Claire Kay Hernandez

In December of 2021, I had the privilege of visiting the set of BEL-AIR. I along with several other reporters were given the opportunity to group interview with series regulars: Jimmy Akingbola as “Geoffrey”, Jordan L. Jones as “Jazz”,  Simone Joy Jones as “Lisa” We got to ask them about preparing for the role, what it’s like on set, and what they’ve learned from this experience thus far. Having candid conversations with the cast was such an intimate way to get an understanding of these reimagined characters and the new life being brought to this story.

Question: I was going to ask, is it nerve-wracking or is there some sort of anxiousness that comes with living up to people’s expectations? Because when the trailer came out with this idea about dramatizing the series people had their “ don’t touch this,” mentality for it, but for you guys individually with these very iconic characters, is there any nervousness or are you afraid about the response? 

Jimmy Akingbola: That’s a good question actually, I feel like we are perfectly placed you know. Because of what we’ve done, I feel like if you loved the original, you’re going to love this one because we dug deeper into all the issues that we are not able to explore in the comedy and you get to know your favorite characters even more. [Plus] a lot of people don’t read. Those that post “Oh Why Are They Doing That?” – it’s like okay guys we are doing a drama, it’s a new reimagining, so once people go “ahh okay, ” I think they’re going to love it , I’m a big fan of ‘Coming To America,’ I wasn’t sure about [the second movie], I was like im a fan of number one so i’m already invested in it and I think that’s what people are going to have with this, but we’re going to match that with the excellence of the show. I don’t think you can go around the world and say ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ with people not knowing about it, but there are some people who have never watched it…There are people who may go “What’s that?” It’s a show that Will Smith was in but I think if you haven’t watched it, then this shows gonna make you want to go back to the original. I think there’s enough space. In terms of us telling our stories, this is the version with – it’s got heart in it. And I feel like you shouldn’t just have the one show, you know, we can have the other shows and I think it’s going to sit up there along with the classics . 

Jordan L. Jones: I really agree with Jimmy. I feel like especially to that second point where it’s like, even if you haven’t seen the show – well, first of all, yeah, I’m nervous. I’m actually really excited, like, of course, nervous. Just come with it. You know, in a way it’s a brand, you know, it’s ‘The Fresh Prince,’ but it’s, like he said, if you haven’t seen ‘The Fresh Prince,’ you wouldn’t really need to. If you see our first episode, and just the storyline and the drama and the excitement. It’s a really good show, honestly. And it’s not anything like the original, of course, like we show nods and stuff but its just that we’re not trying to be the same exact show, like we’ve already said. Each character has their own depth. It’s not just like, okay, we know that main person’s, like, everybody’s gonna love Jabari, you know, but everybody has their differences – you know we all watch TV. So everyone has their favorite different characters in the thing. And I feel like that’s gonna be the show. And I’m excited for people to finally just watch it because like you said, like, you know, in the comments, were like, {Imitates comments). Yall dont read, Like there’s no way we could do the sitcom. There’s no way it ‘s literally the best show ever. 

Question : I think it is important. You both are [talking] about, like making room for…Because a lot of times it’s like, you get one shot to do this one type of thing. So personally I’m excited for it. But I initially told Jabari this earlier, I was kind of that person [who was like] “oh, my goodness, not them doing another…” 

Jordan L. Jones: I was like that too, but that was because I didn’t read.

Simone Joy Jones: That’s what, initially when it comes across your desk. I really read the pilot and I was just like “what!” Reading the pilot, and then knowing the vision of the trailer that I had before. It was just like, Okay, we’re really grounding ourselves in honesty, and authenticity. And then speaking to, we all watched the pilot a couple of weeks ago, and we sat down, we’re like, okay, you know, we come into our job, but we don’t know what it looks like. And then we left that room exhaling and then just deepening into work. It was just like really catching our stride because it was just like, Okay, I see the vision, I feel the vision I trust the creatives here I mean, to the lighting design, the set design the locations we have, we’re really getting to saturate the world that we that we so loved before and then really dig deeper into it and so that’s why it’s hard to put them side by side and that’s what’s great about it you know, So yeah. 

Question: We were talking about this, Carlton didn’t date Lisa in the original right? Or was that something that we missed? 

Simone Joy Jones: The first like introduction to Lisa kind of had like a little triangle or you know, cuz it was a little prank situation. And but you know, ended off with Carlton running off scared and then you know, Lisa and Will kind of had the playing field. But what’s great about Lisa is she’s not just her relationship to will and she’s not just a relationship to Carlton which is so great. She has a whole human being who has goals of the Olympics, you know, she has like, okay, the boys do lacrosse the boys do basketball but I’m on track for the Olympics and she’s really strong and she’s powerful and even though she’s in what’s very unique about Lisa is she’s in different situations. So Lisa’s really cool because she gets to kind of build you know, and flourish in different ways than we saw on the original so I think she’s going to be full of surprises. 

Question: Kind of piggybacking off of that. How did you make Lisa your own? 

Simone Joy Jones: Oh, Lisa, I mean, just piggybacking on your idea of being that girl, you know, and then what does that girl mean to us right now? And what does that girl mean to me was that girl, means to Will, and the different inspirations we have in our culture right now. Who are the girls who are making strides? I went to Carnegie Mellon. And I was in the musical theater program, but the girls who coded, the girls who are in mechanical engineering. So, like the girls who work hard and have such strength, but not just look like the strong black woman she has. She’s so giggly, you know, we get to see her peel back the layers and be vulnerable. And so I think that’s what Lisa is just going through life your best, and making it your own. 

Question: What are some things you guys have learned about yourself in the process of making this show? 

Jordan L. Jones: I was like, Damn, I’m really good at this. 

Simone Joy Jones: For me, it’s been a big learning curve with time management. Because you know, there’s this, that learning the lines, and then getting a whole new script the day before, and you’re like, oh, my gosh, not the whole new script, you know, this thing is the same, a different wording, because it’s one of my first time doing TV, you know, cuz I’m a theater girl, so I know who the character is, who the world is, and maybe read all of the playwrights stuff beforehand. So I’m like, I know exactly what I’m walking into. This was a big learning curve, because we have to build with these characters as we go. It is great, because we have, you know, a universe to look back to but still with,building a new chapter of this, it’s gonna be brand new. So I think that’s the biggest learning curve. Well, I said, time management. But then what I said after that didn’t make sense. But also just learning the, the, how to bring my all into my work through TV instead of theater. I think that was my big learning curve.

BEL-AIR — “Keep Ya Head Up” Episode 102 — Pictured: Simone Jay Jones as Lisa — (Photo by: Greg Gayne/Peacock)

Jordan L. Jones: Yeah, I think there are almost I think, in this show, I think what I did learn really is like to take chances. And this is really Morgan, like Morgan gives us really free rein, one of the things he always tells us is that, uh, yeah, I’m here to make you shine. So like, whatever you want to do, like, go ahead and do it. And a lot of like, directors and like, people say that, like, you know, they kind of hold you back. You know, like, when I was on like the Rel show, you know, it’s comedy. But I’m with all these kinds of, like, really big comedians. So y’all taking chances, but I wasn’t really, you know, sitcom, I’m not trying to do too much. I’m really just happy to be there. In this, You know, I was scared. Like, I had, like, a couple improv lines and like, the cameras and shit was laughing so we had to reshoot it. And I was like, I was scared to, like, do the line in a way because I was like, what if they’re like, hey, you know, cut it back, we do our line, you know? And it was different, because it’s not a sitcom. We used to film every week to a live studio audience. This is like, Yo, like, take as much time as you want. Take more pauses, I do. slowly learn that. And even when I’m taking chances and doing stuff, I go to Morgan, I’ll be like, Yo, is that cool? He’s like, Dude, can you do more? Right? And I’m like, wow.

Jimmy Akingbola: Yeah, you know, but there’s something, doing this job and getting a job. I don’t know for me learning about sort of being present and being in the moment and accepting the universe works in some crazy ways. Right. And so when I look at the way that your show got picked up, Morgan just put that trailer out there that I thought was the trailer for what we’re doing now. And then I when we all met, everybody’s got a story about how they got the job in terms of where they were in their life. Just come out. still sort of in it, but the pandemics have been a crazy time. And, and there’s something that is spiritual, for me is that this is this is just bizarre. We’ve all come from a certain place, and a lot of things have happened. And, and yeah, I think it’s been it’s meant to be you know, and that’s those that’s about being present and trusting and not going against that momentum. And and there’s so many stories on this on this production line. Even Jabari dressing up as the Fresh Prince of college. You know, I know the original Fresh Prince, he played my father. I mean, Geoffrey, he played my father in a show several years ago, and to now be playing these characters. That’s just, that’s just crazy. And then, and the fact is, when you audition, right? You put stuff out there, did the first audition and I was like, oh, no, I really want this and it feels right, because, you know from doing I do comedy as wellI did a show with Idris Elba. Did some sitcoms in UK. And then also I do drama. And the fact that this was encompassing both and I was just like this, this is me. And so you can have you think that it doesn’t happen. But I just feel like that’s been happening for all of us. 

Question: You mentioned a minute ago that some people hadn’t seen the Fresh Prince and it made me think. And I was wondering, in what ways does the sort of black brit experience inform this character? And how does that play out?

BEL-AIR — “Love and Go On” Episode 106 — Pictured: (l-r) Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffery, Adrian Holmes as Phillip Banks — (Photo by: Tyler Golden/Peacock)

Jimmy Akingbola: Thank you. That’s a really good question. I feel informed in a way that me & Morgan talked about this authenticity, you know, and you try to try to make sure that through Geoffrey we were able to educate people and show people that there are so many different types of black people in our community. Like I said, the other day, it’s like the whole spectrum of the black community, but it’s also quite specific when you come to some black Brits, you know, and, and so and even like black, Geoffrey being black Brit, but Caribbean, African, you know, and so, we’ve we’ve peppering in little bits of pieces like that, that I think is gonna sort of open up, like, you know, okay, i know someone like Geoffrey, I think he’s from this, this place. And also, it’s like, it’s about being accurate with that in terms of the dialogue character. And, and so, the other side, for us also, is to make sure that people watching the UK they’re like, Yeah, that’s Geoffrey whereas, you know, some people might have looked at it and go like, that’s not me; I can’t relate to that. And so we try to tell our story, but make sure we educate and make sure that we are represented. 

From Executive Producer Will Smith and Westbrook Studios, BEL-AIR is streaming Super Bowl Sunday, February 13.