Source: Rob Latour, Peacock / Getty
The OG Ashley Banks is back, but in a new form to help out this generation’s version of the fan-favorite character. Fresh Prince star Tatyana Ali will take on a different role in the show’s dramatic reboot Bel-Air, this time guiding the modern-day Ashley (Akira Akbar) as she forges her own path. As the latest member of the original cast to join the Peacock series, fans of the Fresh Prince universe were delighted to know that Ali would be coming home to Bel-Air. Details of her role on the drama were also revealed, as Ali will play the youngest Banks’ teacher Mrs. Hughes, who becomes a mentor to Akbar’s Ashley as she finds her voice and passion. The co-stars spoke to MADAMENOIRE on their experience filming together, season two expectations, and advice shared on becoming one’s own when playing a beloved character.
MN: How do you both feel the two Ashleys of Fresh Prince and Bel-Air relate the most?
AA: The two Ashleys are very similar, especially in the way that they care for other people and their family. I feel they are very selfless, and they put others first before thinking about themselves. And that’s also in a way of activism too, they stand up for what’s right and really don’t let people tell them any different.
TA: I totally agree with Akira, well said.
MN: Akira, what do you want the Ashley Banks of this generation to promote and represent for young girls?
AA: I want young girls to realize that they aren’t alone, and that they can stand up for themselves. I also think representation matters, especially for Ashley being a Black, LGBTQ+ character, I feel as though it’s so important to portray that on screen.
TA: I also thought that [Ashley’s LGBTQ+ identity] was a really important move this season for the writers on the show to make, I was really pleased with that.
MN: So Ms. Ali, what was the advice you gave from one Ashley Banks to the next?
TA: (Shakes head.) Do you! Like, she’s yours. Ashley is yours. I had a beautiful blast, really singular experience, working on Fresh Prince and being Ashley. And I went through all of the teenage angst of people never using my name but using my character’s name, and really coming to grips with that. I think, Matthew Cherry, the director, put us [Ali and Akbar] on a FaceTime together when they were shooting the very first season, so I got to unofficially meet Akira and my advice was like “let your light shine, make her yours.” And I’m so happy to share that experience with someone so lovely.
MN: Ms. Ali, what can you say on the relationship your new character is going to develop with Bel-Air’s Ashley?
TA: I’m playing Mrs. Hughes, and she is really beautifully written character. I was so honored to be asked to play her. She’s a teacher who sort of points Ashley as a brilliant young mind that she can really feed. So outside of the curriculum of her high school, and despite it, she starts to give Ashley books from her own library, ones that feature Black women as activists, writers, radical thinkers, and feminists. And the school has some issues with that, so drama ensues. But the relationship between them is really beautiful, as I’ve had great teachers like that in my life too, and they really change your perception of the world and your place in it.
MN: So Akira, what relationship on the show do you feel Ashley engaging with that is the most tested?
AA: I don’t want to give too much away, but there is definitely a moment at the end of this season that she has with Carlton. And I think its really special, and I’m so happy that they decided to put it in the script, and I’m even more excited for people to see that.
MN: Ms. Ali, what has been the biggest difference in terms of your filming experience with Bel-Air versus how it was when you were filming Fresh Prince?
TA: Oh well, they are two totally different shows, right? Fresh Prince was a sitcom with three walls and a live studio audience, and we shot every episode over five days. It was almost like a play every week. Meanwhile, Bel-Air is a drama, and while some of it is on a sound stage, it is four walls for sure, and shot in a film style. Actually, when I got the call for this, I didn’t treat it like “oh its Fresh Prince family.” It’s a completely different role and a completely different type of show, so I treated it like its own thing. But I definitely had feelings that I never had working on anything else before. But they bring it, and they brought it last season, so I came with my A-game too. So I could stick with them. (Laughs.)
MN: Can already tell based off this interaction between you two that you really formed a bond while filming. What’s to come for this new Ashley and her relationship with Ms. Hughes? What should fans be excited to see?
AA: The relationship really, and you can tell on screen, it’s such a good connection. The bond that they form in the show is so amazing. I love how Ashley is open to learning form Mrs. Hughes, and open to taking her advice.
TA: It’s hard to say exactly what all Ashley does without giving some really cool moments away. You just got to watch!
Viewers interested in the ultimate Ashley Banks meet-up, as well as new-age Will Smith’s journey in Bel-Air can stream the show on Peacock, with season two releasing February 23.
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