By the time Phil and Viv show up to bail them out, and for Phil to deliver a typically fiery speech about what justice should look like in this country (delivered to a particularly weaselly-looking Hank Azaria), the damage is done. William 'Will' Smith Looking for Disney, Game of Thrones, or Marvel movie casting calls? The slimmies of summer come to class wearing next to nothing, you know what I'm saying Philip Banks: Will, it's all right to be angry. : And I got pretty damn good at it too, didn't I, Uncle Phil? Daddy-O! But much of white America remained (remains?) Technical Specs, [after Lou cancels his trip with Will and leaves], [after discovering Will's father unexpectedly]. William 'Will' Smith: [shouts] To hell with him! 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. That awful moment when you learn that this wasnt scripted. Lou is, indeed, going to walk out of Will's life again, having scammed the Banks family for what he needs. I wanted him to approve of me., Fans of the show have long believed that Smith improvised that final scene in which his character builds to an emotional crescendo, loudly proclaiming all the milestones he got through without Lou, but every word was written by Bill and I, Zuckerman said. You see, the day you were born was the happiest day of my life. The first time I held you, I didn't think I'd ever put you down. Sometimes, to end an sitcom, you need the main character of your sitcom to look around a now-empty set for the last time, turn off the lights, and leave. I'll be a better father than he ever was, and I sure as hell don't need him for that, 'cause ain't a damn thing he could ever teach me about how to love my kids! Smith was known for his clean lyrics, and his hits were . Ain't like I'm still five years old, you know. (One year later, Rodney King's beating by police will spark a series of protests and clashes in Los Angeles.) This version of the character was received poorly by Will Smith at the initial table read, and so Lou was rewritten as a somewhat more sympathetic character, who at least had a legitimate job as a truck driver. James Avery (Uncle Phil) is also visibly in tears. Hilary and Ashley are heading to New York, Carlton is heading to Princeton, and Phil and Viv (and Nicky; remember Nicky?) The actor went off-script and played . You know, if there was something that l William 'Will' Smith: You know what, you ain't got to do nothing, Uncle Phil. Look at me. Excuse me. HD1080p WILL'S DAD EMOTIONAL SAD SCENE ON THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIRNEW 2013 OF. Has this period, reactionary and transitory in intention, ended with an anticlimactic ellipses rather than an emphatic exclamation? Smith and his musical partner DJ Jazzy Jeff were already big names on the hip-hop scene when the Fresh Prince opportunity presented itself. Will makes it to the hospital, and even has a laissez-faire gallows sense of humor about the whole ordeal. : Jensen said Avery, who died in 2013, was a driving force on set. Beyond its visceral, gut-punching thrills as a theatrical sequence, this moment is a stark reminder to Carlton, and to everyone watching: We can lose faith in systems that resort to violence, rightly so. The slimmies of summer come to class wearing next to nothing, you know what I'm saying Philip Banks William 'Will' Smith I didn't know there was so many brothers living in the neighborhood. But that specific episode? Look no further than Atlantic Records' $125/Day Fort. It kinda stinks, is what I'm saying, even when these two male knuckleheads eventually learn their lesson. : William 'Will' Smith: How come he don't want me, man? I was actually at the taping. It was Avery, always the steady influence, that centered him, giving the rapper turned movie star memorable advice. 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. Geoffrey Butler: Come with me, Master William. 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. : I learned how to drive, I learned how to shave, I learned how to fight without him. He was the model for me of an actor. [Uncle Phil rushes forward to hug Will, and Will breaks down sobbing]. Carlton Banks Carlton, however, self-weaponizes and assumes too much responsibility again, and his faith in an inherent sense of decency in the systems of life is shattered again. Papa's Got A Brand New Excuse is the 24th episode of Season 4. The thing I connect to is: I do not have to build a perfect wall today. She then exits, but not without warning Lou that if he walks out now, he will not be welcome at the Banks mansion again. Hilary, this is Lou Smith I am Geoffrey, your uncle's butler. The fatherhood episode was pivotal, Jensen added, because it marked Smiths arrival as a force to be reckoned with. 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. How you doin'? It originally aired on May 9, 1994. Philip Banks 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). This wasnt the physical comedy at which Smith the rapper excelled. In that final scene, when Lou disappoints Will for the final time, Vereen himself broke down off-camera. And, it lets Will have a "not what he seems" moment, too; when Uncle Phil leaves the room after this chat, he notices Will playing Beethovenon the piano. He's now his own person, living in his new life, that he himself built this whole time. He's an associate editor for Collider and has written for Shudder, CBS, Paste Magazine, Guff, Smosh, Obsev Studios, and more. You know what? We can talk about this another time. Hey, just cool it. : It was written by David Zuckerman and Bill Boulware, and directed by Shelley Jensen. I just have to lay a perfect brick. Where There's a Will, There's a Way (Part 1), Where There's a Will, There's a Way (Part 2). I'm sorry. Therefore, it is necessary for the operation of the household that you address me as Geoffrey, and I in turn address you by your proper title, Master William. : Will then launches into an emotional rant about how he learned to do things growing up without Lou and how he will continue to live his life and be successful without Lou, including being a better father than Lou was, and Lou especially can't teach him anything about how to be a father. We went brick by brick for the entire summer and into winter and then back into spring. [Uncle Phil rushes forward to hug Will, and Will breaks down sobbing]. Insists that if Carlton goes through with this plan, he's just as bad as the guy who put Will in the hospital. Will runs up to him to give him a big hug. You too Lou. 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. Uh, must have the wrong crib. In another interview with Reader's Digest, he explained that his father actually supported his dreams of pursuing a career in music. But then, in an all-time line reading, Will simply asks his uncle, "How come he don't want me, man?" In the episode, Wills deadbeat father Lou (played by Broadway legend Ben Vereen) returns after a 14-year absence to spend time with his son. [pause] And when it digs into this core, it doesn't need silly jokes. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is a 1990s sitcom that stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself. 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. Emotional and great. Although he was a "tough" man, Will told Essence Magazine that he was not "tryannical. Guess what happens next. While Will is forgiving and understanding, Phillip and Vivian not so much. 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. On the eve of Janice's wedding, a group of Banks women gather in the kitchen, unable to sleep, to snack on wedding treats and chat. I had *fourteen* great birthdays without him. Philip: Yeah, then why did he say it? That happened. This was the first time the show just went there and stayed there and let it resonate, Zuckerman said of the episodes lasting impact. ", There is a popular misconception that Smith himself was also abandoned by his biological father in real life when he was young and had "broken character" while delivering the rant which went from being directed towards Lou to being directed towards Smith's own real-life father. Yeah, yeah. Its already in there, you know what it is. [after Lou cancels his trip with Will and leaves] For more onThe Fresh Prince, here's the latest intel on the upcoming reboot. In 1990, when "Mistaken Identity" first aired on NBC, a gurgling of tensions and resentments between the Black community and the police, founded on an entire history's worth of subjugation and explicitly race-based violence, were churning nearly at a breaking point. William 'Will' Smith His acting from that moment on improved dramatically. 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. Papas Got a Brand New Excuse was a watershed 23 minutes for the situational comedy, which, until that moment, hadnt fully explored the emotional depths of Smiths character. Borrowing its title fromGuess Who's Coming to Dinner, the 1967 film in whichKatharine Houghtonbrings home fianc Sidney Poitierto her white parents to examine interracial relationships in a lightly comedic purview, "Guess Who's Coming to Marry?" TIL that during Will Smith's monologue about his father on Fresh Prince, it was so heart-wrenching that audience members can be heard crying after it is over. William 'Will' Smith Whatever he needed, whether it was a pat on the head or a kick in the pants, I was there for him. Firstly, Will Smith's father was very much present during his childhood. 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 . : February 24, 2022 armstrong siddeley cars for sale armstrong siddeley cars for sale Lou Smith The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air is a FANDOM TV Community. I remember someDavid Mametquote that said it doesn't matter how good an actor is; if the script is good, the final product is good. This remains, by my estimation, the single greatest example of a television sitcom getting real and I wouldn't be surprised if it continues to be for the rest of the medium's history (gritty reboots be damned). People were crying for a long time when it was over, doing their best not to make noise before the director said cut., I was ten years old. Get Discovered! Geoffrey Butler: I am not your Uncle Philip. 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. Will Smith, Alfonso Ribeiro, and Aunt Vivs Janet Hubert and Daphne Maxwell Reid return alongside the rest of the cast for HBO Max's unscripted 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion. Are you a content creator looking for an opportunity to show your stuff? I wanted him to want me. : Will's very pleased with this. 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. Really shows how good of an actor Will Smith is. : William 'Will' Smith: Got through my first date without him, right? For survival, please dont marry this man.". They were all pretty the same: the dialogue would get cheesy (well, cheesier) and the music, sappy (sappier). After more than a decade of being absent from his life, Will's father Lou (Ben Vereen) returns, eager to spend time with his son Will here in the fancy hills of Bel-Air. Uncle Phil, that is not cool, the way you dissing my father like that. Instead, he laser-focuses on cleaning the house, taking care of everything except himself, feeling genuinely, scarily haunted. The entire show was quiet, even during the funny parts, and I could not figure out why, a Reddit user wrote. are heading to New England themselves to be closer to their family. The three of them were like a range of Black manhood, Boulware said. Will Smith helped co-write the script for this scene. : The Banks, especially Uncle Phil, see through Lou's. Will believes that Uncle Phil is jealous and tells him that hes not his real dad. I might have been 12 and my brother 9 when one day he decided he wanted a new front wall at his shop. Official Sites Phillip understands, and wishes Will the best. : Dont act around me, act with me, Smith recalled Avery saying. Will Smith: What are you, Robo-Butler, man? Excuse me, bring the horses around would you, ha! [to Will] While the legend that Smith ad-libbed much of the scene based on his troubled relationship with his actual father is probably false, the sobbing was not. Geoffrey Butler approaches the door and lets Will in. Philip Banks: [after Lou cancels his trip with Will and leaves] I'm sorry, Will. We were all in the moment. And I got pretty damn good at it too, didn't I, Uncle Phil? Will is thrilled at this news, ready to rekindle his paternal relationship without much skepticism apparent. : Prior to 'Fresh Prince' both Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff were set on releasing albums. You might notice his hat coming off. He reflected that there was an element of his character fully coming to terms with how much he had failed Will after being referred to by his name rather than as "Dad". Philip Banks Before this scene, Will Smith disappeared. Now that the building is done, he gets to live in it. ", you know. Oh, come on. Smith, whose most emotional scenes in the episode are opposite Avery, had to cry on camera for the first time. (Video: The Washington Post). Oct 20, 2017. 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. The first time I held you, I didn't think I'd ever put you down. We tried to make him not a bad guy sympathetic, explained Zuckerman, who wrote Papas Got a Brand New Excuse with veteran TV writer Bill Boulware after an initially disastrous table read of a different script had cast Wills father, Lou (to be played by Broadway alum Ben Vereen), as a pool shark who breezes into town. William 'Will' Smith It was 1994, and he had just come off Six Degrees of Separation, a dramedy about a young con man who charms his way into a rich White family. Filming & Production So why did you? It came in the series' fourth season and 24 th episode called "Papa's Got A Brand New Excuse", and it's an amazing example of Will Smith 's acting ability. 2019 Ted Fund Donors That year we won the first Grammy given to a rap artist.". 1.3k. 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. Yeah, you did. (HBO Max) Will recalled the episode where his character's father resurfaces after 14 years. Fresh Prince wasnt a show that had done serious moments. The reviews were solid for the then-25-year-olds first dramatic movie role, so Smith was ready to do something that had a little bite to it, Zuckerman said. So when he has to break down and confess to the family that the amphetamines Carlton found were meant for him, making him tacitly responsible for Carlton's hospitalization, he commits to it beautifully. It was great seeing you, son.
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