South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Banks crowned new fresh prince
Jabari Banks knew he was close to getting the starring role of Will in “Bel-Air,” the dramatic take of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” but his confidence started to wane when he was asked to do one more Zoom audition with show director Morgan Cooper.
“I’m like, ‘I don’t know what he wants to see, but I’m gonna give him everything I got,’ the 23-year-old said. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna put everything into this audition.’ ”
Banks found a quiet place — a friend’s closet — and logged in, only to see a familiar face staring back at him, Will Smith.
“I didn’t think it was real,” Banks said. “He’s like, ‘I want to congratulate you. You got the part of Will in ‘Bel-Air.’ ”
And then in true Smith exuberance, the superstar directed Banks to invite those with him to join the Zoom. “He was like, ‘Where is everybody? Go get them,’ said Banks. So a lot of my friends met Will.”
And that’s how Banks became the (new) prince of Bel-Air. The series is now streaming on Peacock.
Cooper says searching for the actor to play the new Will was not an easy task, and that he was looking “for a unicorn.”
“Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of auditions poured in. We needed a guy who had the swagger, the charisma, but also the pure acting chops, who uses his eyes,” he said. “Jabari Banks is such a star, and he shines so bright.”
The parallels between Smith and Banks seem tailor-made for Hollywood. Like Smith, Banks is from west Philadelphia. He’s also a musician working on his own EP, which he says is a mix of R&B, hip-hop and alternative genres, and plans to release
it later this year.
Banks says he’s taking this huge opportunity “one day at a time,” and cites an anecdote from Smith’s autobiography, “Will,” about his father assigning him and his brother to build a wall brick by brick.
“I’ve been following that motto and going about my day to day like that,” he said.
In “Bel-Air,” a 16-yearold high school basketball star named Will is playing at a local court when he gets into a scuffle with a gang. The situation escalates, and Will is arrested. Once he’s released, his mother sends him to stay with his aunt and uncle. He’ll enroll in school there until things calm down.
In real life, Banks found himself at a crossroads his junior year of high school. He loved basketball but low grades made him ineligible to play.
Banks’ mom told him, “You have to find
something to do after school,” so he joined a theater group. That’s where he says he fell in love with performing.
The acting newcomer says he’s looking forward to meeting more Black artists who can help him navigate showbiz.
“I’d love to work with LaKeith Stanfield. Big fan of him. Huge fan of Denzel (Washington.). Daniel Kaluuya, I’d love to work with him and Sterling K. Brown. Damson Idris. These are all artists that I look up to.”
Feb. 27 birthdays: Actor Joanne Woodward is 92. Actor Barbara Babcock is
85. Actor Debra Monk is
73. Actor Timothy Spall is 65. Singer Johnny Van Zant is 62. Percussionist Leon Mobley is 61. Actor Grant Show is 60. Actor Donal Logue is 56. Singer Chilli is 51. Singer Josh Groban is 41. Actor Kate Mara is 39.