Throughout the history of TV, there have been great sitcom duos, like Sanford and Son’s Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson and Laverne & Shirley’s Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air stars Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro deserve their flowers as well for their contributions. The show marked Smith’s first major acting gig, and he had to pick up quite a bit of skills on the job. As he recently revealed, he learned a lot from Ribeiro as well, and there’s a specific lesson that, as a fan, I’m truly glad he took to heart.
It’s not uncommon for Will Smith to warmly reflect on his tenure on one of the best Black sitcoms of the ‘90s. Smith did so yet again when he appeared on the Drink Champs podcast (which is available on YouTube). When Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks, came up during the discussion, Smith lauded his co-star and longtime friend’s commitment. He also recalled the keen way that his good buddy would work with the Fresh Prince writers:
[Alfonso is] one of the most committed, comedic actors I have ever met. Nobody commits like [him]. … I really learned my comedic acting on the set of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and the thing that Alfonso does is that even when he doesn’t like something, he always gives it 100%. His thing was, let the writers see you – if you tank the joke and you don’t give it all, they’re going to think it didn’t work because you sabotaged it.
That’s a smart way for an actor to approach their work. By giving it his all no matter the quality of the joke, the Silver Spoons alum was able to give the writers a clear indication as to whether something worked or didn’t work. It makes me wonder just how many of Carlton’s best jokes were formed due to the actor’s commitment. Will Smith went on to sing his co-star’s praises for his A+ “Carlton dance” and more:
When [Alfonso] goes, he goes, and it’s like you can feel the power and the fun of his commitment. It’s funny, because he commits so hard to the joke. Yeah, he’s a unique breed.
Even today, Alfonso Ribeiro’s performance as Carlton is well remembered and still enjoyed by fans. It’s hard to imagine the star not landing the role in the first place, even though Ribeiro dislikes his audition due to the fact that he wore clothes that didn’t match Carlton’s personality. Of all the notable moments from his time filming the show, Ribeiro now says his favorite is from the Season 5 episode “Will’s Misery. It’s at the end of the installment that Ribeiro, in an unscripted move, runs around the set.
It wasn’t always easy for the child star to play the preppy Carlton, though, as the character arguably became a bit too popular, leading him to become synonymous with Banks. It’s for that reason that the Love Wrecked alum came to resent Carlton, especially amid a slew of post-Fresh Prince career struggles. Thankfully, TV personality Tom Bergeron helped him turn his career around, and he now hosts America’s Funniest Home Videos and Dancing with the Stars.
Alfonso Ribeiro now seems to have made peace with his performance as Carlton, and I’m glad, given that he, along with Will Smith, produced comedic gold. It’s great that Ribeiro’s dedication to the craft rubbed off on Smith the way that it did, as I’m not sure the show would’ve become what it did otherwise. You can stream all six seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the 2020 reunion special using a Max subscription.
