almost no one else on the board can.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:441px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/1644695219_981_Peacocks-Bel-Air-gives-Fresh-Prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A spark between Lisa (Simone Jay Jones) and Will is complicated by the fact she previously dated Carlton.\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Lisa Wilkes\u00a0(Simone Joy Jones)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Lisa, introduced in the penultimate season of &#8220;Fresh Prince&#8221; (and played by <a href=\"\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2020\/07\/16\/nia-long-talks-charlies-angels-audition-not-getting-role\/5449904002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Nia Long<\/a>), helps illustrate &#8220;what was the Banks family doing before Will knocked at their door?&#8221;\u00a0Newson\u00a0says. The new version of Lisa is still a love interest for Will, but just to add to the drama, she&#8217;s now Carlton&#8217;s ex. Lisa is also a dedicated swimmer with dreams of going to the Olympics. \u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:372px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/1644695219_606_Peacocks-Bel-Air-gives-Fresh-Prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Jordan L. Jones&#039; Jazz wears many hats, including driver, in &quot;Bel-Air.&quot;\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Jazz (Jordan L. Jones)<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Jazz, first played by Smith&#8217;s friend and collaborator <a href=\"\/story\/life\/entertainthis\/2016\/05\/11\/will-smith-and-dj-jazzy-jeff-had-a-glorious-reunion\/84226592\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">DJ Jazzy Jeff<\/a>, has several hustles. His business card calls him a\u00a0vinyl expert, DJ, flower deliverer\u00a0and private transportation provider, which is how Jazz meets Will, during\u00a0a ride to the Bankses&#8217;\u00a0from the Los Angeles airport.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;He&#8217;s great, in part because he&#8217;s a good confidant to Will,&#8221;\u00a0says Newson, before sharing something worthy of a celebration with<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/video\/2018\/06\/07\/dont-try-give-jazzy-jeff-fresh-prince-handshake\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">\u00a0a Jazz and Will handshake<\/a>. &#8220;But also \u2013 and this goes back to the original\u00a0\u2013\u00a0there is an ongoing flirtation between Jazz and Hilary, which we explore later in this season.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__lp gnt_em_gl gnt_em__el\" href=\"\/picture-gallery\/entertainment\/movies\/2019\/12\/29\/will-smith-10-best-movies-ranked\/2770544001\/\" data-t-l=\":l|l|c|view gallery:inline promo\" aria-label=\"View Gallery - Will Smith's 10 best movies, ranked\" data-g-r=\"nav_mo\" data-g-tn=\"pgcss\" data-g-mtn=\"pg2770544001\" data-g-moh=\"hpgm\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-expanded=\"false\" onmousedown=\"event.stopPropagation()\" onmouseup=\"event.stopPropagation()\" data-c-id=\"2770544001\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"gnt_em_gl_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/1644695219_929_Peacocks-Bel-Air-gives-Fresh-Prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"372\" title=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;d like to take a minute, just sit right there. We&#8217;ll\u00a0tell you how &#8220;Fresh Prince&#8221; was rebooted for a\u00a0drama called &#8220;Bel-Air.&#8221; Peacock, the streaming service that premieres the first three episodes of the\u00a0weekly series Sunday, and producers recognized elements of a drama in the hit\u00a01990-96\u00a0NBC sitcom that launched Will Smith&#8216;s acting career. The theme song [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":79213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101,3,105,106],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Peacocks-Bel-Air-gives-Fresh-Prince-characters-dramatic-makeovers.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79212"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}