Fans of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air spin-off series were surprised with an A-list cameo from one of the show’s original stars in the final episode of the programme.
Set in modern-day America, Bel-Air reimagined the Nineties comedy, ditching the laughs in favour of a more serious tone.
The fourth and final season concluded in the States on Monday (8 December) and finished with a special guest appearance from Will Smith himself.
The closing moments of the episode brought things full circle as the spin-off drama’s protagonist – still called Will Smith, but this time played by newcomer Jabari Banks – prepared to leave California and return to Philadelphia.
As Banks’s character took in one final view of Los Angeles, a stranger wearing sunglasses approached him and said: “Steppin’ into the future is kinda scary, huh?”
“Nah, I’m cool,” Banks’s character said, as the stranger took off his sunglasses and revealed himself as the real Will Smith.
The pair then shared a touching chat as Smith, 57, shared some wisdom with his younger self. “Don’t worry about having all the answers, nobody does. Not even the people who pretend like they do,” he said. “Trust me, you’re going to mess some things up and do some dumb s***, but you’re human.
“You’ll learn, you’ll grow, and just live and laugh and cry. Eat a cheesesteak, just not every day ’cause cholesterol is real. Life goes by fast. Try to enjoy the ride.”
He added: “We’re going to be alright.”
Bel-Air showrunner Morgan Cooper has revealed how the cameo came about, saying it was always his intention to find a way for Smith to make a guest appearance.
“Since day one, that was always something that we wanted to do, and it was just a matter of finding the right moment,” he told The Wrap. “And for that to be the final moment of the series just felt so right. It all led up to that, but was always in the cards.”
The original The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air aired for six seasons in the early 1990s and gave Smith his breakthrough role. The hit comedy saw Smith’s character – a fictionalised version of the young actor – move in with his wealthy relatives in Los Angeles, with cast members including Alfonso Ribeiro as his cousin Carlton Banks, and James Avery as his uncle Phillip Banks.
