February 14, 2022 • 42 mins
Welcome to Bel-Air: The Official Podcast. In this episode, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Aida Osman sit down with Director and EP, Morgan Cooper to talk about the impetus for the show, the moment the idea struck him to make a short film that then went viral, and why it was so important for Will’s West Philly origin story to take centerstage in this iteration. Watch the power of opportunity and second chances begin to take shape for Will in the first three episodes of Bel-Air, streaming now on Peacock!
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Bellair. The official podcast is produced by I Heart podcast
Network and Peacock. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Official
bel Air Podcast. We're so excited to have you listening
to us today and we're so excited to talk about
the new show. Hey. I am DJ Jazzy Jeff from
West Philadelphia, born and raised from the original cast of
(00:22):
The Fresh Prince of bel Air, and I am super
excited to talk about this show. And I'm just a
die hard Fresh Prince fan. I don't know where they
found me to come talk about the show, but I'm
so excited to be here. My name is Aida Usman.
I'm a writer, producer, actress and host of the Crooked
Media podcast Keep It. And we just watched the first
three episodes of bel Air and let me tell you
(00:44):
to have a podcast about it. Yes, and the point
of this podcast is not to rehash every second of
the show, but more so just to discuss what we're
seeing in the real world dynamics of an on screen drama.
It's a culture podcast, it's a TV podcasts, but it's
not a recap podcast. We do want to differentiate because
the new iteration is dramatically different from the original. The
(01:07):
primary differences this versions of drama where the show was
originally a sitcom. What makes it the same is that stylistically,
they are very much capturing the moment that we exist
in now, and both shows have a strong voice, but
they're tackling modern day issues facing society in their own way. Yeah,
and every episode will be tackling a theme presented in
the show. So in this episode, we're gonna talk to
(01:28):
the show creator Morgan Cooper about what made him want
to reimagine this show and why it was so important
to have Philly take center stage. Wow. However, before we
even get into it, how are you feeling seeing the
new Jazz listen? First of all, you know, I was
a little nervous because I wanted to make sure that
(01:50):
jazz was represented right, And I am so cool in
this new show. Who the hell are you? Uh? Jazz what? Jess?
Thank you for time, Jesse, thank you for your money. Phil.
I'm happy. I'm happy Jazz. Jazz is good. He's on point,
he's smooth, he's a hustler. He and will have a
(02:12):
great relationship right off top. It's exactly what I wanted
to see, and I like Jazz's car. Jess is a
dope card too. Yes, he really does. Okay, so, Jeff,
what for you was the most surprising moment of the
first episode. I think the biggest surprise on screen for
me was Carlton. You know, I was just curious to
see if Carlton was going to be the nerdy, the
(02:36):
you know, the super smart and Carlton has swag. I
can't say that enough, Like, I'm so shocked that Will
it's so confused that Carlton is actually the cool guy
in the school that has to show Will the ropes. Look,
we have a different set of roles there. Okay, you
want to do well, just keep your head down and
follow my league. Whoa, whoa, Paul stop flag on the plate.
(02:59):
I know you didn't just tell me to follow. Yeah,
I mean I do kind of run the place. Hey,
catch you, laiter, cheese eggs. You know, what the hell
am I supposed to do? As long as it doesn't
involve embarrassing me or my family, go for it, frolic,
be creative, me be in the locker room at three
and noled introduce you to the guys. I was so
shocked by the level of wealth because think about in
(03:19):
the original sitcom we're getting a fully dressed set. We're
getting an idea of how much money the banks have.
Their name is literally the banks. We know they got money,
but to see this multimillion dollar mansion that they use filmed,
I was I was pissed too, sparking Cooper, you could
have invited us. I'm like, wow, like this is great.
I want to go. I want to go to the
(03:40):
bank's mansion and get thrown out. So many moments of
black wealth and really important questions being asked about what
it means for black families to ascend classes and how
they surpass social structure and what that means for Will
when he shows up from Philly from a single mother
house hold and now he just has to become part
(04:02):
of this climate, and you can see how overwhelming it
is for him. But my favorite part is how much
he matures so quickly. Three episodes he has to It
was beautiful just him having to adapt. You know, we
are so used to having to adapt in to an
environment that is not ours that it was very refreshing
to watch how Aunt Viv kind of pulled him to
(04:23):
the side and basically gave her account of having to adapt.
Just like that when she got out there, so she
was giving him the game and he picked up on it. Yeah,
Will has a second chance that most black men from
under certain communities don't have a chance. He gets to
leave Philadelphia start over, literally, he gets to live, He
gets to live. He doesn't have to remain the situation. Yes,
(04:45):
not just live, but live well. Yes. And I think
that opportunity really comes out when we find out that
Trey gets shot his friend who stays in Philadelphia. And
it's important to highlight how black men, when even the
right circumstances can succeed, can do well. But when all
the cards are stacked up against them, we have the
(05:06):
trade situation or we have tough Yeah, and that you
can speak to that being from West Philly, understanding that
the men around you are things are stucked up against them.
This was so authentic for me and just understanding, you know,
like I said, having to leave Philadelphia and come to
l a and it'd be a completely different situation. And
(05:29):
to have those kind of opportunities presented that a lot
of the people you left back in Philly will never get.
And sometimes that plays on you. You know, you're sitting
there saying I'm getting this opportunity of a lifetime while
all of my friends are still stuck back in the hood. Yeah,
there's like a sense of and we see Will's character
experiences survivor's guilt, right. Yeah, he jumped over the gate.
(05:52):
He was about to go home. He tried it. He tried.
They were both out there ready, And I think too,
there's so many themes occurring around the black family and
the concept of the black family and how the black
family's role is to take care of the young and
when a black mom and West Philly can't do that
no more. She has to send her son to bel
Air where he can start over. Um, and then he
(06:14):
has a whole team of people that are trying to
make sure he wins as long as he works for it. Yeah,
that's it. That's it. This show is beautiful. And for
those of you that have watched it and you're catching up,
that's amazing. And for those of you are listening to
this first, go watch what y'all doing. Yes please, I'm
super excited that we had a chance to talk to
(06:35):
Morgan Cooper, the creator of the show, and ask him
some really in depth questions just about what was his
reasoning and why did he pick Philly. It was. It's amazing.
Morgan Cooper is such a bright light in the industry,
already at this early stage in his career. He's such
a kind man. He's articulate, he's smart, genius, I could
(06:55):
even say. And he told us everything that he could
tell us about where the idea came from, how he
executed it, how he made the original short film, how
it turned into a two season order from Peacock. It's
a it's a great interview. Mom. Hello, everyone, we want
to introduce you to are very special first guest, who
(07:16):
was the obvious choice for the official bel Air podcast.
We have the cinematographer creator in the building. His name
is Morgan Cooper. Hello, what's going on? You're all so
excited to be here with you guys. Yeah, it's so
happy to have you, so happy to have you. We
are clearly obsessed with the project. We have so many
questions for you and want to know where this dramatic
(07:36):
retailing came from and where you got the confidence, the
excitement and the willingness to do it. Um. I think
my first question for you is just from where where
did it come from? You know, it's interesting. A while
ago Uh, somebody told me this concept. I think they
read it in a book where like ideas of these
things that are floating in the ether looking for a
(07:57):
human host to bring them to life. And I was
driving now seventy one Highway in my hometown of Kansas City,
and uh, I drove under this overpass um and the
entire idea, the entire vision hit me all in the
matter of like five to ten seconds, and I came
out into the other side and it was all there.
It was all there. The tone of the show, um,
(08:17):
the textures, the language, the quality of light, the cinematography
was all it all hit me in a single idea.
And that's always how my mind has worked as an artist,
is like a singular vision and the feeling that I'm
chasing being the filter for you know, the camera choice,
the lens choice, the lighting choice, the music, the tones um.
And so it all hit me at once. And uh,
(08:38):
you know, that night, I wrote an outline for the
for the short and we got to work. So it
was definitely a shocked when everyone saw the trailer. Um.
Just the idea of you know, the Freshmen's of bell
Air being reimagined as a drama, Like people really really
lost it and it just went viral everywhere. Did you
(08:59):
expect at Yeah, I mean, to be honest with you,
I've always been of the mind and this is something
that my you know, my parents and part of me is,
you know when I was younger, is that like all
you can control is your actions and what you do,
and you gotta let the people decide. And so for me,
it was all about just expressing this idea was so
incredibly passionate about like the vision was so strong, and
it was an idea that kept me up at night.
(09:20):
And so, you know, I knew the first day of shooting.
You know, I remember that we we the very first
day of shooting. We were in um my Auntie's living
room in Kansas City and it was the scene with
Will's mom and Will and she she said look at you,
you know uh and she told him like you know,
you're going to bell Air Like that was the scene.
And I knew after an hour, I was like, I
(09:40):
think this thing could be out of here, Like it
was really really special, Like it was just this magic
that was just so palpable. Um. But once again, just
like head down, like you know what I mean, just
like focus on the art, focus on the vision, because
that's what's real, you know what I mean. So just
staying radically present and the thing that we're making in
the collaboration was was of the utmost importance. But I
actually have a quick question for y'all, real quick. Oh
(10:02):
here you go, Jef, be honest, like, did you hate
it the first time you saw it? Or were you
rocking with it? And where were you when I was?
I was rocking with it so hard, um, because you know,
just being a creative. To watch the spin that you
put on it, I was kind of like, wow, like
this is like me hearing a great remix, Like you
(10:24):
took the original and put an amazing spin on it,
and I was like, oh my god, I never saw
that come. I was inspired by it because you know,
as I think, mostly a big fan as a child,
you know, all of us really, and then having being
a TV writer myself, and having certain expectations for what
a television show should be or what a trailer should be,
(10:45):
and y'all just blew it out the water, Like you
can't fight that. People were generally averse to reboots. Let's
just call it what it is. But the way y'all
didn't match the old show. Y'all didn't surpass the old show.
You didn't have to. You created a whole new lane
for yourselves that that you can't even pair of the
two shows. You can only give credit for where y'all
made differences. And it's beautiful. I think it was a
beautiful first trailer. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that.
(11:08):
And listen, like Jeff, what you guys did back is
like so incredibly iconic and can never be done again,
Like that was lightning in a bottle or once in
a lifetime, once in a generation thing that you guys did.
And so to try to do that same thing and
reboot it in the same way you guys did, it
would have been just a disservice to everybody because you
can never match what you guys did, you know what
(11:29):
I'm saying. So, like, really the goal and the intention
was to create something that honored what you guys did
while truly standing on its own, you know what I mean.
And so I hope you know, when when the fans
watch it, they understand that we're really honoring the spirit
of these characters that we all know and love. Um
in this fish out of water story with you know,
this young black man from West Philadelphia, Uh coming to
(11:50):
bell Air and the culture class that ensues. We hope
people UH enjoy the ride because you know it's it's
definitely gonna be a phone one for sure. I think
to go back to the original and talking about this
remake is that I see TV is kind of like
this march, where we create the content that we believe
audiences are ready for and are ready to perceive and
(12:10):
and welcome into their homes. And clearly, the current climate,
as we've been talking about on the podcast already, the
current climate deserved and has been begging for a show
like bel Air now where you take a chance to
actually talk about what Will was experiencing in Philadelphia. So
can you talk a little bit about why you guys chose,
especially to make the first episode pretty much the retelling
(12:31):
of the intro sequence to the original. Can you talk
about why it was important to include Philly in this story. Yeah,
I mean I've always rocked heavy with Philly, like growing
up like our favorite rappers. You know, Freeway was was
bumped heavy in Kansas City, like all of the Rockefeller
like state property beings. You know, Jeff Will just like
(12:52):
that was a sound that we really appreciated in Kansas City.
So I've always had Cassidy like on the old like
h on the battle Rap to like everything that was
happening with read dollars and those guys, it like really
mattered to us growing up, Like we were passing around
those DVDs in middle school, you know, um, and so
it's always I've always felt a strong connection to it.
And so you know, for me, it was there was
(13:14):
no way that we could have done this and not
shown Philly and be on location in Philly, like we're
on sixt In Market. That was the very first day
of shooting was on sixt In Market, and really the
goal was to just honor that community and show that
show why it was so hard for Will to leave,
Like of course they're the struggles of his neighborhood, but
there's beauty in it as well, and so we wanted
to make sure to just show the beauty that is
(13:36):
West Philly in the in the rich, vibrant culture, and
Philly has just such a specific, specific thing, a specific
texture that you can't emulate. And so you know, there
was never any question. I said right off, rip like
guys like, we have to go to Philly, we have
to be boots on the ground, we have to touch
down in the city, pay our respect. So we tapped
in with Gilly, you know what I mean. We we
(13:57):
we you know, we had to tap in with Gilly
and he had us right as we as we made
our way through through our scout and it was just
an incredible experience. And I remember being on sixt In
Market and you know, kids coming up to us and
you know, and just being able to to engage with
the community and for them to see somebody that looked
like them, you know, doing what we were doing. I
know it had an impact. And that's something that's very
(14:18):
important for me, is that, you know, through the art
making a change, you know, any way we can so
incredible experience and I hope Philly is really proud of
how we captured it. Oh my gosh, I mean watching
just how authentic it was being from Philly, because you know,
that's a really big thing. Um, you nailed it, nailed it.
(14:38):
Like there were people in there that I may not
actually know, but I know you know you you nailed it,
you know, so you know, you you definitely did Philly proud.
Um and I just think, especially now, the authenticity of
something matters so much that you go back to the
(14:58):
place and it wasn't someone from somewhere else, you know,
acting like they were from Philly. These were real Philadelphians. Yeah,
all of the background was from Philly. Uh. We had
you know, two actors, Andrew Bari you know who, um
who spent a lot of his time in Philly as well.
(15:18):
But you know Easy the block captain from Philly, you
know what I mean, who had a phenomenal performance in it.
And uh, you know, we got d for him Sloan
as well, you know, shout out to Sloan from West Philly,
and that was really important. And so it's it's interesting
when we were casting for those roles, something that was
really important is that we had Philly guys play those
roles and so uh you know, it was amazing. You know,
(15:41):
I hand picked those guys. You know, Sloan. I was
just a fan of his music because I love the
Philly music that's happening right now is just incredible and
super inspired and seeing Sloan and his energy and the
music videos, you know what I mean, I was like,
I think slow like Slan would be perfect for Darnell.
So I sent his name to casting and he blew
everybody away with his audition and won the role. And
and same thing with Easy. You know, I'm a battle
(16:02):
Rat fan, and he was barking on somebody. He was
just barking on him. I was like, we need somebody
who really talks different people. And that's what Easy does,
you know, And so send his name belong the casting
and and he did his his audition and once again
blew everybody away and got the part. And so um,
it's amazing to be able to change lives in that
way as well, to show that, you know, there's so
(16:24):
much talent and hip hop that just need an opportunity.
Once they get that opportunity, like Jeff like Will, look
look where you guys took it. And so the hope
is that you know, Sloan Um Easy the block, captain
the rest of these new actors that people are going
to get to see, you know, just people will be
able to see their careers continue to blossom and flourish.
So I want to ask you because I think to
(16:44):
pursue a project like this, like you have to see
a bit of yourself in Will's character. Probably a lot
of yourself and Will's character clearly a little bit more
involved version of him. You little grown got a little
more your beard connect. But but also I wanted to
ask you the important stuf we've been talking about opportunity
on the podcast, where you came through too, and or
(17:05):
carving out opportunities for yourself as a cinematographer and creator,
Like you had a vision for something, you got a
team to make it a reality, and you created this world.
You got a two season order from Peacock, which is
unheard of in the TV world. Like, let's call it
what it is. That's that's damn near never happened unless
you're animated show that doesn't happen. So I wanted to
(17:25):
ask you about, like what this opportunity means for you
as a black man and what it means for other
black men in the industry. It means everything, you know
what I mean. And in more than anything, it's like
there's so many you know, young black boys and girls
who they need to be able to see someone to
say like I can do that, Like I can pick
up my iPhone and make a movie and tell my
story as well. And so uh, it takes representation in
(17:49):
order to change this business and create a healthier industry.
And so it really means everything, and and honestly, it
just shows the power what I feel of manifestation and passion,
you know what I mean, And may can share that
you put in those ten thousand hours of work so
that when that idea comes, you're ready to execute it.
You know, there are a lot of people who have
great ideas, but they haven't really put in the work,
you know, to be able to execute it at the
(18:11):
highest level. And so when people see even even the
short film, one of the reasons I think it connected
with people so much is because of the execution of
how it was done. And so in these frames with
with how I lit it and how I shot it,
you know, ten thousand hours of just being in the
bunker working on the craft. You know, so when it's
time and that idea hit me, we jump on it
and we're ready to rock and roll. And so it
(18:32):
means everything, and I hope it inspires the next generations
of storytellers to tell their story fearlessly and you know,
listen to that that crazy, big creative idea that you
have and pursue it. Don't be afraid of that idea,
run towards it, you know, don't. We don't duck, smoke
or dodge direct is what I like to say. We
don't gotta run even if Will Smith is at the
other the other Okay, So Will and Westbrook reached out
(18:55):
twenty three hours and forty five minutes after the short
film dropped. Okay, you know his Westbrook Media team, which
is one of the best in the business, Like he
has just a team that is so on top of
what's happening on the internet, and so it made its
way to him. He was on the set of Bad
Boys three and up until I got that email from
Westbrook saying, hey, you know, Will loves it, would love
to connect with you the next day and cow best.
(19:17):
Up until that moment, I was part of me was like, damn,
I'm not gonna get sued. I was gonna lie Like
the moment the idea hite years ago, Like I was
just like, you know, I'm gonna make this thing, but
I gotta be ready for a lawsuit if that's what happens.
But you know, you gotta just do it, you know
what I mean. But I knew it was coming from
an honest place, you know what I mean, And so
you just gotta you gotta run towards it. So yeah,
(19:40):
and I think coming from you know, Will's perspective, or
and and even both of our perspectives, we did not
have this kind of access when when the Fresh Prince
of Bellair started, like we weren't able to create something
on our own. We often have conversations about what if
we had an iPhone or just the capabilities or even
(20:01):
social media when we started, what will be be so
to watch what you did and on your own, Like,
first of all, just from an independent creator, that is amazing.
And I know that was gonna resonate with him, like
that was something that I knew as soon as he
saw this, he was gonna say, oh my god, this
is amazing. I need to meet this guy. Man. That's
(20:23):
that's that's so dope. Man. I really appreciate saying that.
I got to give a huge shout out to everybody
who worked on that original short film. You know who
believed in that vision. You know that the original cast.
I always say, it's like I've met three iterations of
this cast. You know the short film, right that that
version of this family, the actual show bel air and
then at the reunion, Jeff, that was the first time
(20:44):
I met you where I met that. So I've got
three versions of this family and Jeff, I'm curious, how
do you think for you, like, if you did have
an iPhone, you know, back when you and what we're
doing your thing, what would that look like for you? Oh? Man,
UM just and and making music today having the tools
that we have UM and the access. You know, you
(21:05):
used to need a really big company to take your
music in order to get it to the people, and
right now you can take your art and and uploaded
and posted and have a million people love it instantly.
So just having that access is very different you You
can take a lot of those chances and a lot
(21:25):
of those risks that you know, otherwise other people wouldn't take,
you know, you having a camera, you know, someone having
a computer and being able to record you know, video
or audio and just presented to the world is was
like a flying car to us back there. I'm interested,
Like the show has so many different things that we're
(21:46):
going to get into, but one of them of feeling
like an outcast because we talked about opportunity, but what
what How often do we talk about how black people
still feel comfortable once they're in the midst of that opportunity,
Like what your support system look like, who is actually
trying to bring your vision down? Namely the moment with
Hillary when she gets the interview with the Cooking magazine
and they say to her, well, it's just too spicy.
(22:08):
Your food is to spicy. Change it. So, like, can
you talk a little bit about how you relate to
that narrative, whether it's creating art in the past, and
how maybe other people have tried to water it down
or change it so that they feel more comfortable. Absolutely,
you know, growing up in Kansas City, I didn't see anybody,
you know, there were no films. I didn't know any filmmakers,
you know, certainly no black filmmakers. It just I just
(22:29):
didn't I didn't even know this was a career, right.
It was something that started for me in a lone
of the best buy when I graduated high school and
bought a little T two I and was in the
hood shooting these low budget woman band music videos like
that was my film school, right, And so when I
was looking to transition into commercials, um it really felt
like I was on the outside looking in. You know,
(22:50):
I have to enter this space where nobody looks like me,
nobody talks like me. And you know, here my music
videos with we got you know, old Boy in the
Trap House right here, and that's what I got to
show for it, you know what I mean. And like
there's art, but they could never understand those experiences. And
so like absolutely like being on the outside looking in,
you know, has been a big part of my journey.
(23:12):
But but you know, here's the thing, like we're we
have to pioneer our futures, especially as black artists, you
know what I mean. It's black stories are still if
you think about it in terms of like the dawna cinema,
it's still new, you know what I mean. It's like
we we didn't have in the silent film there and
stuff like that, you know, films that we're telling our
story and nuanced ways, and so like we're having a
chance to still like pioneer and tell our stories. And
(23:34):
we have to do it fearlessly and unapologetically and not
ask for permission because it ain't gonna come. Like if
we ask for permission, the answer is gonna be. Like
we have to kick down the doors and be bold
and and say no, like I believe in this. We're
telling this story no matter what, and nothing's gonna stop us,
you know, definitely. I just had a quick question for
you guys, like, what was the most like shocking or
surprising scene. Was there a moment where it was just
(23:55):
like WHOA A particular scene that really caught you off guard?
For me, and I'm immediately it was the character choice
you guys made with Carlton, because I think it was. Yeah, immediately,
I was like, oh, what are y'all doing? He played
lacrosse and people like him as a baller exactly. I
was very shocked. But I don't think that the original
(24:17):
version of what Alfonso did could ever be emulated. He's
the most iconic character on television. There's a whole dance
named after what he used to doing the show. So
it had to be done. So that was what was
shocking to me. It's funny. I I felt like that
you picked up the Fresh Prince of bel Air in
nineteen ninety two and moved it too and made it
(24:41):
a drama and made it exactly how it would be
if it was like and that was the thing. I'm
watching this and I immediately forgot about the original Fresh
Prince of bel Air, Like this is a whole other thing.
You just took the idea and you made it into
(25:02):
something that I'm sitting here saying this is this. It
was fifteen minutes in and I was like, this is
amazing and what I love is you showed so much.
And then the credits came on, like I was like,
wait a minute, the show hasn't started yet. Like that
was amazing. That was that was That was a mic
drop moment. Wow, thank you man, Thank thank you so much.
(25:24):
And uh, I'm curious how you guys responded to uh
when when Carlton walked into the locker room the Bobby
shmurder like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. When Carlton is he's
shucking and driving for the Hall team, he was yeah,
he was going in. Um. I want to admit now
(25:46):
that I am also from the Midwest. Painful thing for
man from Omaha, Nebraska. So Casey's very very close to
and I have witnessed things of that ilk whereas like
I see a black man just allowed the white men
around him to say the N word because he hasn't
matured to the place you need to be at the
things that um Will has learned growing up in Philly,
(26:08):
the things that he knows are not acceptable. Carlton doesn't
have a grasp of that. Day one and bell Air Kadman,
you're already playing the race car. It's just a word, dude,
chill out. Ain't chilling out? Your boy Chad was wilding you.
First of all, his name is Connor, Connor, Chad rab
whatever the fun his wonder bread ass name is. He
ain't with the culture Carlton. So that was That was
(26:30):
a moment where I almost had to slam the laptop
down because it was so close to home. Like, I
just I get it. I feel for Carlton, but also
check them yeah, yes, yeah, yes, yes, there's there's so
much authenticity in this that is ridiculous. Even the mom
being from Philly moving out to l A realizing that
(26:51):
she kind of has to change her approach to things.
And sometimes you can't take that Philly swag with you.
That hit home way when I first showed up here,
I mean I was bound in the termined to keep
my West Philly rep. It was challenging, so no, I adapted.
It's a part of life. Will. I don't know, I mean,
it's easy when you have money. No, it became easy
(27:15):
when I found my people, my people who just were cool,
who just let me be myself. But that kind of
respect goes both ways, and the will coming out and
feeling like an outcast, you know, I was, I was
saying that I felt like I related to that with
what you showed. I related that to that with the
(27:37):
original Fresh Prince of bel Air, but we also related
to that coming from Philly out to l A. So
we related to that in real life that this isn't
where you are. This isn't you know, what you normally do,
and you have to kind of be able to adapt.
That's right. Yeah, And the language is so different, you know,
especially Philly, Like the Philly vernacular you so specific and
(28:01):
so like from a communications standpoint, I you know, coming
from Philly to l A, where it's like, you know,
more of a melting pie of all types of people
in l A. But you know, it's it's interesting, like
the culture clash and the conversations that were you know
that we're able to have um and that was important
for us is to have those uncomfortable conversations on screen.
(28:22):
You know when you see uh, you know, two young
black men from completely different places and all of a sudden,
you know, those two forces colliding in the conversations that
come out of it, that was something really exciting to explore.
And with Carlton Uh specifically, it's it's so interesting because
a lot of people have been talking about, you know, Carlton,
(28:43):
like he's so different from it, but like, in my mind,
this is the only way he could have been, you
know what I mean. It was just the spirit of
these characters and let's ground it, like what would that
really really look like? And so hopefully people really connect
with with our takes on each of these characters. I
don't really like how Jazz and Will met for the
first time in the car, you know, especially you know
(29:06):
somebody like me. I'm sitting there like, okay, I need
to see how this is going to be played. And
I thought it was so perfect, you know, of Jazz
giving him advice on not losing himself, you know, coming
to l a. People come down here, work three jobs,
pay two g's a month for some shitty as apartment
six roommates and the stuff Philip parking tickets off of this. Now, look, bro,
(29:28):
you gotta have fun while you're here, but I got
a word of advice for you. This time we're trying
to make you forget who you are and where you
came from. Don't let it do that. The example of
people getting five and six jobs, spending two thousand dollars
a month for an apartment just to have that. UM,
I love that. I really love that man. That that
(29:49):
means the world to hear that, Jeff, it really does.
UM wanted to take extra extra special care of of jazz.
And you know, did you did you notice a little
easter egg and it's six for did you notice it?
The Yeah, that was beautiful that that whole scene was
(30:10):
actually a magical moment between the music and the lightning
and the seating position and then the conversation it was.
It was actually beautiful. And my favorite part of it
is when he goes m West Philly right like he
knows where he's from. It's this testament to the fact
that black people we don't got to be from the
same place. We speak to struggle, and we understand each other,
regardless of the whatever hood, whatever city, whatever neighborhood were
(30:33):
coming from. So that was a beautiful moment and I
love that they spoke each other's language, Um, who don't
speak each other's language, Carlton and Will at all. And
I am reminded of that moment where he's in front
of the whole school, Carlton is and he says, how
many A P classes did you have in your public school? Um?
You know, and he kind of undermines him for the
lack of opportunity that he has. And we're all, like,
(30:55):
you know, survivors of our circumstances, and Will growing up
in Philly probably was an underserved black community with tired
teachers and old textbooks. And it's the same story for
all of us. So how much of of Will and
Carlton's relationship is drawing from the the that stark difference
between them when you guys are making creative decisions in
(31:16):
the writer's room, Yeah for sure. I mean we had
such a great writer's room, you know, with so many
different perspectives, Um, nearly all black room. Um, you know,
half male, half female. So we had you know, one
particular writer, um who went to Harvard Wesley, you know,
black woman, and you know, gave us a lot of
(31:36):
insight to her experience, you know, being the only you
know or one of very few black women in her school,
you know, and all of the micro aggressions that she
experienced with oh, you're pretty for a black girl, you
know what I mean. And that's something all the black
women I know in my life, like have all heard that,
you know what I mean, I have been told that
pretty for you know, in all this this this bullshit
(31:57):
like that, you know that we as black people have
to have to deal with, especially when we're in situations
where the numbers aren't on our side, you see what
I'm saying, And all of a sudden, they're talking a
little bit more bold because it's just you and like,
you know, and that's that's a really tough position for
Will to be in. When when you're really feeling like
on the outside looking in, and you have people looking
at you and have experienced all of these different things
(32:20):
that you haven't, it's a very vulnerable thing, you know
what I mean. And so the great thing about Will,
and you know, Jabari Banks is phenomenal. We we'll talk
about him in a little bit, but um is that
he has the ability to adapt and shine no matter
where he is, you know. And so really the challenge
for Will this season is maintaining, you know, his authentic
(32:40):
self while navigating this new space, and so we see
all of the ripples that he creates in everybody's life,
you know. So out of other characters, like we've talked about,
are very different. My favorite rendition being Hilary because unfortunately
she matches me to a t it's really insulting. But
(33:00):
which character do you, Morgen think is the most different
from the original and why did you all choose to
make that choice? Very good question. Most different, you know,
probably Carlton. I think Carlton and Hillary, if i'd have
to say, are the most different. But I will tell
you the identity of those characters in bel Air and
our take on those characters. We didn't take the approach
(33:22):
of like, oh, we have to make them different just
to do it. It was all just like grounding them
in modern day and then what comes out is what
comes out. And so I think that's why they're so honest,
Like the characters feel so honest and so dimensionalized, is
because like it was coming from an honest place and
real experiences in that writer's room and everybody bringing those
experiences onto the page and then then onto the screen,
(33:43):
and so um, but you know, seeing the final result,
absolutely Carlton and Hillary Um and you know, Ali is
such a special actor, and so is Coco Jones. Like
they just have such a knack for creating moments on screen,
really unique emotional moments, and the sky is the limit
for them both. Really, this entire cast, that's amazing. I
love that Coco's character resembles so much of her life,
(34:05):
Like I've always known Coco Jones to be that girl
on the Internet, and so to have that, I'm sure
it wasn't that hard to chancefer that over to Hillary's character.
He did a phenomenal job. From from the first two
lines of her read, we all knew, all new it's
Coco Jones. Like we all left that call. It was
a very short discussion in terms of casting Coco Jones
(34:27):
and and working with her. Um. You know, on the pilot.
I just have so many memories of of just what
I told her. I said, Coco, you you were a star.
I just want you to shine, shine bright, take chances,
you know what I mean, really trust your choices, and
and Cocos and actress who thrives off energy, and she
brings that energy and just such a spark and that
(34:47):
once again just has this ability to create really unique
moments that elevate what's the material on the page? You know,
And I can't say enough about her. So when you
were casting Will, what were the most point and qualities
as you were looking for? I mean, you're looking for
a unicorn because that that is what Will was and
Will what Will is right? You know, Um, there's only one,
(35:10):
the real Will Smith, right, And and so you need
somebody who can step into those shoes with pure confidence.
Has to have, you know, be the total package. He
has to have the look, he has to have the swag,
the charisma, athletic ability. Jabari can hoop, you know what
I mean. Um, he has to have great body control.
He's gonna be playing a lot of basketball. You know,
you're watching the pilot. He's doing a lot of different things.
(35:33):
You's know what I'm saying. And so you need somebody
who who has the stamina ability to to not only
act with the words, but also his physicality. And we
found him in Jabari. And I remember we were scouting
Um in Philly and Jabari came down. He was in
d C at the time, and he came down from
d C and we met and I saw him. He
had this little, little, grubby, little mustache. I was like,
(35:54):
I think this is Will. Like we we spoken and
just just how deep of a well he is. Uh,
he's just such a special human being and has such
a big heart. And we went outside of this hotel
and I had my little Fuji camera on me and
we took some skills and uh, right away just caught
a vibe. And I looked at those skills and I said,
I think we found our guy. And so we were
in a callback session and he still had as a
(36:16):
little mustache and I said, bar let me just stop
you for a second. Can you do me a favorite?
Can you can you go shave that real quick? Just
go ahead and shave it, Like yeah, yeah, So I
told me, you know, you go and shaveing. Just wanna
just take a look like this this role with there'd
be no mustache, you know, so I just want to
see without it. He came back. I knew definitively it
(36:36):
was Jabari Banks after he shaved that mustache, no question
in my mind. And uh, you know he got the part.
And since that very first take on sixt in Market
and was Philly, he set the tone right away and
really demonstrated why he's a star that's just going to
continue to grow in this business for years to come.
And the serendipity of his last name being Banks. I
(36:57):
was like, what that can't be right, there's a mistake. Yeah,
he's an amazing actor. I can't wait to see. I mean,
he's he's here for a while, he's with y'all for
a while. I pray y'all get as many seasons as
as you want to tell this story. But um, I
can't wait to see what he does with his career.
But um, you know, when people are watching this, what
(37:18):
do you want them to hold in their mind about
Will's story, about Philadelphia, about what it means to have
these chances a second chance? Essentially, that's what both of
these shows are about, is creating a second chance and
getting to live in that. So what do you want
the audience to keep in mind is they're watching the show?
You know the way that Will is thrust out of
his environment into a new world. Um, it is a
(37:41):
traumatic thing, you know what I mean? But to see
the resilience, uh, within him and within that family as
you know, this this huge ripple within all of their lives,
UH starts to take shape throughout the season. My hope
is that it gives viewers out there, um the courage
to to to show that resilience and really challenging times
(38:03):
when when you're thrown into a new situation, you know,
to where it's like no, like walking there with your
head hell high who you are, don't forget where you
came from, and shine bright and be a star, you
know what I mean. My hope is that people take
that away because we all have that within us, we
really do, and UH, the amount of resilience that will shows,
(38:24):
uh for him to be in this place where he
feels like he's on the outside looking in, but stepping
into it fearlessly and courageously and taking his lumps, you
know what I mean. No, no road to where we
want to be is perfect and pretty all the time.
You know you're gonna have to take those lumps and
fall down and get back up. But the strength of
of that family, UH lifting each other up in those
(38:45):
moments of uh, those challenging moments is what I hope
people can really connect to and carry that into their lives.
You know, long after the credits were all so that's
it he did it. Thank you Morgan. Morgan, We're so
so excited to keep watching the show. We're so fortunate
that you came to talk to us today. Well, I
feel that much smarter about the show. How are you feeling, Jeff,
(39:07):
I'm great. I'm so great. Like you, You've put an
exclamation point on everything that I wanted. Wow, that's that's
that's beautiful. And I think the next episode we'll get
into more about the music. But I gotta give a
big shout out to uh Tara Smarten and Robert Glass
for you know, the composers on the Let's go some
of the best, if not the best, let me just
(39:28):
say it. Oh yeah, yeah, special humans, special artists who
brought just such a beautiful texture sonically, you know, through
the score. And and Jeff uh I was in the
studio with those guys, and they told me a story
about this camp that you you have where it's just
like everybody falls through this camp, like if you don't
if you don't know about Jazz's camp, like you don't
(39:50):
be knowing like everybody's there. They told me a story
about how I think I think it's a red man.
He was just skateboarding or whatever, but they told me
how special that experience, and uh, that was just really
inspiring to hear here some of those stories and and
the respect that they have for you is is unmatched,
you know what I mean. So I just appreciate you
for just laying just so much incredible groundwork so that
(40:12):
you know we're able to make this art and take
it further. So just I want to give your flowers,
man like, thank you just for so much inspiration throughout
my entire life. Really, and I appreciate you for taking
the baton and running like you ran through a brick wall. Um.
And what you don't realize is you're looking at us
for inspiration, but you're inspiring people who did it before
(40:34):
you that didn't have those same kind of opportunities to
keep going. So thank you. I humbly received that. Thank you.
I'm glad we ended the interviewing tears, y'all. Thank you
so much again, what oh, thank you guys so much.
I appreciate this. I wasn't supposed to get emotional, what
(40:55):
I wasn't supposed to get flowers. Once again, thank you
to Morgan Cooper for joining us. We have such a
special and great conversation with him. Next week, we'll be
back talking about the iconic style of the show and
how its creators have used art and music to build
the world of both Phillie and Bellair. And check out
next week's episode of bell Air streaming on Peacock this Thursday,
(41:19):
and come back to the podcast every Friday to hear
more Bellair. The official podcast is produced by iHeart Podcast
Network and Peacock. This show is hosted by me DJ
Jazzy Jeff and by me aid To Austin, Supervising producer
Mike Coscarelli, producer and mastering engineer but Heat Fraser. Executive
(41:40):
producers from I Heeart are Nikki Etre, Hona Stump, and
Miles greg Executive producers from Peacock are Lindsay Vogelman and
Amber Ferguson. And special thanks to Will Pearson from I
Heart and Michael Scogin from Peacock.
Bellair. The official podcast is produced by I Heart podcast
Network and Peacock. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Official
bel Air Podcast. We're so excited to have you listening
to us today and we're so excited to talk about
the new show. Hey. I am DJ Jazzy Jeff from
West Philadelphia, born and raised from the original cast of
(00:22):
The Fresh Prince of bel Air, and I am super
excited to talk about this show. And I'm just a
die hard Fresh Prince fan. I don't know where they
found me to come talk about the show, but I'm
so excited to be here. My name is Aida Usman.
I'm a writer, producer, actress and host of the Crooked
Media podcast Keep It. And we just watched the first
three episodes of bel Air and let me tell you
(00:44):
to have a podcast about it. Yes, and the point
of this podcast is not to rehash every second of
the show, but more so just to discuss what we're
seeing in the real world dynamics of an on screen drama.
It's a culture podcast, it's a TV podcasts, but it's
not a recap podcast. We do want to differentiate because
the new iteration is dramatically different from the original. The
(01:07):
primary differences this versions of drama where the show was
originally a sitcom. What makes it the same is that stylistically,
they are very much capturing the moment that we exist
in now, and both shows have a strong voice, but
they're tackling modern day issues facing society in their own way. Yeah,
and every episode will be tackling a theme presented in
the show. So in this episode, we're gonna talk to
(01:28):
the show creator Morgan Cooper about what made him want
to reimagine this show and why it was so important
to have Philly take center stage. Wow. However, before we
even get into it, how are you feeling seeing the
new Jazz listen? First of all, you know, I was
a little nervous because I wanted to make sure that
(01:50):
jazz was represented right, And I am so cool in
this new show. Who the hell are you? Uh? Jazz what? Jess?
Thank you for time, Jesse, thank you for your money. Phil.
I'm happy. I'm happy Jazz. Jazz is good. He's on point,
he's smooth, he's a hustler. He and will have a
(02:12):
great relationship right off top. It's exactly what I wanted
to see, and I like Jazz's car. Jess is a
dope card too. Yes, he really does. Okay, so, Jeff,
what for you was the most surprising moment of the
first episode. I think the biggest surprise on screen for
me was Carlton. You know, I was just curious to
see if Carlton was going to be the nerdy, the
(02:36):
you know, the super smart and Carlton has swag. I
can't say that enough, Like, I'm so shocked that Will
it's so confused that Carlton is actually the cool guy
in the school that has to show Will the ropes. Look,
we have a different set of roles there. Okay, you
want to do well, just keep your head down and
follow my league. Whoa, whoa, Paul stop flag on the plate.
(02:59):
I know you didn't just tell me to follow. Yeah,
I mean I do kind of run the place. Hey,
catch you, laiter, cheese eggs. You know, what the hell
am I supposed to do? As long as it doesn't
involve embarrassing me or my family, go for it, frolic,
be creative, me be in the locker room at three
and noled introduce you to the guys. I was so
shocked by the level of wealth because think about in
(03:19):
the original sitcom we're getting a fully dressed set. We're
getting an idea of how much money the banks have.
Their name is literally the banks. We know they got money,
but to see this multimillion dollar mansion that they use filmed,
I was I was pissed too, sparking Cooper, you could
have invited us. I'm like, wow, like this is great.
I want to go. I want to go to the
(03:40):
bank's mansion and get thrown out. So many moments of
black wealth and really important questions being asked about what
it means for black families to ascend classes and how
they surpass social structure and what that means for Will
when he shows up from Philly from a single mother
house hold and now he just has to become part
(04:02):
of this climate, and you can see how overwhelming it
is for him. But my favorite part is how much
he matures so quickly. Three episodes he has to It
was beautiful just him having to adapt. You know, we
are so used to having to adapt in to an
environment that is not ours that it was very refreshing
to watch how Aunt Viv kind of pulled him to
(04:23):
the side and basically gave her account of having to adapt.
Just like that when she got out there, so she
was giving him the game and he picked up on it. Yeah,
Will has a second chance that most black men from
under certain communities don't have a chance. He gets to
leave Philadelphia start over, literally, he gets to live, He
gets to live. He doesn't have to remain the situation. Yes,
(04:45):
not just live, but live well. Yes. And I think
that opportunity really comes out when we find out that
Trey gets shot his friend who stays in Philadelphia. And
it's important to highlight how black men, when even the
right circumstances can succeed, can do well. But when all
the cards are stacked up against them, we have the
(05:06):
trade situation or we have tough Yeah, and that you
can speak to that being from West Philly, understanding that
the men around you are things are stucked up against them.
This was so authentic for me and just understanding, you know,
like I said, having to leave Philadelphia and come to
l a and it'd be a completely different situation. And
(05:29):
to have those kind of opportunities presented that a lot
of the people you left back in Philly will never get.
And sometimes that plays on you. You know, you're sitting
there saying I'm getting this opportunity of a lifetime while
all of my friends are still stuck back in the hood. Yeah,
there's like a sense of and we see Will's character
experiences survivor's guilt, right. Yeah, he jumped over the gate.
(05:52):
He was about to go home. He tried it. He tried.
They were both out there ready, And I think too,
there's so many themes occurring around the black family and
the concept of the black family and how the black
family's role is to take care of the young and
when a black mom and West Philly can't do that
no more. She has to send her son to bel
Air where he can start over. Um, and then he
(06:14):
has a whole team of people that are trying to
make sure he wins as long as he works for it. Yeah,
that's it. That's it. This show is beautiful. And for
those of you that have watched it and you're catching up,
that's amazing. And for those of you are listening to
this first, go watch what y'all doing. Yes please, I'm
super excited that we had a chance to talk to
(06:35):
Morgan Cooper, the creator of the show, and ask him
some really in depth questions just about what was his
reasoning and why did he pick Philly. It was. It's amazing.
Morgan Cooper is such a bright light in the industry,
already at this early stage in his career. He's such
a kind man. He's articulate, he's smart, genius, I could
(06:55):
even say. And he told us everything that he could
tell us about where the idea came from, how he
executed it, how he made the original short film, how
it turned into a two season order from Peacock. It's
a it's a great interview. Mom. Hello, everyone, we want
to introduce you to are very special first guest, who
(07:16):
was the obvious choice for the official bel Air podcast.
We have the cinematographer creator in the building. His name
is Morgan Cooper. Hello, what's going on? You're all so
excited to be here with you guys. Yeah, it's so
happy to have you, so happy to have you. We
are clearly obsessed with the project. We have so many
questions for you and want to know where this dramatic
(07:36):
retailing came from and where you got the confidence, the
excitement and the willingness to do it. Um. I think
my first question for you is just from where where
did it come from? You know, it's interesting. A while
ago Uh, somebody told me this concept. I think they
read it in a book where like ideas of these
things that are floating in the ether looking for a
(07:57):
human host to bring them to life. And I was
driving now seventy one Highway in my hometown of Kansas City,
and uh, I drove under this overpass um and the
entire idea, the entire vision hit me all in the
matter of like five to ten seconds, and I came
out into the other side and it was all there.
It was all there. The tone of the show, um,
(08:17):
the textures, the language, the quality of light, the cinematography
was all it all hit me in a single idea.
And that's always how my mind has worked as an artist,
is like a singular vision and the feeling that I'm
chasing being the filter for you know, the camera choice,
the lens choice, the lighting choice, the music, the tones um.
And so it all hit me at once. And uh,
(08:38):
you know, that night, I wrote an outline for the
for the short and we got to work. So it
was definitely a shocked when everyone saw the trailer. Um.
Just the idea of you know, the Freshmen's of bell
Air being reimagined as a drama, Like people really really
lost it and it just went viral everywhere. Did you
(08:59):
expect at Yeah, I mean, to be honest with you,
I've always been of the mind and this is something
that my you know, my parents and part of me is,
you know when I was younger, is that like all
you can control is your actions and what you do,
and you gotta let the people decide. And so for me,
it was all about just expressing this idea was so
incredibly passionate about like the vision was so strong, and
it was an idea that kept me up at night.
(09:20):
And so, you know, I knew the first day of shooting.
You know, I remember that we we the very first
day of shooting. We were in um my Auntie's living
room in Kansas City and it was the scene with
Will's mom and Will and she she said look at you,
you know uh and she told him like you know,
you're going to bell Air Like that was the scene.
And I knew after an hour, I was like, I
(09:40):
think this thing could be out of here, Like it
was really really special, Like it was just this magic
that was just so palpable. Um. But once again, just
like head down, like you know what I mean, just
like focus on the art, focus on the vision, because
that's what's real, you know what I mean. So just
staying radically present and the thing that we're making in
the collaboration was was of the utmost importance. But I
actually have a quick question for y'all, real quick. Oh
(10:02):
here you go, Jef, be honest, like, did you hate
it the first time you saw it? Or were you
rocking with it? And where were you when I was?
I was rocking with it so hard, um, because you know,
just being a creative. To watch the spin that you
put on it, I was kind of like, wow, like
this is like me hearing a great remix, Like you
(10:24):
took the original and put an amazing spin on it,
and I was like, oh my god, I never saw
that come. I was inspired by it because you know,
as I think, mostly a big fan as a child,
you know, all of us really, and then having being
a TV writer myself, and having certain expectations for what
a television show should be or what a trailer should be,
(10:45):
and y'all just blew it out the water, Like you
can't fight that. People were generally averse to reboots. Let's
just call it what it is. But the way y'all
didn't match the old show. Y'all didn't surpass the old show.
You didn't have to. You created a whole new lane
for yourselves that that you can't even pair of the
two shows. You can only give credit for where y'all
made differences. And it's beautiful. I think it was a
beautiful first trailer. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that.
(11:08):
And listen, like Jeff, what you guys did back is
like so incredibly iconic and can never be done again,
Like that was lightning in a bottle or once in
a lifetime, once in a generation thing that you guys did.
And so to try to do that same thing and
reboot it in the same way you guys did, it
would have been just a disservice to everybody because you
can never match what you guys did, you know what
(11:29):
I'm saying. So, like, really the goal and the intention
was to create something that honored what you guys did
while truly standing on its own, you know what I mean.
And so I hope you know, when when the fans
watch it, they understand that we're really honoring the spirit
of these characters that we all know and love. Um
in this fish out of water story with you know,
this young black man from West Philadelphia, Uh coming to
(11:50):
bell Air and the culture class that ensues. We hope
people UH enjoy the ride because you know it's it's
definitely gonna be a phone one for sure. I think
to go back to the original and talking about this
remake is that I see TV is kind of like
this march, where we create the content that we believe
audiences are ready for and are ready to perceive and
(12:10):
and welcome into their homes. And clearly, the current climate,
as we've been talking about on the podcast already, the
current climate deserved and has been begging for a show
like bel Air now where you take a chance to
actually talk about what Will was experiencing in Philadelphia. So
can you talk a little bit about why you guys chose,
especially to make the first episode pretty much the retelling
(12:31):
of the intro sequence to the original. Can you talk
about why it was important to include Philly in this story. Yeah,
I mean I've always rocked heavy with Philly, like growing
up like our favorite rappers. You know, Freeway was was
bumped heavy in Kansas City, like all of the Rockefeller
like state property beings. You know, Jeff Will just like
(12:52):
that was a sound that we really appreciated in Kansas City.
So I've always had Cassidy like on the old like
h on the battle Rap to like everything that was
happening with read dollars and those guys, it like really
mattered to us growing up, Like we were passing around
those DVDs in middle school, you know, um, and so
it's always I've always felt a strong connection to it.
And so you know, for me, it was there was
(13:14):
no way that we could have done this and not
shown Philly and be on location in Philly, like we're
on sixt In Market. That was the very first day
of shooting was on sixt In Market, and really the
goal was to just honor that community and show that
show why it was so hard for Will to leave,
Like of course they're the struggles of his neighborhood, but
there's beauty in it as well, and so we wanted
to make sure to just show the beauty that is
(13:36):
West Philly in the in the rich, vibrant culture, and
Philly has just such a specific, specific thing, a specific
texture that you can't emulate. And so you know, there
was never any question. I said right off, rip like
guys like, we have to go to Philly, we have
to be boots on the ground, we have to touch
down in the city, pay our respect. So we tapped
in with Gilly, you know what I mean. We we
(13:57):
we you know, we had to tap in with Gilly
and he had us right as we as we made
our way through through our scout and it was just
an incredible experience. And I remember being on sixt In
Market and you know, kids coming up to us and
you know, and just being able to to engage with
the community and for them to see somebody that looked
like them, you know, doing what we were doing. I
know it had an impact. And that's something that's very
(14:18):
important for me, is that, you know, through the art
making a change, you know, any way we can so
incredible experience and I hope Philly is really proud of
how we captured it. Oh my gosh, I mean watching
just how authentic it was being from Philly, because you know,
that's a really big thing. Um, you nailed it, nailed it.
(14:38):
Like there were people in there that I may not
actually know, but I know you know you you nailed it,
you know, so you know, you you definitely did Philly proud.
Um and I just think, especially now, the authenticity of
something matters so much that you go back to the
(14:58):
place and it wasn't someone from somewhere else, you know,
acting like they were from Philly. These were real Philadelphians. Yeah,
all of the background was from Philly. Uh. We had
you know, two actors, Andrew Bari you know who, um
who spent a lot of his time in Philly as well.
(15:18):
But you know Easy the block captain from Philly, you
know what I mean, who had a phenomenal performance in it.
And uh, you know, we got d for him Sloan
as well, you know, shout out to Sloan from West Philly,
and that was really important. And so it's it's interesting
when we were casting for those roles, something that was
really important is that we had Philly guys play those
roles and so uh you know, it was amazing. You know,
(15:41):
I hand picked those guys. You know, Sloan. I was
just a fan of his music because I love the
Philly music that's happening right now is just incredible and
super inspired and seeing Sloan and his energy and the
music videos, you know what I mean, I was like,
I think slow like Slan would be perfect for Darnell.
So I sent his name to casting and he blew
everybody away with his audition and won the role. And
and same thing with Easy. You know, I'm a battle
(16:02):
Rat fan, and he was barking on somebody. He was
just barking on him. I was like, we need somebody
who really talks different people. And that's what Easy does,
you know, And so send his name belong the casting
and and he did his his audition and once again
blew everybody away and got the part. And so um,
it's amazing to be able to change lives in that
way as well, to show that, you know, there's so
(16:24):
much talent and hip hop that just need an opportunity.
Once they get that opportunity, like Jeff like Will, look
look where you guys took it. And so the hope
is that you know, Sloan Um Easy the block, captain
the rest of these new actors that people are going
to get to see, you know, just people will be
able to see their careers continue to blossom and flourish.
So I want to ask you because I think to
(16:44):
pursue a project like this, like you have to see
a bit of yourself in Will's character. Probably a lot
of yourself and Will's character clearly a little bit more
involved version of him. You little grown got a little
more your beard connect. But but also I wanted to
ask you the important stuf we've been talking about opportunity
on the podcast, where you came through too, and or
(17:05):
carving out opportunities for yourself as a cinematographer and creator,
Like you had a vision for something, you got a
team to make it a reality, and you created this world.
You got a two season order from Peacock, which is
unheard of in the TV world. Like, let's call it
what it is. That's that's damn near never happened unless
you're animated show that doesn't happen. So I wanted to
(17:25):
ask you about, like what this opportunity means for you
as a black man and what it means for other
black men in the industry. It means everything, you know
what I mean. And in more than anything, it's like
there's so many you know, young black boys and girls
who they need to be able to see someone to
say like I can do that, Like I can pick
up my iPhone and make a movie and tell my
story as well. And so uh, it takes representation in
(17:49):
order to change this business and create a healthier industry.
And so it really means everything, and and honestly, it
just shows the power what I feel of manifestation and passion,
you know what I mean, And may can share that
you put in those ten thousand hours of work so
that when that idea comes, you're ready to execute it.
You know, there are a lot of people who have
great ideas, but they haven't really put in the work,
you know, to be able to execute it at the
(18:11):
highest level. And so when people see even even the
short film, one of the reasons I think it connected
with people so much is because of the execution of
how it was done. And so in these frames with
with how I lit it and how I shot it,
you know, ten thousand hours of just being in the
bunker working on the craft. You know, so when it's
time and that idea hit me, we jump on it
and we're ready to rock and roll. And so it
(18:32):
means everything, and I hope it inspires the next generations
of storytellers to tell their story fearlessly and you know,
listen to that that crazy, big creative idea that you
have and pursue it. Don't be afraid of that idea,
run towards it, you know, don't. We don't duck, smoke
or dodge direct is what I like to say. We
don't gotta run even if Will Smith is at the
other the other Okay, So Will and Westbrook reached out
(18:55):
twenty three hours and forty five minutes after the short
film dropped. Okay, you know his Westbrook Media team, which
is one of the best in the business, Like he
has just a team that is so on top of
what's happening on the internet, and so it made its
way to him. He was on the set of Bad
Boys three and up until I got that email from
Westbrook saying, hey, you know, Will loves it, would love
to connect with you the next day and cow best.
(19:17):
Up until that moment, I was part of me was like, damn,
I'm not gonna get sued. I was gonna lie Like
the moment the idea hite years ago, Like I was
just like, you know, I'm gonna make this thing, but
I gotta be ready for a lawsuit if that's what happens.
But you know, you gotta just do it, you know
what I mean. But I knew it was coming from
an honest place, you know what I mean, And so
you just gotta you gotta run towards it. So yeah,
(19:40):
and I think coming from you know, Will's perspective, or
and and even both of our perspectives, we did not
have this kind of access when when the Fresh Prince
of Bellair started, like we weren't able to create something
on our own. We often have conversations about what if
we had an iPhone or just the capabilities or even
(20:01):
social media when we started, what will be be so
to watch what you did and on your own, Like,
first of all, just from an independent creator, that is amazing.
And I know that was gonna resonate with him, like
that was something that I knew as soon as he
saw this, he was gonna say, oh my god, this
is amazing. I need to meet this guy. Man. That's
(20:23):
that's that's so dope. Man. I really appreciate saying that.
I got to give a huge shout out to everybody
who worked on that original short film. You know who
believed in that vision. You know that the original cast.
I always say, it's like I've met three iterations of
this cast. You know the short film, right that that
version of this family, the actual show bel air and
then at the reunion, Jeff, that was the first time
(20:44):
I met you where I met that. So I've got
three versions of this family and Jeff, I'm curious, how
do you think for you, like, if you did have
an iPhone, you know, back when you and what we're
doing your thing, what would that look like for you? Oh? Man,
UM just and and making music today having the tools
that we have UM and the access. You know, you
(21:05):
used to need a really big company to take your
music in order to get it to the people, and
right now you can take your art and and uploaded
and posted and have a million people love it instantly.
So just having that access is very different you You
can take a lot of those chances and a lot
(21:25):
of those risks that you know, otherwise other people wouldn't take,
you know, you having a camera, you know, someone having
a computer and being able to record you know, video
or audio and just presented to the world is was
like a flying car to us back there. I'm interested,
Like the show has so many different things that we're
(21:46):
going to get into, but one of them of feeling
like an outcast because we talked about opportunity, but what
what How often do we talk about how black people
still feel comfortable once they're in the midst of that opportunity,
Like what your support system look like, who is actually
trying to bring your vision down? Namely the moment with
Hillary when she gets the interview with the Cooking magazine
and they say to her, well, it's just too spicy.
(22:08):
Your food is to spicy. Change it. So, like, can
you talk a little bit about how you relate to
that narrative, whether it's creating art in the past, and
how maybe other people have tried to water it down
or change it so that they feel more comfortable. Absolutely,
you know, growing up in Kansas City, I didn't see anybody,
you know, there were no films. I didn't know any filmmakers,
you know, certainly no black filmmakers. It just I just
(22:29):
didn't I didn't even know this was a career, right.
It was something that started for me in a lone
of the best buy when I graduated high school and
bought a little T two I and was in the
hood shooting these low budget woman band music videos like
that was my film school, right, And so when I
was looking to transition into commercials, um it really felt
like I was on the outside looking in. You know,
(22:50):
I have to enter this space where nobody looks like me,
nobody talks like me. And you know, here my music
videos with we got you know, old Boy in the
Trap House right here, and that's what I got to
show for it, you know what I mean. And like
there's art, but they could never understand those experiences. And
so like absolutely like being on the outside looking in,
you know, has been a big part of my journey.
(23:12):
But but you know, here's the thing, like we're we
have to pioneer our futures, especially as black artists, you
know what I mean. It's black stories are still if
you think about it in terms of like the dawna cinema,
it's still new, you know what I mean. It's like
we we didn't have in the silent film there and
stuff like that, you know, films that we're telling our
story and nuanced ways, and so like we're having a
chance to still like pioneer and tell our stories. And
(23:34):
we have to do it fearlessly and unapologetically and not
ask for permission because it ain't gonna come. Like if
we ask for permission, the answer is gonna be. Like
we have to kick down the doors and be bold
and and say no, like I believe in this. We're
telling this story no matter what, and nothing's gonna stop us,
you know, definitely. I just had a quick question for
you guys, like, what was the most like shocking or
surprising scene. Was there a moment where it was just
(23:55):
like WHOA A particular scene that really caught you off guard?
For me, and I'm immediately it was the character choice
you guys made with Carlton, because I think it was. Yeah, immediately,
I was like, oh, what are y'all doing? He played
lacrosse and people like him as a baller exactly. I
was very shocked. But I don't think that the original
(24:17):
version of what Alfonso did could ever be emulated. He's
the most iconic character on television. There's a whole dance
named after what he used to doing the show. So
it had to be done. So that was what was
shocking to me. It's funny. I I felt like that
you picked up the Fresh Prince of bel Air in
nineteen ninety two and moved it too and made it
(24:41):
a drama and made it exactly how it would be
if it was like and that was the thing. I'm
watching this and I immediately forgot about the original Fresh
Prince of bel Air, Like this is a whole other thing.
You just took the idea and you made it into
(25:02):
something that I'm sitting here saying this is this. It
was fifteen minutes in and I was like, this is
amazing and what I love is you showed so much.
And then the credits came on, like I was like,
wait a minute, the show hasn't started yet. Like that
was amazing. That was that was That was a mic
drop moment. Wow, thank you man, Thank thank you so much.
(25:24):
And uh, I'm curious how you guys responded to uh
when when Carlton walked into the locker room the Bobby
shmurder like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. When Carlton is he's
shucking and driving for the Hall team, he was yeah,
he was going in. Um. I want to admit now
(25:46):
that I am also from the Midwest. Painful thing for
man from Omaha, Nebraska. So Casey's very very close to
and I have witnessed things of that ilk whereas like
I see a black man just allowed the white men
around him to say the N word because he hasn't
matured to the place you need to be at the
things that um Will has learned growing up in Philly,
(26:08):
the things that he knows are not acceptable. Carlton doesn't
have a grasp of that. Day one and bell Air Kadman,
you're already playing the race car. It's just a word, dude,
chill out. Ain't chilling out? Your boy Chad was wilding you.
First of all, his name is Connor, Connor, Chad rab
whatever the fun his wonder bread ass name is. He
ain't with the culture Carlton. So that was That was
(26:30):
a moment where I almost had to slam the laptop
down because it was so close to home. Like, I
just I get it. I feel for Carlton, but also
check them yeah, yes, yeah, yes, yes, there's there's so
much authenticity in this that is ridiculous. Even the mom
being from Philly moving out to l A realizing that
(26:51):
she kind of has to change her approach to things.
And sometimes you can't take that Philly swag with you.
That hit home way when I first showed up here,
I mean I was bound in the termined to keep
my West Philly rep. It was challenging, so no, I adapted.
It's a part of life. Will. I don't know, I mean,
it's easy when you have money. No, it became easy
(27:15):
when I found my people, my people who just were cool,
who just let me be myself. But that kind of
respect goes both ways, and the will coming out and
feeling like an outcast, you know, I was, I was
saying that I felt like I related to that with
what you showed. I related that to that with the
(27:37):
original Fresh Prince of bel Air, but we also related
to that coming from Philly out to l A. So
we related to that in real life that this isn't
where you are. This isn't you know, what you normally do,
and you have to kind of be able to adapt.
That's right. Yeah, And the language is so different, you know,
especially Philly, Like the Philly vernacular you so specific and
(28:01):
so like from a communications standpoint, I you know, coming
from Philly to l A, where it's like, you know,
more of a melting pie of all types of people
in l A. But you know, it's it's interesting, like
the culture clash and the conversations that were you know
that we're able to have um and that was important
for us is to have those uncomfortable conversations on screen.
(28:22):
You know when you see uh, you know, two young
black men from completely different places and all of a sudden,
you know, those two forces colliding in the conversations that
come out of it, that was something really exciting to explore.
And with Carlton Uh specifically, it's it's so interesting because
a lot of people have been talking about, you know, Carlton,
(28:43):
like he's so different from it, but like, in my mind,
this is the only way he could have been, you
know what I mean. It was just the spirit of
these characters and let's ground it, like what would that
really really look like? And so hopefully people really connect
with with our takes on each of these characters. I
don't really like how Jazz and Will met for the
first time in the car, you know, especially you know
(29:06):
somebody like me. I'm sitting there like, okay, I need
to see how this is going to be played. And
I thought it was so perfect, you know, of Jazz
giving him advice on not losing himself, you know, coming
to l a. People come down here, work three jobs,
pay two g's a month for some shitty as apartment
six roommates and the stuff Philip parking tickets off of this. Now, look, bro,
(29:28):
you gotta have fun while you're here, but I got
a word of advice for you. This time we're trying
to make you forget who you are and where you
came from. Don't let it do that. The example of
people getting five and six jobs, spending two thousand dollars
a month for an apartment just to have that. UM,
I love that. I really love that man. That that
(29:49):
means the world to hear that, Jeff, it really does.
UM wanted to take extra extra special care of of jazz.
And you know, did you did you notice a little
easter egg and it's six for did you notice it?
The Yeah, that was beautiful that that whole scene was
(30:10):
actually a magical moment between the music and the lightning
and the seating position and then the conversation it was.
It was actually beautiful. And my favorite part of it
is when he goes m West Philly right like he
knows where he's from. It's this testament to the fact
that black people we don't got to be from the
same place. We speak to struggle, and we understand each other,
regardless of the whatever hood, whatever city, whatever neighborhood were
(30:33):
coming from. So that was a beautiful moment and I
love that they spoke each other's language, Um, who don't
speak each other's language, Carlton and Will at all. And
I am reminded of that moment where he's in front
of the whole school, Carlton is and he says, how
many A P classes did you have in your public school? Um?
You know, and he kind of undermines him for the
lack of opportunity that he has. And we're all, like,
(30:55):
you know, survivors of our circumstances, and Will growing up
in Philly probably was an underserved black community with tired
teachers and old textbooks. And it's the same story for
all of us. So how much of of Will and
Carlton's relationship is drawing from the the that stark difference
between them when you guys are making creative decisions in
(31:16):
the writer's room, Yeah for sure. I mean we had
such a great writer's room, you know, with so many
different perspectives, Um, nearly all black room. Um, you know,
half male, half female. So we had you know, one
particular writer, um who went to Harvard Wesley, you know,
black woman, and you know, gave us a lot of
(31:36):
insight to her experience, you know, being the only you
know or one of very few black women in her school,
you know, and all of the micro aggressions that she
experienced with oh, you're pretty for a black girl, you
know what I mean. And that's something all the black
women I know in my life, like have all heard that,
you know what I mean, I have been told that
pretty for you know, in all this this this bullshit
(31:57):
like that, you know that we as black people have
to have to deal with, especially when we're in situations
where the numbers aren't on our side, you see what
I'm saying, And all of a sudden, they're talking a
little bit more bold because it's just you and like,
you know, and that's that's a really tough position for
Will to be in. When when you're really feeling like
on the outside looking in, and you have people looking
at you and have experienced all of these different things
(32:20):
that you haven't, it's a very vulnerable thing, you know
what I mean. And so the great thing about Will,
and you know, Jabari Banks is phenomenal. We we'll talk
about him in a little bit, but um is that
he has the ability to adapt and shine no matter
where he is, you know. And so really the challenge
for Will this season is maintaining, you know, his authentic
(32:40):
self while navigating this new space, and so we see
all of the ripples that he creates in everybody's life,
you know. So out of other characters, like we've talked about,
are very different. My favorite rendition being Hilary because unfortunately
she matches me to a t it's really insulting. But
(33:00):
which character do you, Morgen think is the most different
from the original and why did you all choose to
make that choice? Very good question. Most different, you know,
probably Carlton. I think Carlton and Hillary, if i'd have
to say, are the most different. But I will tell
you the identity of those characters in bel Air and
our take on those characters. We didn't take the approach
(33:22):
of like, oh, we have to make them different just
to do it. It was all just like grounding them
in modern day and then what comes out is what
comes out. And so I think that's why they're so honest,
Like the characters feel so honest and so dimensionalized, is
because like it was coming from an honest place and
real experiences in that writer's room and everybody bringing those
experiences onto the page and then then onto the screen,
(33:43):
and so um, but you know, seeing the final result,
absolutely Carlton and Hillary Um and you know, Ali is
such a special actor, and so is Coco Jones. Like
they just have such a knack for creating moments on screen,
really unique emotional moments, and the sky is the limit
for them both. Really, this entire cast, that's amazing. I
love that Coco's character resembles so much of her life,
(34:05):
Like I've always known Coco Jones to be that girl
on the Internet, and so to have that, I'm sure
it wasn't that hard to chancefer that over to Hillary's character.
He did a phenomenal job. From from the first two
lines of her read, we all knew, all new it's
Coco Jones. Like we all left that call. It was
a very short discussion in terms of casting Coco Jones
(34:27):
and and working with her. Um. You know, on the pilot.
I just have so many memories of of just what
I told her. I said, Coco, you you were a star.
I just want you to shine, shine bright, take chances,
you know what I mean, really trust your choices, and
and Cocos and actress who thrives off energy, and she
brings that energy and just such a spark and that
(34:47):
once again just has this ability to create really unique
moments that elevate what's the material on the page? You know,
And I can't say enough about her. So when you
were casting Will, what were the most point and qualities
as you were looking for? I mean, you're looking for
a unicorn because that that is what Will was and
Will what Will is right? You know, Um, there's only one,
(35:10):
the real Will Smith, right, And and so you need
somebody who can step into those shoes with pure confidence.
Has to have, you know, be the total package. He
has to have the look, he has to have the swag,
the charisma, athletic ability. Jabari can hoop, you know what
I mean. Um, he has to have great body control.
He's gonna be playing a lot of basketball. You know,
you're watching the pilot. He's doing a lot of different things.
(35:33):
You's know what I'm saying. And so you need somebody
who who has the stamina ability to to not only
act with the words, but also his physicality. And we
found him in Jabari. And I remember we were scouting
Um in Philly and Jabari came down. He was in
d C at the time, and he came down from
d C and we met and I saw him. He
had this little, little, grubby, little mustache. I was like,
(35:54):
I think this is Will. Like we we spoken and
just just how deep of a well he is. Uh,
he's just such a special human being and has such
a big heart. And we went outside of this hotel
and I had my little Fuji camera on me and
we took some skills and uh, right away just caught
a vibe. And I looked at those skills and I said,
I think we found our guy. And so we were
in a callback session and he still had as a
(36:16):
little mustache and I said, bar let me just stop
you for a second. Can you do me a favorite?
Can you can you go shave that real quick? Just
go ahead and shave it, Like yeah, yeah, So I
told me, you know, you go and shaveing. Just wanna
just take a look like this this role with there'd
be no mustache, you know, so I just want to
see without it. He came back. I knew definitively it
(36:36):
was Jabari Banks after he shaved that mustache, no question
in my mind. And uh, you know he got the part.
And since that very first take on sixt in Market
and was Philly, he set the tone right away and
really demonstrated why he's a star that's just going to
continue to grow in this business for years to come.
And the serendipity of his last name being Banks. I
(36:57):
was like, what that can't be right, there's a mistake. Yeah,
he's an amazing actor. I can't wait to see. I mean,
he's he's here for a while, he's with y'all for
a while. I pray y'all get as many seasons as
as you want to tell this story. But um, I
can't wait to see what he does with his career.
But um, you know, when people are watching this, what
(37:18):
do you want them to hold in their mind about
Will's story, about Philadelphia, about what it means to have
these chances a second chance? Essentially, that's what both of
these shows are about, is creating a second chance and
getting to live in that. So what do you want
the audience to keep in mind is they're watching the show?
You know the way that Will is thrust out of
his environment into a new world. Um, it is a
(37:41):
traumatic thing, you know what I mean? But to see
the resilience, uh, within him and within that family as
you know, this this huge ripple within all of their lives,
UH starts to take shape throughout the season. My hope
is that it gives viewers out there, um the courage
to to to show that resilience and really challenging times
(38:03):
when when you're thrown into a new situation, you know,
to where it's like no, like walking there with your
head hell high who you are, don't forget where you
came from, and shine bright and be a star, you
know what I mean. My hope is that people take
that away because we all have that within us, we
really do, and UH, the amount of resilience that will shows,
(38:24):
uh for him to be in this place where he
feels like he's on the outside looking in, but stepping
into it fearlessly and courageously and taking his lumps, you
know what I mean. No, no road to where we
want to be is perfect and pretty all the time.
You know you're gonna have to take those lumps and
fall down and get back up. But the strength of
of that family, UH lifting each other up in those
(38:45):
moments of uh, those challenging moments is what I hope
people can really connect to and carry that into their lives.
You know, long after the credits were all so that's
it he did it. Thank you Morgan. Morgan, We're so
so excited to keep watching the show. We're so fortunate
that you came to talk to us today. Well, I
feel that much smarter about the show. How are you feeling, Jeff,
(39:07):
I'm great. I'm so great. Like you, You've put an
exclamation point on everything that I wanted. Wow, that's that's
that's beautiful. And I think the next episode we'll get
into more about the music. But I gotta give a
big shout out to uh Tara Smarten and Robert Glass
for you know, the composers on the Let's go some
of the best, if not the best, let me just
(39:28):
say it. Oh yeah, yeah, special humans, special artists who
brought just such a beautiful texture sonically, you know, through
the score. And and Jeff uh I was in the
studio with those guys, and they told me a story
about this camp that you you have where it's just
like everybody falls through this camp, like if you don't
if you don't know about Jazz's camp, like you don't
(39:50):
be knowing like everybody's there. They told me a story
about how I think I think it's a red man.
He was just skateboarding or whatever, but they told me
how special that experience, and uh, that was just really
inspiring to hear here some of those stories and and
the respect that they have for you is is unmatched,
you know what I mean. So I just appreciate you
for just laying just so much incredible groundwork so that
(40:12):
you know we're able to make this art and take
it further. So just I want to give your flowers,
man like, thank you just for so much inspiration throughout
my entire life. Really, and I appreciate you for taking
the baton and running like you ran through a brick wall. Um.
And what you don't realize is you're looking at us
for inspiration, but you're inspiring people who did it before
(40:34):
you that didn't have those same kind of opportunities to
keep going. So thank you. I humbly received that. Thank you.
I'm glad we ended the interviewing tears, y'all. Thank you
so much again, what oh, thank you guys so much.
I appreciate this. I wasn't supposed to get emotional, what
(40:55):
I wasn't supposed to get flowers. Once again, thank you
to Morgan Cooper for joining us. We have such a
special and great conversation with him. Next week, we'll be
back talking about the iconic style of the show and
how its creators have used art and music to build
the world of both Phillie and Bellair. And check out
next week's episode of bell Air streaming on Peacock this Thursday,
(41:19):
and come back to the podcast every Friday to hear
more Bellair. The official podcast is produced by iHeart Podcast
Network and Peacock. This show is hosted by me DJ
Jazzy Jeff and by me aid To Austin, Supervising producer
Mike Coscarelli, producer and mastering engineer but Heat Fraser. Executive
(41:40):
producers from I Heeart are Nikki Etre, Hona Stump, and
Miles greg Executive producers from Peacock are Lindsay Vogelman and
Amber Ferguson. And special thanks to Will Pearson from I
Heart and Michael Scogin from Peacock.
Host
DJ Jazzy Jeff
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