Will Smith played a character just like him – kind of
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was a success from the start and catapulted Will Smith to superstardom. After the show’s run ended in 1996, Smith had taken his music success and turned it into a lucrative acting career. Some of his most famous films include “Independence Day,” “I Am Legend,” “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” “Men In Black,” and “The Pursuit of Happyness” (via IMDb).
But did Will Smith like playing Will Smith, someone who may have started life in the same place the actor did, but who ended up in a different place in a different manner? In 1996, he told Ebony Magazine that playing a version of himself on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was not always something he enjoyed. “My life experiences are so far beyond the character’s life experiences. It was almost like a regression for me to play the character,” Smith said in the interview, as his sitcom run was coming to a close (via Cheat Sheet). That doesn’t mean he regretted the experience. In the fall of 2020, while adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols, Smith brought together “The Fresh Prince” cast for a reunion that as of this writing can be streamed on HBO Max (via Cheat Sheet).
What Will Smith Disliked About His Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Character
Jerod Harris/Getty Images
By Hope Campbell/July 6, 2021 10:54 am EST
Will Smith played a character just like him – kind of
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was a success from the start and catapulted Will Smith to superstardom. After the show’s run ended in 1996, Smith had taken his music success and turned it into a lucrative acting career. Some of his most famous films include “Independence Day,” “I Am Legend,” “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” “Men In Black,” and “The Pursuit of Happyness” (via IMDb).
But did Will Smith like playing Will Smith, someone who may have started life in the same place the actor did, but who ended up in a different place in a different manner? In 1996, he told Ebony Magazine that playing a version of himself on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was not always something he enjoyed. “My life experiences are so far beyond the character’s life experiences. It was almost like a regression for me to play the character,” Smith said in the interview, as his sitcom run was coming to a close (via Cheat Sheet). That doesn’t mean he regretted the experience. In the fall of 2020, while adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols, Smith brought together “The Fresh Prince” cast for a reunion that as of this writing can be streamed on HBO Max (via Cheat Sheet).
But did Will Smith like playing Will Smith, someone who may have started life in the same place the actor did, but who ended up in a different place in a different manner? In 1996, he told Ebony Magazine that playing a version of himself on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was not always something he enjoyed. “My life experiences are so far beyond the character’s life experiences. It was almost like a regression for me to play the character,” Smith said in the interview, as his sitcom run was coming to a close (via Cheat Sheet).
That doesn’t mean he regretted the experience. In the fall of 2020, while adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols, Smith brought together “The Fresh Prince” cast for a reunion that as of this writing can be streamed on HBO Max (via Cheat Sheet).
