Bel-Air‘s Phillip and Vivian aren’t the Phil and Viv that we knew before…but that isn’t a bad thing. And that’s also not to say that those iconic characters, played by James Avery and Janet Hubert/Daphne Maxwell-Reid, aren’t in the fabric of the ones played by Adrian Holmes and Cassandra Freeman.

The two are making a mark on the show right now as both characters are getting deep, nuanced stories on how both of the Banks’ parents are being impacted by Will (Jabari Banks)’s arrival and more.

Right now, there is a generational tussle between Viv and her influencer daughter, Hilary (Coco Jones). But this said tension is actually leading Viv to have some realizations herself.

READ MORE:

‘Bel-Air’ Star Coco Jones On Hilary Banks’ Relatability And Her ‘Long Road’ To This Dramatic Reimagining

‘Bel-Air’: Jabari Banks And Olly Sholotan On The Will-Carlton Relationship And Where They’re Headed

“The most succinct way I could say it is that there’s always tension between generations,” Freeman said to S&A in a recent interview. And so this is a Viv generation versus Hillary’s generation on how to succeed in America right now. And she don’t know nothing about that social media [laughs]. But also I think Hillary opens up in her how she’s given up on her dreams because…maybe she forgot about them. I don’t think she’s really thought about her dream as a choice until Hillary puts it in her face in such a derogatory kind of way, which I think between that and Will being in town and showing how unapologetically free he is, makes her remember, ‘Oh, that’s right. I’m that chick from Philly.’ Like, ‘I used to be that chick who did art and how did we get here?'”

Adrian Holmes

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week