\n
Not this role specifically, but a career in general, yeah. We\u2019ve had great, great conversations about career and what I want to do, where I want to go. He\u2019s been a great guiding light in my career so far.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Has he given you any specific tips about your character on the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
No but, for instance, I remember he visited the set last year, and he was like, \u201cAnything that you guys want to do outside of [the show], I think you should probably do it now, because, you know, strike while the iron is hot.\u201d And that\u2019s been a great tool to use. I\u2019m taking that advice. I mean, I dropped a music project. I\u2019m dropping some more music very, very soon, so I\u2019m excited about that. And I\u2019m just staying on that. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
[Will] is a really, really hard worker. I knew that even before I knew him. He was a life coach of mine before he was a mentor and a friend, so it\u2019s been dope to have that transition. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
What did it mean to you to get his stamp of approval in taking over the role of Will?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I mean, it meant everything. He\u2019s my hero. They say don\u2019t meet your heroes, but he\u2019s definitely a great hero to me, a great dude all around. Getting that stamp of approval was like, \u201cOK, I\u2019m doing something right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\""Everyone](\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/6925137a1700001d25a912c5.jpg?ops=scalefit_1280_noupscale\")
<\/div>\n
“Everyone was on my side, so it was hard for me to lose,” Banks said of pushing past nerves over his “Bel-Air” role.<\/div>\n
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I\u2019m sure leading a TV show when it was also your first time on TV came with a ton of pressure, especially a show that\u2019s associated with such an iconic legacy. How did you push through those initial nerves?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I had to get over them really quickly because with the timeline of how we started shooting, it was very, very quick. From when I got the role to when I started shooting was probably about a week and a half. Yeah, so no time to think, no time to second-guess. Just get in there and do it. I think that was kind of what propelled me to move forward with confidence, that time to sit back and not get in my own head about it. And getting the reassurance of Will and Morgan and everybody on set. They definitely reassured me, like, you got this. Everyone was on my side, so it was hard for me to lose.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
No one knew how big a success \u201cBel-Air\u201d would be, but four seasons later, the show has broken ratings records, it\u2019s obviously a hit with viewers, and more importantly, it\u2019s able to stand on its own now without being constantly compared to \u201cThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.\u201d How does it feel to have helped establish a unique legacy for this show?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
We blazed our own path. To my knowledge, we are Peacock\u2019s longest-running original scripted series \u2014<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
And a Black show that did that.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Exactly, that\u2019s a big accomplishment. So I\u2019m proud to be a part of this project, super duper proud. That\u2019s my first project, and I\u2019m very excited for what comes next. But as far as the legacy of the show and the path that we blazed, it feels amazing that we have something that we can call our own. There\u2019s a lot of people who haven\u2019t seen the original show, and they\u2019re like, \u201cI like the show \u2018Bel-Air.\u2019\u201d I\u2019ve seen [some] who prefer \u201cBel-Air\u201d over \u201cThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,\u201d and I\u2019m like, that\u2019s crazy. To be a part of something that compared to the original source material, and it stands on its own\u2026 Yeah, we\u2019re on the shoulders of giants, and so we created one of ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
For this to be your first acting gig, I feel like you lucked up being on a show where your castmates, and folks behind the camera, too, look like you, talk like you and can relate to you. That\u2019s not a common experience for many young Black actors in Hollywood. Looking back at Season 1, how did that help ease you into this entertainment space and make you feel more comfortable about the journey you were embarking on?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
It felt like community, you know? It felt like a big family in front of the camera, behind the camera\u2026 The community was there, and the care was there, from hair to makeup to lighting. Everyone wanted us to look our best, act our best, and feel our best. To have a group of people on a team that really, really cares, and it\u2019s my first job, I\u2019m so grateful and so blessed that everyone put so much love into this show. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Olly](\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/692513c31700003725a912c7.jpg?ops=scalefit_1280_noupscale\")
<\/div>\n
Olly Sholotan (left) and Jabari Banks in a scene from the fourth and final season of “Bel-Air.”<\/div>\n
\n
Tell me a bit more about the community you established through the show while being so far away from home in a totally different space.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
It was natural. You wake up every morning at 4 a.m., 5 a.m., 6 a.m., go to set, see the same people every day for five days out of the week for five months out of the year. You can\u2019t help but start to like these lovely people [laughs]. So, it was natural building that community. I came out to Los Angeles not having any family out there or any friends. It was really quickly that we all knew that we were doing something really big, and so we all leaned on each other to get us through it. And those five days out of the week that I would see the cast quickly turned into seven. We would see each other on Saturday and Sunday, too, because we just became a family so quickly. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Out of all your \u201cBel-Air\u201d castmates, who is the person you\u2019ve been able to lean on the most for support throughout your experience on the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
That\u2019s tough to pit them against each other. But I have to say two people, they\u2019re my brothers: Olly and Jordan [L. Jones]. We\u2019re, obviously, similar in age. We\u2019re all guys. We all have similar interests. We definitely have a great group chat. We talk every day, even to this day. I don\u2019t see that group chat dying down. I just called them last night, randomly, and we were on the phone for like an hour, just chatting. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I love that. The good thing about this show is that it, of course, had a huge, positive impact on your life professionally. But you also get to come away with real-life friends that you\u2019ll have after the show ends.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Life-long friends. You know, years from now, I\u2019ll see them have their kids, and they\u2019ll be raising their [families]. I\u2019m just happy that we have that community and that brotherhood.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Who would you say has challenged and pushed you the most as an actor on the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Marlon [Wayans] definitely is a big one. Because when he gets in a scene, it\u2019s a bit unpredictable, which is what I love as an actor. We\u2019ll do the scene as scripted the first couple of times, and then the second, third or fourth time, he\u2019ll throw some crazy wrench in the scene. Which, a lot of the time, makes the scene a lot better, because you start to live in the present. Rather than sometimes, as an actor, when you\u2019re doing the scene five, six, seven, eight times, it\u2019s like, alright, cool, we\u2019re just going through the motions right now. But he\u2019s one of those actors who loves throwing in something extra that gives the scene that breath.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I\u2019m glad you said that because I was going to ask, out of everyone on the show, who\u2019s your favorite scene partner?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I would say either Olly or Adrian, because I love my scenes with Uncle Phil as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\""Bel-Air"](\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/692614782200006f1e60bbf4.jpg?ops=scalefit_1280_noupscale\")
<\/div>\n
“Bel-Air” marks Banks’ first television role, an experience he says has taught him a lot about himself “as a human and as an actor.”<\/div>\n
\n
We\u2019ve seen Will mature so much throughout the show, which I\u2019m sure has had an impact on you in real life. So, how would you describe your own personal journey over these last four seasons?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
A lot of mess-ups, a lot of mistakes, but it\u2019s the people around me that continue to lift me up. That\u2019s what makes me call them family. That\u2019s what family does. They don\u2019t judge you based off your mistakes. They help you and teach you and have you learn, and I definitely learned a lot about myself as a human and as an actor. I\u2019m grateful to have a group of people around me to help me and lift me up through this process. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I\u2019ve learned a lot over these past four years about discipline, consistency, integrity and showing up for the people around you. Care, real care, being intentional with the words that I use and the moves that I make. And keeping my heart open, continuing to stay hungry and to stay a dreamer. Sometimes when you get that job or that success, it\u2019s easy to sit back and be like, \u201cOK, I did it.\u201d But I learned a lot about keeping the iron hot.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Do you have an all-time favorite moment from the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I have a couple, but these two are from the first season. The first one is when me and Uncle Phil are in the foyer, and Will just tried to sneak out and go back to Philly. Uncle Phil is telling him to give Bel Air a chance and that his family loves him \u2014 a real man looks another man in the eye when he\u2019s talking to him. I mean, that emotion in that scene, for me, when Will is finally like, \u201cOK, I\u2019m going to give this place a chance.\u201d I love that scene a lot. And then the second scene was with me and Marlon, the season finale of Season 1. Really great scene, again, that\u2019s one of the ones where he threw a wrench in it. And the scene turned out totally different than what was on page, but I think it made that episode 10 times better. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Do you guys improvise a lot when you\u2019re doing scenes?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I do all the time [laughs]. And I\u2019m grateful to the writers that they gave me that free space, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
One of the most iconic scenes from \u201cThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air\u201d is when Will breaks down over his father walking out on him again. Do you think you have a scene from \u201cBel-Air\u201d that\u2019s just as memorable as that?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I definitely think the Will and Lou scene from the Season 1 finale. Obviously, different emotions, less sadness and more anger. But still, I think that rivals that one for sure. And kind of mirrors it a little bit, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Of all the things you\u2019ve learned from your \u201cBel-Air\u201d experience, what\u2019s the one lesson you definitely want to carry with you in this next phase of your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Professionalism, showing up to work prepared. Seeing how the big dogs do it \u2014 Cassandra, Adrian, Jimmy \u2014 they\u2019re all always prepared. This season, Snoop Dogg came in, too. It\u2019s the reason why they have such longevity in this business, so I\u2019m taking that on my next go-round. When you\u2019re number one on the call sheet, the energy on set flows from you. Obviously, everyone comes in with their own energy. But as number one, you have to show up and not only think about how you\u2019re feeling, but how the energy of the set is feeling, and try to give everyone the best day possible. It\u2019s a big responsibility, but I\u2019m hoping to take that on over and over and over again. I\u2019m willing to, because it\u2019s great. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"After](\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/692514be170000aad89c6b3c.jpg?cache=zlY9cWD9Mp&ops=scalefit_1280_noupscale\")
<\/div>\n
After four seasons of starring on “Bel-Air,” Banks isn’t worried about being boxed in as he explores other projects in the future. “Because people saw Will [Smith] do it first, they won\u2019t be surprised when they see me do it,” he said.<\/div>\n
\n
Has the definition of being No. 1 on the call sheet changed for you after this whole experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I didn\u2019t really understand what it meant, obviously, because I had never done anything on set before. But I remember I definitely had multiple conversations with some actors before I even got on set, and they were like, \u201cMan, you\u2019re No. 1 on the call sheet. Everything flows from you.\u201d And I got it. Like, I\u2019m the leader of the set. I go in, and people are looking at me, and if I\u2019m having a bad day, sometimes I can make other people have a bad day. And I try not to take on that responsibility too seriously, because I know people have their own stuff going on. But I do know that when I show up to work smiling, ready to have a good day, it brightens the room and gives people the levity that they need. Being that person for them is a big responsibility, but I love it. That\u2019s the type of person I am. I\u2019m such a people person. I love humans, and the energy in each space that I\u2019m in is important to me\u2026 Thank God we didn\u2019t have any crazy divas on this show. Everybody, generally, showed up and was ready to work and had good hearts. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Talk to me about where you go from here. Music is something you\u2019ve been focusing on again recently, having dropped your EP, \u201cUltra,\u201d back in September. What other things do you want to explore in your post-\u201cBel-Air\u201d era?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I want to get into movies. I want to do the movie thing. Playing a role for four years was fun, but I\u2019m excited to play different types of characters. I know I have so much to give to the world, to this industry, and I\u2019m excited to be able to take on roles that allow me to show the different sides of me.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
People are probably going to continue to recognize you from \u201cBel-Air\u201d for a very long time because of how pivotal this role has been. Do you think that\u2019ll make it difficult for you to go out for other roles in the future? <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
No, I\u2019m not worried about that. Not at all. I think because people saw Will [Smith] do it first, they won\u2019t be surprised when they see me do it. They\u2019ll be like, this makes sense. I don\u2019t think it should be too much of an issue. But obviously, people will know where they saw me first. And there\u2019s not a problem with that, especially when your first thing is a big thing. It\u2019s a pretty good launching pad to do other great things.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
If you could pick your next acting project, what would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I love biopics. Even before I started doing all my work today, I woke up this morning, and I threw on \u201cRay.\u201d So, probably some sort of biopic. I think it can be really fun. I love diving into someone else\u2019s skin and being their story. \u201cBel-Air\u201d is like a slight form of a biopic. Obviously, I\u2019m not playing Will Smith himself, but the essence of the character is still in there. So I think it\u2019s great practice for doing something like that.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This interview is part of \u201cPivotal,\u201d a Q&A series where we highlight the defining moments that have shaped a star\u2019s career \u2014 from breakthrough roles to game-changing milestones to epic moments that catapult them into the spotlight. Read our previous interview with Lady London here. Jabari Banks felt completely out of his depth when he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2178452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[371702,380028,32987,409399],"class_list":["post-2178451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-bel-air","tag-fresh-prince-of-bel-air","tag-peacock","tag-pivotal"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Jabari-Banks-Has-His-Post-\u2018Bel-Air-Era-All-Figured-Out.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2178451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2178451"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2178451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2178453,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2178451\/revisions\/2178453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2178452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2178451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2178451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2178451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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