Auditioning For Bel-Air Over Zoom Was A Blessing For Jabari Banks – Looper

Speaking with Awards Radar, Jabari Banks discussed how he ultimately landed the role of Will Smith on “Bel-Air,” touching on the audition process. As he recalls, his took place over a Zoom video call, which turned out to be way more of a positive for him than a negative. “It was interesting for this process because it was over Zoom. And so it was me versus me, and that was a blessing,” he said, mentioning how Zoom eliminated the stress and second-guessing that comes with regular auditions, where it’s easy to compare yourself to the other actors in the room and therefore hurt your chances at making a good first impression.

Banks stuck the landing at his unorthodox audition and became the face of “Bel-Air” shortly thereafter. Unsurprisingly, with him taking on the part of Will Smith, it didn’t take long for the comparisons between himself and the real Will Smith to start rolling in. He wasn’t caught off-guard by the comparisons by any means, especially since he has taken it upon himself to follow a similar path to success to the one that Smith took decades ago. Of the coincidence, he told Variety, “It’s cosmic. I don’t know how to explain it,” adding, “I aspire to be like artists who build worlds.”

The sky is indeed the limit for Jabari Banks, and his work as Will Smith on “Bel-Air” is just a taste of what he has to offer. Surely he’ll continue to thrive in entertainment for decades to come, especially if he ends up with more Zoom auditions.