The series finale of Bel-Air on Peacock signed off with a special appearance from an iconic star of the original series speaking to Jabari Banks’ Will in a scene that left fans with all the feels.
The final scene of the episode has Banks’ Will taking a look at the California skyline before he heads back to Philadelphia to attend college. A stranger, played by Will Smith, comes next to him to give him some necessary advice as Will heads into adulthood.
Smith’s character isn’t stated to be a future Will–he’s only called “OG” by Banks’ character–but their conversation could definitely be interpreted that way. Series creator and director Morgan Stevenson Cooper told TVLine how “proud” he was to have both Banks and Smith in the same scene.
“It’s a beautiful, emotional scene,” he said. “I’m so proud of Jabari, because to stand and act with Will Smith, you know, he’s the most iconic actor of our time.”
“Jabari approached that scene with so much heart and so much fearlessness,” he continued. “Those are big shoes to fill, and every step of the way, he has risen to the occasion. I couldn’t be more proud of him. …Will also brought so much heart into that moment. It was incredible to direct those two together, and it was the perfect way to cap off this seven-year journey of bringing Bel-Air to life.”
Showrunner Carla Banks-Waddles also confirmed that the cast and crew weren’t sure if Smith’s schedule would allow him to do the cameo, but “[e]verybody was hopeful, and even he was hopeful, but we weren’t sure.”
What does the final scene of ‘Bel-Air’ mean?
Banks-Waddles also said that the final scene is “open to interpretation.”
“Thematically, it was sort of just this reassurance as he’s going back to Philly that all of the things Bel-Air poured into him, he is going to be able to now carry that guy forward,” she said. “[In Season 1], his initial fear was wanting to hold on to the Philly side of himself, so we’ve seen him come full-circle. Now he’s like, gosh, I like who I became out here. Can I be that kid? Can I take that back with me? And then he sees his future self, who says, ‘Yeah, you’re going to be OK.’”
The scene is a full-circle moment with Smith and Cooper, who struck up a friendship after Smith was impressed by Cooper’s viral trailer for a dramatic version of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 2019. Smith and Cooper then created a version of the original idea for Peacock, leading to the show we have today.
Bel-Air is now streaming in its entirety on Peacock.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source blavity.com ’
