Fresh Prince star says the hit show ‘became a sacrifice’ that ended his career
Alfonso Ribeiro has reflected on how The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air contributed to ending his acting career.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a massive TV show in its day, as it ran from 1990 to 1996 and it ultimately helped turned Will Smith into the star we know today.
But Alfonso Ribeiro, the man who won the world over playing Carlton Banks has said it wasn’t the best thing for his own career.
Speaking in an interview with Closer Weekly, Ribeiro surprisingly called his integral role in the show a sacrifice for his acting career.
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Which is certainly shocking since he had people everywhere doing the Carlton Dance.
Reflecting on his overall career and everything after the shows end in 1996, he spoke about the good and the bad.
“Playing Carlton on Fresh Prince became a sacrifice. I used to always say doing Carlton was the greatest and worst thing that ever happened to me,” he said.
“It was one of the greatest roles that I ever was fortunate enough to play, but it was also the role that stopped me from acting again because people couldn’t see me as anything else. The sacrifice was not having an acting career anymore.”
It is not as if the actor has had absolutely no gigs, but his career differs vastly compared to that of the lead star Will Smith.
While he has done some acting work over the years, appearing in episodes now and again, for many who never watched The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air back in the 90s, he might be known more for his hosting work or his appearances in State Farm Insurance commercials.
With that said, Ribeiro still massively enjoyed his time working on the show and remarked that he has many fond memories with the cast.
“It was about the cast and spending time with them. Before every show, we would go into Will Smith’s dressing room, and we’d play music and dance and just have a great energy build-up to get ready for the show. Those are some great memories of just being together,” he continued.
Ribeiro also said he is in a great place right now and very much loves his jobs hosting multiple shows, including co-hosting Dancing with the Stars and America’s Funniest Home Videos.
“I’m enjoying being a host and am very happy with it,” he added.
“My happiest moments, career-wise, are winning Dancing With the Stars and now becoming host of Dancing With the Stars. And after winning Dancing With the Stars, I got the opportunity to do the show that I always wanted to do – America’s Funniest Home Videos.
“But, yes, I would go back to acting if it was exactly the right thing,” he added.
I guess there can be downsides if you play an iconic role a little too well for many years.
Topics: Will Smith, Celebrity, Film and TV
Gerrard Kaonga