FRESH PRINCE PRODUCER SHARES ACTING TIP HE GAVE WILL SMITH: 'HE HATED THIS'

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https://ew.com/fresh-prince-of-bel-air-producer-gave-will-smith-acting-tip-11719281

Fresh Prince producer shares acting tip he gave Will Smith: 'He hated this'

The future Oscar winner was force-fed some old-school comedy, much to his chagrin.

By Jordan Hoffman 

 

Published on April 22, 2025 07:00AM EDT

 

Will Smith during his 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' days.Credit: 

NBC/courtesy Everett 

Writer-producer Gary H. Miller says knew from his first day on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that Will Smith was going to be a star, but that didn't mean he didn't give a few notes along the way. And one specific performance tic resulted in a homework assignment the future Oscar winner wasn't all that thrilled about.

The former Fresh Prince showrunner appeared on a recent episode of Pod Meets World to discuss his storied career that goes all the way back to Laverne & Shirley, and includes Gimme a Break, 1st and Ten, A Different World, Reba, and, of course, Boy Meets World — hence the reason he was speaking with Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, and Rider Strong on their popular podcast.

"When I took over [The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in season 4], he kinda had his own way all the time," Miller said of series star Smith. "And I said, 'Look, I'm not like that,' and I think he respected that. I told him things like, 'Look, you're telegraphing your joke because you don't have confidence in it. You're touching the actor in the scene with you right before the joke — it's a thing you do, a habit you do.'"

Miller explained that Smith's movements meant "I know the joke is coming next."

To help Smith develop his comedic chops, Miller "made him sit and watch — he hated this — the old Sgt. Bilko series, You'll Never Get Rich with Phil Silvers."

Yes, the very hip rap star of the early 1990s was condemned to watch the very schticky, black-and-white series from the 1950s, which was later called The Phil Silvers Show, but Miller being so old school, he used the original name. Hardcore.

"I said, watch this guy. Watch this guy drive an episode. No matter how flimsy the storyline is, it's like a moving train, and he takes everybody on the train with him, and you get to the end," recalled Miller. "I said, that's the kind of energy we need in 22 minutes. Because slow time in a 22-minute show is deadly."

It is undeniably amusing to think of Will Smith — who would later dominate the box office in blockbusters like Independence Day and Men in Black, then appear in critically acclaimed movies like Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness before finally winning the Oscar for King Richard — having to watch old tapes of Phil Silvers because the boss told him to.

 

Phil Silvers in his Sgt. Bilko uniform. An early inspo for Will Smith?.

Courtesy Everett 

Incidentally, Silvers' famous shyster character Sgt. Bilko was later revived as a feature film starring Steve Martin in 1996. It was not particularly beloved by critics, and did not fare so well at the box office. Maybe by then Will Smith could have offered some tips.

For more wild tales from Hollywood's trenches, check out Gary H. Miller's interview on the Pod Meets World podcast below.