Why The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’s Alfonso Ribeiro Is Embarrassed By His Original Audition
In the history of television, there are certain characters that manage to transcend their small-screen roots and become true mainstays within the pop culture zeitgeist. Sitcoms have produced quite a few iconic characters, and one of them is most definitely The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s Carlton Banks. The nerdy and lovable preppy is an excellent character, which is greatly due to the performance of Alfonso Ribeiro. But as perfect as the actor was for the role, Ribeiro is still embarrassed by his original audition for the role.
One of the best parts of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion is that it allowed Alfonso Ribeiro, Will Smith and their co-stars to relive some of the earliest moments from the popular show. This included viewing Ribeiro and Karyn Parsons’ original auditions. As you would expect, the actors found it a bit cringy to watch their vintage auditions, but Ribeiro has expanded on why he’s a bit embarrassed by his:
As Alfonso Ribeiro explained to Extra, he’s still not over the fact that his attire was so out of tune with the character of Carlton, and he does have a point. Let’s be honest, Carlton is less of a tracksuit and sneakers kind of guy and more of a polo shirt and loafers sort of gentlemen. But clothes aside, the producers were still able to see the potential in the young Ribeiro’s delivery.
Alfonso Ribeiro starred on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for all six seasons of its run. While the role brought him widespread recognition, it also caused him to become almost exclusively connected to the role. This led to him being typecast after the show’s run, which caused him to hold a bit of resentment towards the iconic character for a while.
Despite going through that period, Ribeiro still holds great affection for his fan-favorite character and his iconic dance. The actor has since moved on to other productions like America’s Funniest Home Videos, but he still catches up with his Fresh Prince family often. He spoke highly of the reunion special and seems to have relished the opportunity to reflect on the series with his co-stars.
It’s honestly hard to believe Alfonso Ribeiro wasn’t satisfied with his Fresh Prince audition, especially when you consider just how well he embodied the role in the years that followed. But if anything, fans should just be grateful the powers that be saw fit to give him the job, despite his choice of attire.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and its reunion special are currently available to stream on HBO Max.
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Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.