In the midst of promotion for his new film, King Richard, actor and producer Will Smith is also promotion his self-titled memoir.
Fans of the Oscar winning actor knows he got his start on the classic ‘90s sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
In his memoir, Smith revealed his decision to continue the show after season 6, especially in the midst of his growing success in the film areas with movies such as Bad Boys, Six Degrees Of Separation and Independence Day.
“The show could easily sustain another season; this was my family; I loved them,” Smith said, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. “But a movie career was now a viable option; I was at a crossroads.”
Smith said he believes that the show jumped the shark during the season 5 episode, “Bullets Over Bel-Air," where Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) started carrying a gun after Will was shot.
“The storylines were becoming increasingly hokey and it was difficult to maintain the ‘Freshness,'” he shared.
“Anyone who has ever been on a sitcom can tell you the episode in which their show jumped the shark. Ours was season 5, episode 15, ‘Bullets Over Bel-Air,’ the one in which I got shot and Carlton started carrying a gun. I had successfully fulfilled a promise to myself that I would never get caught in a cycle of deterioration without having the next thing on tap.”
Smith revealed his path toward movie superstardom was etched in stone following a conversation with Fresh Prince guest star and Good Times frontman John Amos.
“None of these execs, or producers, or businesspeople, give a s— about your family,” Smith recalls Amos telling him. “Do not let them f— off all of your hard work and passion. It is your responsibility to make sure these people get to leave this show with some dignity.”
