James Avery was deeply missed during The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion that dropped early on HBO Max. Will Smith and the rest of the cast paid tribute to James, who played Banks patriarch Philip Banks, during the special.
Will shed many tears reflecting on the impact James, who passed away in 2013, had on him as a young actor.“James, he pu-shed me so hard,” Will admitted to the cast.
“His thing was, I’m in such a unique position and that responsibility you must elevate your craft. You have to represent, and you are paving away, and he just wouldn’t give me an inch.”
Will recalled the episode where his character’s father resurfaces after 14 years. Will said that he looked up to James and de-sperately wanted James “to think I was good.” When co-star Tatyana Ali mentioned it, Will noted that he also wanted James to be “proud” of him.
In the season 4 episode, Will and Uncle Phil have an emotional conversation about Will’s father. Will revealed to the cast that he “flubbed” his line in front of the audience. “I messed it up in front of the audience and my mind snapped,” Will continued. Will admitted that he was ang-ry at himself, and it was James who stepped in to help.James told Will, “Get yourself together.” And then James called “action.”
“The scene that we do is the scene that ended up being in the episode,” Will said. At the end of the cha-rged scene, Will and Uncle Phil hug each other. Will revealed that James whispered in his ear at that moment, “Now that’s acting.”
As Will remembered the story, he pu-lled out a tissue to wipe te-ars from his eyes. “People don’t even know when they’re shaping you and forming you and crafting you…” Will admitted. The cast and Will agreed that James knew exactly what he was doing with them.
A reel of James’ best moments were then shown to the cast. By the end of the reel, everyone was in te-ars. Will continued to c-ry and wipe te-ars from his face. The special also featured Alfonso Ribeiro, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Karyn Parsons, Janet Hubert, and Joseph Marcell.
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