William 'Will' Smith The two collapse into an embrace. I'm sorry, Will. Look no further than Atlantic Records' $125/Day Fort. All of these qualities make him one of our great television characters; all of these qualities make him rife for roasts from his cousin Will; all of these qualities add to the interesting playing with and subverting of what kinds of racial depictions we saw on television in the early '90s. Will reminds us), and Carlton's pristine visions of fairness and equality (not to mention his wealth and status) are shattered in the face of abject racism. But it means, more than ever, we can't lose faith in people. Director Shelley Jensen describes this episode as a turning point in Smith's performance, noting his acting improved dramatically after it. 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William 'Will' Smith : He's my father. Tags: fresh prince of bel air, sad, scene, Will Smth, father, The Story Behind The Saddest "Fresh Prince" Scene Is Not What You Think, The Evolution of the Internet: 90s to Now. ButThe Fresh Princemight be the most successful because of what it implies about the future of its characters, and how neatly it closes the arc for Will. I just wish I hadn't wasted my money buying this stupid present. Will says in one episode, while the camera tilts up to literally show the studio lights). So is he a cop? That awful moment when you learn that this wasnt scripted. : Geoffrey Butler: Master William, walk this way. When we started the series, Will was definitely not there, but he grew as a man and as an actor, he said. It's a stunning piece of performance that lays the groundwork for the series' deft juggling of silliness and sincerity perfectly. Smith would even come out himself and hype up the audience. Philip, for God's sake. Several years after Fresh Prince ended, Will got a chance to really flex his own fatherly skills on the big screen when he starred in The Pursuit of Happyness and After Earth with his son Jaden. Geoffrey Butler: I am not your Uncle Philip. But as he reveals to Will in a tense, hospital-set two-hander finale (staged this time, curiously,with a studio audience), he hopes deep down inside that he can meet the man who shot Will, and get his revenge. Published Mar 12, 2022. Dont act around me, act with me. The advice worked. Class and race issues are at the core of Will's journey from Philadelphia to Bel-Air, and after a series of fish-out-of-water shenanigans where Will's lower-class upbringing clashes with the Banks' upper-class upbringing during a dinner party, these tensions explode explicitly. Youwillcry at the acapella song the family sings over the credits. [Uncle Phil rushes forward to hug Will, and Will breaks down sobbing]. Revealing that he bought Lou a present a sculpture of a father holding his son he insists that he's made it through his entire life, and all of his formative moments, without his dad, and that he'll just keep going. Because you're my son and I love you. The duo was forced to pivot when 'Fresh Prince' came along. Hed get this look that said, One more step, Will, and itll get ugly. He was an independent businessman-he set up refrigeration in supermarkets-and he always provided for us. Will Smith: Oh, okay, well uh, cheerio and all that Walter now. [after Lou cancels his trip with Will and leaves] He rages at his cousin about the futility of violence and revenge. : Hed get this look that said, One more step, Will, and itll get ugly. He was an independent businessman-he set up refrigeration in supermarkets-and he always provided for us. The Fresh Princeis unbelievably silly, no doubt, with its oft-arch performances and willingness to surreally break the fourth wall ("How come we can't afford ceilings?" Whatever he needed, whether it was a pat on the head or a kick in the pants, I was there for him. Just for a couple of weeks. Frank Schaeffer Jr. (cousin) Reuben (great-uncle) Eleanor (great-aunt) William "Will" Smith (portrayed by Willard "Will" Smith) is a fictionalized version of Smith and main character in the 1990-1996 NBC television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the 2022 Peacock streaming television drama Bel-Air, portrayed in the latter series by . Vivian and Carlton are excited to see their Uncle Lou, and Ashley (who was a baby when Lou walked out) and baby Nicky get to meet him for the first time. Smith and his musical partner DJ Jazzy Jeff were already big names on the hip-hop scene when the Fresh Prince opportunity presented itself. : Carlton's response comes not as a surprise, but as a well-practiced speech, something he's been having to reckon with his entire life. See production, box office & company info, [after Lou cancels his trip with Will and leaves]. Will. Will and his dad, Willard Carroll Smith, Sr., remained on good terms until he passed away in November 2016. When my father got out of the Air Force, he started his own refrigeration business. When Will calls him Lou, oh my God, his whole frame just shrunk because he realized at that point that hed lost his son. Both parties have lots to positively learn about each other. Uncle Phil, however, thinks Lou will again disappoint his son. He uses his emotions like an instrument, starting as strong as he can, until it can't help but fracture and fall. The rest of the family may find this all surprising, and Uncle Phil may at first think Frank (Baker) is a valet (in one of the best-staged act outs I've seen in a TV comedy; not to mention its sneakily provocative racial flip). Ribeiro plays this sequence like a man on a precipice, a fork in the road for Carlton, a thrillingly unpredictable piece of theater that even speaks to that common theater rule involving guns on stage. It's Carlton, Phil's son, whom we see suffer this trauma the most severely, even more so than Phil himself. Are you a content creator looking for an opportunity to show your stuff? Its already in there, you know what it is. are heading to New England themselves to be closer to their family. Smith gave his first highlight-reel performance, and it wouldnt have been possible with Uncle Phil, who whispered something in Smiths ear while they were hugging on camera: To read more about the episode, click here. Lou Smith : [to Will] You see, the day you were born was the happiest day of my life. : That happened. During an average taping, The Fresh Prince set was like a raucous football stadium. Lou claims it was great to see Will again, and Will responds "You too Lou" instead of Dad, officially disowning Lou as his father. But during filming of this episode, director Jensen likened the mood of the normally wild show to being in church.. Lou Smith Boulware, who also wrote the episode of 227 in which a characters father pops back into the picture, drew from his own life experience for the script. attentiveness vs attention will smith fresh prince dad scene script. Becoming an actor, model, or performer is tough. Has this period, reactionary and transitory in intention, ended with an anticlimactic ellipses rather than an emphatic exclamation? Zuckerman described Lou as "a guy that just wasn't cut out to be a father.". We see this formative piece of growing up reacted to in two different ways a very problematic one, that happens to be driven by two leading men; and an incredibly sensitive, sincere, and real one, that happens to be driven by two leading women. The actor was so convincing in his delivery that the entire audience started crying. It kinda stinks, is what I'm saying, even when these two male knuckleheads eventually learn their lesson. And finally, just like any great play, she tells her sister Janice what's really going on. Adding, "You might notice his hat coming off. Philip Banks Within Smith's oeuvre, the Fresh Prince mode dominates in other roles like Oscar the fish in the animated film Shark Tale and the 1993 movie Made in America. The altercation purportedly began when the then neophyte actor felt a scene wasn't working on his sitcom, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and unilaterally made some changes to the script . After all, given his upbringing, getting threatened by folks packing guns is an unfortunately common part of life. He's now his own person, living in his new life, that he himself built this whole time. Will Smith recalls iconic "how come he don't want me" scene + Being pushed by James Avery Streaming Black 3.83K subscribers Subscribe 3.3M views 4 years ago Black Press Media Group, July 2018. I was actually at the taping. The episode title is a reference to the James Brown song. In celebration of its 30th anniversary (the pilot aired September 10, 1990), I wondered why this show continues to play so wonderfully and warmly where so many other '90s sitcoms become forgotten. And he told us that this was going to be our gig over the summer. While hes hugging me, he whispers in my ear, 'Thats f---ing acting right there, recalled Smith, who also revealed the motivation behind that performance. : : This article was published more than2 years ago, This week marks the 30th anniversary of the premiere of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the classic 1990s sitcom that transformed a buoyant (and broke) young rapper into Will Smith, blockbuster movie star. So what's the real story behind the tear-jerking scene, you ask? Prior to 'Fresh Prince' both Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff were set on releasing albums. Let's come up with something better that you can call me. Lou seems hurt by this, but he can't think of anything else to say, and after reflecting for a moment, he quickly walks out without another word. Now that the building is done, he gets to live in it. It's a simple trick, perhaps best-known in the final moments ofCheers. Recently, a rumor started to circulate that this scene wasn't scripted, and that Will Smith really lost it because his actual father was an absentee. William 'Will' Smith For more, www.smithlgreg.com, The Best Serious Moments in 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air', 'The Last of Us' Made Flashbacks Work, But Episode 7's Doesn't, The 10 Best 'South Park' Episodes of All Time, Ranked According to IMDb, 10 Best Villains from 'Batman: The Animated Series', Ranked. : The story behind the episode is almost as good as the episode itself. Ben Vereen (Lou) stated in an interview that he broke into tears himself after walking out of the camera shot. [long pause as Will struggles to regain his composure]. That childlike sense of rage, coupled with his newfound maturity, rises into his throat; his final act of defiance is to refuse to call his father "Dad," opting for his name instead. In reality, Smith's parents separated when he was 13 but his father remained a major figure in his life up to his death in 2016. It's purely powerful stuff, the kind of moment that immediately casts the rest of the episode in a better glow. | But Carlton is actually, literally Phil's son. But then, in an all-time line reading, Will simply asks his uncle, "How come he don't want me, man?" As such, "Mistaken Identity" served (serves?) Will, it's all right to be angry. In the episode, Wills father shows up unexpectedly after a 14-year absence. Hey, he wasn't there to teach me how to shoot my first basket, but I learned, didn't I? Will then, becoming a touch of a father figure himself, must set his cousin straight. And I got pretty damn good at it too, didn't I, Uncle Phil? What is the Spanish language plot outline for Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse (1994)? I've been waiting for this for a long time, my whole life and ain't nobody gonna stop me. (HBO Max) Will recalled the episode where his character's father resurfaces after 14 years. Uncle Phil, his characters influential father figure, is concerned and makes his disgust with Lou known. Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper.Known for variety of roles, Smith has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award and four Grammy Awards. After the following perfect take, which made it into the final episode, Avery whispered in Smith's ear during Will and Uncle Phil's hug, "That's fucking acting right there. Lou Smith But it wasnt until the fourth season, with its characters deeply established, that the show decided to tackle the subject in depth. Even if the performance wasnt real, it was real enough to be remembered 20 years later. Not quite. Will Smiths acting in it was flawless, the words and script were so real too. Will believes that Uncle Phil is jealous and tells him that hes not his real dad. 2019 Ted Fund Donors In the episode, Will's deadbeat father Lou (played by Broadway legend Ben Vereen) returns after a 14-year absence to spend time with his son. The two are prepared to take a cross-country trip around the country for the remainder of the summer, but Philip sees that this reunion and trip is in Lou's favor rather than Will's. Will Smith: Oh, my fault, man. We were all in the moment. For survival, please dont marry this man.". The much-acclaimed show recently completed its 30th anniversary. Who needs him? While working at the Los Angeles University student restaurant, Will recognizes a customer - his father - whom he has not seen for 14 years. Looking for Disney, Game of Thrones, or Marvel movie casting calls? The most effective and illuminating emotional reaction to this doesn't orient around Will, however at least not directly. It's a brilliantly played scene, rife with warmth and gentility even as they discuss tricky stuff. Philip Banks The slimmies of summer come to class wearing next to nothing, you know what I'm saying Philip Banks He's an associate editor for Collider and has written for Shudder, CBS, Paste Magazine, Guff, Smosh, Obsev Studios, and more. Use me. Much of "Not with My Cousin You Don't," as you might guess by the title, is predicated on icky gender-role shenanigans. William 'Will' Smith: [shouts] To hell with him! With Wednesday's press night under her belt and a standing ovation to . Vivian Banks It's a shocking, plainspoken admission of society's privilege, one that gives the character tons of empathy and understanding. And Will sets himstraight. Hilary and Ashley are heading to New York, Carlton is heading to Princeton, and Phil and Viv (and Nicky; remember Nicky?) Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to be part of an upcoming music vid "Dad was tough but not tyrannical," Smith told Essence. Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name the Fresh Prince, is an American actor, rapper, and producer.Noted for his work in music, television, and film, Smith has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, four Grammy Awards, and Avery immediately pulled him aside and gave him a pep talk, telling him to make eye contact with Uncle Phil, which would help guide the performance and get Smith into the emotional state Will needed to be in. This episode, and especially this scene, tends to prove Mr. Mamet wrong. We went brick by brick for the entire summer and into winter and then back into spring. Zuckerman firmly squashed the rumor in a 2020 article, stating the entire episode and that scene in particular were tightly scripted, citing Smith's acting ability as a testament to it seeming spontaneous. Philip Banks The first time I held you, I didn't think I'd ever put you down. Will is at the Peacock when he sees a man staring at him. He loves dancing, especially to Tom Jonesand theSugarhill Gang. So there you have it everyone! Will never, ever, forget.. Emotional and great. And when Carlton does buck up and speak to his father, vulnerability and everything, it's simply stunning television. It was a formula that clearly worked, considering theres a good chance well be seeing more of the Tanners soon, but it was super-corny, especially when compared to another so-called kids show that was on the same time, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Lou Smith : I just wasn't ready to be a father. However Vivian has previously stated that hers, violas, Helens and Janices maiden name is Smith. Recently, a rumor started to circulate that this scene wasn't scripted, and that Will Smith really lost it because his actual father was an absentee.