‘Bel-Air’ Star Olly Sholotan Hopes Fans Are Ready For Carlton’s “Redemption Season”: “Everyone’s About To Be Obsessed”

Bel-Air star Olly Sholotan is ready for Carlton Banks’ “redemption season.” Fans were rocked by the show’s Season 2 finale in which Carlton admitted he was a drug addict in front of his school and his family while accepting the Founders Award. “Our main goal [in Season 3] was to show a different side to Carlton,” says Sholotan. When audience first meet Carlton, he is leaving rehab with his parents, Phil (Adrian Holmes), Viv (Cassandra Freeman), and cousin Will ( Jabari Banks ), to support him. “For the last two seasons, we’ve seen him be miserable, frankly,” says Sholotan. “With this season, we’re really, really excited to show his joy.”

Part of the reason for Carlton’s joy? The elusive and wild Amira (played by Saved By The Bell ‘ s Alycia Pascual-Pena). The two hook up while in rehab and must figure out how to navigate their connection in the outside world. “Both Amira and Carlton are two broken people trying to find wholeness in each other,” notes Sholotan. However, their “co-dependent bond” potentially could lead to trouble down the line. “They sacrifice their thrill seeking and drugs for thrill seeking in real life,” adds Sholotan. “It’s a scary relationship to watch on screen at times.”

Luckily, Will has Carlton’s back 100% this season, and both Sholotan and Banks are thrilled with how the relationship between their characters develops. “We’re really, really close in real life,” says Sholotan. “We were both like, ‘oh my God, we get to actually rock with each other on screen like we do in real life.'” One thing that brings the boys together is their “Blackccess” venture for the Young, Gifted & Black program that they created to help other young adults get a leg up. “They finally understand their superpowers,” explains Sholotan. “Will has street smarts. Carlton has that business acumen given to him by his dad.”

Though, all will not be smooth sailing for Carlton this season. “The journey to recovery is never linear,” says Sholotan. “Something that the writers and I have worked hard on with Carlton’s character is showing addiction in a way that honors the truth of what it is.” While Carlton has a great support system in his family and Amira, that does not mean he won’t falter. “There is a fairytale version of this where Carlton says no to drugs and he never touches them again,” says Sholotan. “However, the best art reflects reality.”

DECIDER spoke to Sholotan over Zoom to talk about Carlton’s evolution, his bond with his co-stars, and what’s to come later this season.

DECIDER: I was worried about Carlton after the Season 2 finale. What were your hopes for the character going into Season 3?

OLLY SHOLOTAN: Our show runner Carla [Banks-Waddles] and I had had a conversation about Carlton’s general arc halfway through Season 2. Where do we want Carlton to end the season? Where would we want him to be at the start of Season 3? Our main goal was to show a different side to Carlton this season. For the last two seasons, we’ve seen him be miserable, frankly [laughs]. He’s been going through it. With this season, we’re really, really excited to show his joy. He has a girlfriend this season. He is in love.

Fans will be thrilled that Carlton and Will are back to being family this season. Are you and Jabari relieved that your characters are on good terms?

What Time Does ‘Bel-Air’ Come On Peacock? ‘Bel-Air’ Season 2, Episode 3 Premiere Date

It’s funny because we’re really, really close in real life. We were both like, “oh my God, we get to actually rock with each other on screen like we do in real life.” One of the greatest gifts that the show has given me has been a real family between Jabari and Cassie and Adrian. What’s interesting, though, is that filming those scenes in which we’re at each other’s throats is really easy. Part of it is because we get along really well. We can always check in with each other.

Will and Carlton get a spot in Quentin’s “Young, Gifted & Black” program. Why is “Blackccess” the perfect venture for the duo?

They both realize they’re stronger together. They finally understand their superpowers. Will has street smarts. He has a very natural go-getter instinct. Carlton has that business acumen given to him by his dad. He grew up going to the country club and being in on all these business meetings. Blackccess is born out of both their strengths. So much of the success that Will has been able to have in Bel Air is from his getting the type of access that Carlton’s had his whole life. They want to give as many people a way in as they can.

As much as Carlton has grown, he is less than thrilled when his dad encourages him and Will to get summer jobs at the Beverly Hills County Club. Do you think being a “pit pig” will be good for Carlton?

It’s going to be so good for Carlton. Look, I can say from my personal experience, I used to work at a luxury gym before acting really became a thing for me. Oh my God, I learned so many things. It taught me so much about character. Carlton needs to be humbled a little bit and see that not all things in life come easy.

Do you think being around former bad influences at the club might potentially draw him back into old temptations?

What I can say is that the journey to recovery is never linear. Something that the writers I have worked really, really hard on with Carlton’s character is showing addiction in a way that honors the truth of what it is. There is a fairytale version of this where Carlton says no to drugs and he never touches them again. However, the best art reflects reality. We want people to not only feel seen, but also feel validated. Maybe then they can try to get help. Showing Carlton’s journey as honestly as possible was very important to us. Carlton struggles, but ultimately when he falls down, he has his village to help him get back up.

You mentioned earlier than Carlton has a girlfriend this season: Amira, played by Alycia Pascual-Peña. What draws Carlton to Amira, other than that they were in rehab together?

Alycia and I are very good friends. We were good friends before the show, and so we spent a lot of time talking about these two characters and what they find in each other. Ultimately, both Amira and Carlton are two broken people trying to find wholeness in each other. They sacrifice their thrill seeking and drugs for thrill seeking in real life. They form this codependent bond with each other to the point where they both feel like they need each other and they both feel like they can’t live without each other. It’s a scary relationship to watch on screen at times. Though, I think it’s important to show the different facets of love, especially young love, on screen.

What Time Does ‘Bel-Air’ Come On Peacock? ‘Bel-Air’ Season 2, Episode 2 Premiere Date

The bond between Carlton and Amira helps drive a wedge further between Carlton and his mother, Viv. Will we see more of that conflict between the mother and son as the season progresses?

Carlton says it so aptly in Season 1: “You don’t fuck with black moms.” [Laughs] Aunt Viv is very protective. She’s protective of her baby boy. We have seen throughout the series so far that Viv and Carlton have a very special mother-son connection. When Carlton admits his drug use in front of the whole school, that causes a huge rift in their relationship. She can’t trust him, and she can’t trust herself. She never saw it.

Amira presents a complication to Carlton’s healing journey, as well as to Viv’s own to healing journey. Mom and son really have to go on a journey to find trust again.. The cool thing is that Cassie is probably my best friend from the show. We FaceTime every single day. I think after this interview we’re probably going to get on the phone again and just talk about life. Those scenes are always fun to shoot because we have that bond and trust each other.

Without the stability of that mother-son relationship, Viv’s world is rocked a bit. Because she can’t trust herself, she looks closely at Uncle Phil when he’s acting odd around Erica and unearths what happened between them. I don’t think she would have done that otherwise.

I think that speaks to just great writing. The writers have done such a phenomenal job of creating these multi-layered characters. When one thing happens in one part of the story, it affects another part of the story. Carla and the entire writers’ room are phenomenal. They’re brilliant.

Right? As real and raw as Bel-Air can get sometimes, the show never forgets that it’s fun. That’s why I want to talk about the street racing sequence. How disappointed were you that Carlton didn’t end up in the driver’s seat?

You know what’s funny? I’ve never said this before, but in the original draft of the script, Carlton was the one driving. Several drafts later, because of other story reasons, Will was the one driving. I was really disappointed. Although, because of movie magic, Jabari never actually got to drive the Hellcat, but I did. [Laughs] There’s one scene in which I drive the car up because we weren’t going fast. So, ha!

Carlton’s revenge!

CLICK HERE TO GET EMAILS FROM DECIDER

You’re right, though. Something that’s really important to us is that we keep the “good time” heart and spirit of the show no matter how heavy it gets. This show is fun. The fact that this season takes place in summer provides the perfect backdrop.

Off-topic, but I have to ask: in the battle for Hilary’s heart, are you Team Jazz or Team LaMarcus?

I’m Team Jazz all the way A. because Jazz reminds me of myself, right? I feel like Olly and Jazz are kindred spirits. B. because Jazz is played by Jordan L. Jones who is also my homie. And C. because it’s important that Short Kings prevail [laughs]. As a fellow Short King myself, I think it is important that short people have positive role models.

Fair enough. Speaking of Hilary, she’s played by the wonderful Coco Jones, who is a musician like yourself. Have you two ever thought about a musical collaboration?

That’s another one of the things I can’t talk about. What I can say is that this is an incredibly musical cast. All of us do music. We’ve all been in the studio, and we’ve played around together. Hopefully, one of these days, the stars will align and everything will click. Maybe something will be heard sooner rather than later. You never know.

What a tease! I also want to ask about your music career. How do you balance acting with this other creative passion of yours?

I always say that with acting, I get to work through other people’s thoughts and words. With music, I get to work through my own. That is a delicate balancing act. Sometimes we’re on set for 12 to 14 hours a day, and all I want to do is work some more on music. I just have to make sure I don’t burn myself out. It’s hard, right? I’m not going to lie. It’s hard. But I find that the universe tells you which interest is going to take your attention at which time.

During Bel-Air, I was working on a bunch of music. After we wrapped, I shot a music video for my new song, “Body.” You’ve just got to keep the pieces up in the air. The artistic process of doing a little bit of that, doing a little bit of this, really feeds me. I love it. I want to tell stories, no matter the medium. I enjoy that little merry-go-round.

I think Carlton often doesn’t get the love he deserves from fans. Do you think as he deals with his demons, as he grows and changes, that Season 3 is going to be a bit of a redemption for Carlton in the eyes of fans?

Oh, welcome to Season 3, baby. This is the Carlton redemption season! [Laughs] I could tell you this right now, audiences are going to fall in love with him. It was important to the writers and me that Carlton earn the love. We could do a version of the show where Carlton’s great and nice out of the gate in the first few episodes. We decided to give the audience the chance to watch the character evolve and grow so that their love for Carlton gets even deeper. This season everyone’s about to be obsessed with Carlton. I can tell you for a fact.

The first 3 episodes of Bel-Air Season 3 are now streaming on Peacock

For more entertainment news and streaming recommendations, visit decider.com