Will Smith Names The 1 Co-Star That Changed His Life

While Will Smith was “sitting on this throne” as the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” there was one character who had a significant impact on the actor’s life.

Smith, who played an iconic character after his own name on the popular ’90s sitcom, recently appeared on Vice’s docuseries “Black Comedy in America,” to offer a behind-the-scenes look at how his life got “twisted upside down” for the better.

During the program, Smith shared that he had many creative influences along his career — including DJ Jazzy Jeff, who the “Bad Boys” actor won his first rap Grammy with for the song “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”

“There’s been a couple of creative relationships I’ve had that have totally transformed my life. And the first one was Jazzy Jeff,” Smith recalled, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Smith also cited his co-star Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks alongside him.

“Where you meet somebody who understands you in a way that other people don’t understand you,” Smith said, per EW. “And they’re able to understand you, then craft things for you to create and shine and explode. And Alfonso was that guy for sure.”

Photo of Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, the hip hop duo comprised of Jeffrey Allen Townes and Will Smith.

Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images

Smith also described Ribeiro as always being willing to go out on a “comedic limb.”

“When he came in for the audition, there was like no question. That’s the one,” the “Independence Day” star said of Ribeiro.

From left: Will Smith as William "Will" Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton Banks in Season 5 of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

NBC via Getty Images

In a 2015 interview with “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Smith also revealed that Ribeiro taught his oldest son, Willard Carroll “Trey” Smith III, how to drive.

During a 2017 taping of “The Graham Norton Show,” Smith shared that he cringes when watching himself in reruns of his hit ’90s show because he was so green in the industry.

“It was my very first role, and I was very, very focused on being successful, so I learned the whole script and everyone else’s lines,” Smith recalled. “If you watch the first four or five episodes, you can see I’m mouthing other people’s lines. It’s terrible and I can’t bear to watch it.”

The following year, Smith posted a photo of himself and Ribeiro with the caption “One of my favorite people on this Whole Damn Rock.”

Smith and Roberio’s iconic TV show was revived in 2022, starring Jabari Banks, and it’s gearing up for its fourth and final season on air.