Jabari Banks says the biggest surprise of “Bel-Air” Season 3 was discovering that Will Smith’s estranged father, Lou (Marlon Wayans), moved to Los Angeles without telling him.
“What surprised me was that Lou was there the whole time,” Banks told TheWrap. “It was very surprising to me.”
The moment Banks refers to in Episode 1: “Honey, I’m back.” And that’s exactly what Lou, played by Marlon Wayans, has done: He’s back. In this episode, Will runs into Lou when Will and his cousin Carlton go out to get a bite to eat. Later, Will finds his father working at a barbershop, where he confronts him, who refuses to let him know he was in town. Will and Lou have a broken relationship because Lou is rarely, if ever, present in his life as a father figure.
“He has a full-time job and actually lives there, I understood that. It was definitely interesting when I read it in the script. I was like, ‘Is this right?’
For some fans, what may come as a surprise is Will’s decision to make it official with Lisa Wilkes (Simon Joy Jones). However, Banks wasn’t too impressed and didn’t leave Will behind when it came to her love life.
“It was definitely a surprise,” Banks said. “I wasn’t too surprised… You never know with Will.”
It’s summer in Season 3 of “Bel-Air,” and Banks said Will finds himself taking part in new activities that don’t involve playing ball.
“Will has grown a lot and I think he’s ready to take advantage of the opportunities that Bel-Air has to offer and really work with it, especially when we see him leave basketball for the summer and get into his business bag. I think this is a moment that we’ve never seen from Will, original or new. This is new territory that we’re exploring, which is exciting.”
Season 3 “Bel-Air” premieres Thursday, August 15 with three episodes at launch, only on Peacock. New episodes drop weekly on Thursdays with three episodes on August 22 and two episodes each on August 29 and September 5.
