Actress Karyn Parsons is opening up about playing the eldest Banks daughter, Hilary Banks, on the hit NBC comedy, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
People magazine reported that Parsons discussed filming the series, which had a six-season run until 1996, in a September 2025 interview on the All Bets Are Off with Robby Vegas podcast. According to Parsons, the show’s writers catered to her abilities as an actress and comedian when coming up with Hilary’s storylines.
“The writers were pretty incredible. They were great from the get-go. And then, as the show went on and new writers came in, I think they did a really good job of taking into consideration who they were writing for and how they work, and they were getting used to the character that I was creating,” said Parsons during the podcast episode.
According to the actress, Hilary didn’t have too much to her character, besides being “a model type” in the show’s initial script. She also said the then-NBC president wanted to do without Hilary when she was auditioning for the role. However, the sitcom’s creators, Susan and Andy Borowitz, convinced him to watch Parsons’ audition before making a decision about Hilary.
“As a matter of fact, Brandon Tartikoff, who was the president of NBC at the time, when they were auditioning at the last network audition, he turned to Susan and Andy Borowitz, who created the show, and said, ‘I think we should get rid of the daughter character. It just seems redundant,'” recalled Parsons in the interview. “And [Andy and Susan] said, ‘Just wait. Wait until this girl comes in.’ They told me this story later. And I came in and did my whole weird affectation that I guess nobody else was doing.”
Karyn Parsons Gave Details About Hilary Banks’ Affectation on the Show
During the All Bets Are Off with Robby Vegas podcast episode, Parsons, who is from Santa Monica, California, said she based her portrayal of Hilary on her classmates from Malibu. She also said one of her friends and her cousins served as inspiration.
“The affectation, at first, seemed over the top. Like, maybe it’s too much. But it kept carrying me,” said Parsons in the interview. “It worked. Judy Richmond, who was the amazing costumer on the show, she said that when I put the clothes on, that I became Hilary. And it was a little bit true. Once I put the clothes on, my body started to change. My whole hips kind of fell and this lazy attitude just started to take over and once I started with the way she spoke, it just all fell into place.”
Parsons also said she enjoyed playing Hilary because she didn’t censor herself.
“I was raised very much the good girl…and Hilary was the opposite. She said whatever, unapologetic, I want this…she just said it and that was never me, so it was so fun to be able to be that person,” said Parsons.
Karyn Parsons Discussed the Audition Process for Hilary Banks in a 2021 Interview
In a 2021 interview with Vlad TV, Parsons, who was 22 during the first season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, shared she had some on-camera experience before being cast on the sitcom. In addition, she had been attending an acting workshop that helped her hone in her craft.
“I started getting roles in commercials, small roles in TV shows, [and] a horror film,” said Parsons.
She also said the audition process for Hilary “was long.” According to Parsons, she had to audition for the assistant to the casting director, the casting director, the show’s writers, the producers, the show’s executive producer, Quincy Jones, the studio, and finally, for the network.
She also said she was ecstatic when she found out she was cast as Hilary.
“That was unreal,” said the actress.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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