Will Smith Details How He Became the ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ [VIDEO]
Will Smith may have the best Instagram account in the world, but don’t overlook his YouTube page. His video channel has plenty of entertaining content, including his popular “Storytime” vlogs. In his latest edition, the entertainer detailed how his iconic ‘90s sitcom The Fresh Prince Bel-Air was created.
First off, Smith was actually the “broke” prince because he owed Uncle Sam $2.8 million and almost went bankrupt. “Being famous and broke is a sh***y combination,” he recalls. “Cause you still famous and people recognize you, but they recognize you while you're on the bus.”
Smith’s girlfriend at the time offered some advice that would essentially change his career -- she told him to go on the Arsenio Hall Show. He did. It was there that he met music manager Benny Medina, who told him about a television pilot that he working on with Quincy Jones.
Medina invited Smith to Q’s house where he was asked to audition for the role of the then working title, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Smith wanted more time, but Q told him it’s either now or never. "Yeah, three weeks from now would be good, or you can take 10 minutes right now and you can change your life forever," Q told Smith.
"I was like, 'F**k it, then'" said Smith who eventually audition for NBC's bigwig at the time, Brandon Tartikoff.
Q asked Tartikoff did he like what he saw to which Tartikoff said yes, and the rest is history. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ran for six successful seasons (from 1990 to 1996) and turned Smith into a huge television star.
"So the moral of the story is always say yes and I guess listen to your girlfriend," said Smith at the end of the video.
Check out Will Smith's "Storytime" video above. Also, watch his story about meeting Michael Jackson below.
Watch Will Smith's "Storytime": Michael Jackson
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