‘Bel-Air’ Boss on Pulling Off That Joseph Marcell Cameo and Ideas for Will Smith

[This story contains spoilers from Bel-Air season three, episode six, “Baggage.”]

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School’s out for summer in season three of Bel-Air when it finds its lead characters, Will Smith ( Jabari Banks ) and Carlton Banks (Olly Sholotan), begrudgingly working at a country club at Uncle Phil’s (Adrian Holmes) urging, rather than wreaking havoc in the classroom.

“We were all excited for summer in Bel-Air because we’ve never done that before,” showrunner Carla Banks Waddles tells The Hollywood Reporter . “We’ve always been in the school hallways and in school uniforms. So just knowing that we were going to be outside meant new sets … and really focusing on what are the iconic summer things for kids in L.A. and being able to talk about all of that: Juneteenth, fireworks, beaches, bikinis, hot tubs, swimming pools.”

While playing with new environments in its latest season, which debuted on Peacock on Aug. 15, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot continues its tradition of bringing back castmembers from the original ‘90s sitcom. This time, it’s the original Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell) who makes an appearance in “Baggage,” the sixth episode of the drama’s third season, following in the footsteps of Tatyana Ali and Daphne Maxwell Reid, who appeared in seasons one and two. ( Karyn Parsons also gave Coco Jones her approval from afar .)

Below, Banks Waddles talks about what it took to get Marcell from London to the Los Angeles set and the other gambles the writers took with the storylines this season.

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What was the biggest challenge coming into season three?

There were so many threads that we set up at the end of season two. We have nine regular castmembers and really wanted to tell so much story based on where we left them in season two, but [knew] we had only 10 episodes to tell everything. So [it was asking], what stories do we want to focus on? How do we give everybody their own beginning, middle and end that feels satisfying? Because so many fans, I feel, tune in for specific characters. They have their favorites and their favorite dynamics and their favorite relationships. How do we tell all those stories over 10 episodes and make them all feel satisfying?

We see another chapter in Carlton’s addiction journey this season, which is recovery. That storyline, one could argue, has been handled more responsibly than some other TV shows. How far out had that plot been thought out when you originally decided to take him down that path?

It was interesting to see how people responded to that story, the mental health of it, and being able to tell that story for a little Black boy with wealth who seemingly had everything but was still struggling. Seeing how people responded to that storyline and how important it was really made us stop for a second and go, “How do we stay true to that journey for a young kid?” Not going through it too quickly, not being too trite with it, not coming back to season three and being like, “All right, I’m all healed!” But also wanting to balance that with joy. Because a lot of people are like, “When is Carlton going to stop being addicted to these drugs? We just want to see him live some life.” So we wanted to have that balance of staying honest and true to [the story], but also letting him have some joy. So, he’s got a girlfriend this season. We’ve never seen him have a kiss on camera and we have that this season.

Infidelity appears to be a potential temptation for both Aunt Viv (Cassandra Freeman) and Uncle Phil (Adrian Holmes) this season. Were you hesitant at all about challenging viewers’ image of this pillar of Black love?

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That is a very good question, because we ended season two with Uncle Phil sending the text message [to his colleague] and accepting the invitation to dinner, knowing that nobody wants to see that couple split apart; nobody wants to see infidelity in that couple. But they’re a real marriage. They’ve been married for 20-plus years, so [it was] also wanting to stay true to the real struggles of what that looks like, and knowing that Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv are sort of the moral center and the rock of this show. If that rock isn’t solid, they can’t be there for everybody else. We support everybody else and everybody depends on us, so if we’re not tight and right, nobody’s going to be right. So they’ve got to look at the cracks in their own foundation and heal that so that they can be strong for everybody else. But also when you’re being so strong for everybody else, you forget to sort of focus on you. I think that’s what they realize this season, that we are so focused on being there for everybody that we have sort of forgotten to be there for each other. So, without tearing down people’s [image] — “Oh God, are they cheating? Are they doing all this other stuff with other people?” — it’s just a way for them to realize: We have issues, and we need to focus on us.

Vic Mensa guest stars this season. How did that come about?

Vic Mensa plays Quentin. He’s a former MMA fighter turned venture capitalist who becomes a business mentor to Will and Carlton. When we were talking about the casting, knowing there were different people in Will’s world last season, like Doc, played beautifully by Brooklyn McLin, we knew coming into this season with another person who’s going to be in Will’s life, and now Will and Carlton’s, we wanted to show that wealth looks different. Vic Mensa, he’s tatted up. He’s got all the gold and the bling and the diamonds. In the [writers] room, we talked about Nas a little bit and his journey, turning from a rapper into this [venture capitalist] successfully. I really wanted to have a mentor for the boys that looked a little cooler, a little hipper, but also shows wealth looks different on different people.

Continuing the tradition of bringing back Fresh Prince of Bel-Air castmembers, this season we get Joseph Marcell. How did this cameo happen?

We always love when our OG cast is with us. They’ve all been so great and responsive when asked, but we’re also very conscious of not wanting to just wedge somebody in that doesn’t feel organic to the story. When you see his character this season, he was perfect for the storyline that we had in mind. It was just tough getting him here, because he’s 75 years old and a working actor who lives in London. We just needed him here for one day, but he was literally doing a play in London five days a week with no understudy. So there was only one day, basically, in his schedule that we could find to put him on a plane to L.A., be here for shooting one day, and get him on a plane to get back to London because he was worried, understandably, if I don’t get back, there’s no play — and he has a very prominent role in this play. It was a small window of opportunity to get him here, so I’m very proud of [executing] that.

Have you talked to anyone else about making an appearance? Is there a world where Will Smith comes on the show?

That would be wonderful. We talked about him, season one, being in the role of Lou [Will’s dad, played by Marlon Wayans]. But it just felt a little too meta, Will being Will’s dad. So, I’d love, in a world of a season four, to find a role for him. I think the fans would love it. We would love it. The cast would love it. So, who knows?

People were skeptical about the dramatic reimagining of Bel-Air initially. What’s been most rewarding for you about the way the show has been embraced now, three seasons in?

People were understandably nervous about messing with the Banks family and this beloved IP. It just felt like it had such a perfect run and a perfect ending and suddenly bringing all these beloved characters back in this new way — people were very upset when they heard about it. But I do think what has been great is how the light bulb has gone off for people like, “Oh, OK, this is a very different show.” It’s not a comedy, though we have moments of lightheartedness and fun. It just took a second. I think the most rewarding thing has been watching people be on the journey with us and start from this position of skepticism and “I don’t know about this,” to watching it. And then seeing them be on the journey of hating Carlton at first, like, “What the heck have they done with Carlton?” to really him being a beloved character and people rooting for him, understanding him, wanting the best for him. And he and Will and their dynamic duo together, just watching Will in this new space being this fish out of water in a very different, more dramatic way, that’s been fun. The fans will rock with you when they feel it, when they understand it, and when they’re relating to the material.

New episodes Bel-Air release every Thursday on Peacock.

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