Rapper, TV star and nowI movie star. Talk about a triple threat – that’s Will Smith, aka The Fresh Prince.
Catching up with Will was difficult – OK, make that nearly impossible. If he wasn’t on the set of his hit NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” (Mondays, 7 p.m. CST), he was in his trailer penning songs for the DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince album. And, if he wasn’t doing one of those things, he was on the set filming the R-rated “Six Degrees of Separation,” a movie that comes out next month.
And, oh yeah, the 25-year-old star also has a hoppin’ family life with his wife, Sheree, and their 11-month-old son.
Will finally found time to give us a ring (imagine picking up your phone and – out of the blue – it’s Will Smith!) and he has a lot to tell us about his all-over-the-place career:
TV stardom
“Most people are really surprised when they meet me because they see my character every Monday night, so he gets a lot more time in their ear,” Will says. “So, naturally, fans expect me to be that character, always goofing off. In real life, though, I’ve gone through so many things and I’m married with a baby. I think I’m a little more mature than Will (on TV).
“Will’s not your average young guy,” says Karyn Parsons, who plays Hillary on “Fresh Prince.” “He acts like a kid, he’s hilarious, but he’s obviously quite a businessman, too. I think he’s a very focused person who just keeps having this kid inside popping out of him.”
Will says he plans to stay with the show until it runs its course – and that may be a long stay. It’s been a huge hit since it debuted in 1990.
Rapping
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince released their fifth album, “Code Red,” in September, and, though it hasn’t done as well as previous albums in the U.S., it’s at the top of the charts around the rest of the world. (The first single, “Boom! Shake the Room,” did pretty well here.) Will says making music just isn’t his top deal, now.
“Making records is something I will do for as long as people buy ’em,” he says. “I’d rather concentrate on developing my career in entertainment, branching out into all areas like Quincy Jones.”
As for DJ Jazzy Jeff Townes, 28, he makes occasional appearances on Will’s show but says he doesn’t care much for the TV spotlight. “I’d rather hide out in the recording studio,” Jeff says.
Movies
Will had the funniest role in the summer flick “Made In America” (with Whoopi Goldberg), but now he’s doing something totally different: “Six Degrees of Separation.”
“It was the most difficult thing I’ve had to do in entertainment,” Will says. “It’s the story of a New York guy who pretends to be a famous actor’s son so people will let him into their lives. There’s a lot of emotion and not much comedy, so it got really deep.”
Although this is Will’s big step into the “adult world” of entertainment, he says he’s not leaving his young fans behind.
“I just want to grow in my career,” he says. “But the Fresh Prince is definitely still there!”
