The Evolution of Will Smith: How the Fresh Prince Became a King

Though “Parents Just Don’t Understand” wasn’t DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince’s first hit, it was the duo’s breakout song. It was the world’s mainstream introduction to the charming star we’d come to know and love. The music video set the tone for the hilarious vibe Smith would bring to all his movies and series. It’s not like you can look at it and say “that kid’s going to be an Oscar-nominated megastar,” but you can see plenty of star potential.

Now we can look back on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and see it as a groundbreaking classic. But at the time, it was just this fun sitcom starring a popular rapper and the Black friend from Silver Spoons. Watching the six seasons of Fresh Prince is the real evolution of Will Smith. Over the course of the comedy’s run he goes from noticeably reciting other characters’ lines in the pilot to breaking our hearts in the memorable Season 4 episode “Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse.” Will has made it clear over and over that this is where he learned how to act.

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince made their musical return with this timeless number one hit. You can’t tell me you start your summer without this song. It distills everything great about summer into one catchy hook, and it’s impossible not to smile while listening to it. There are hints here of where Will would go musically, moving to more of a dance style, than straight up hip hop. It’s one of those songs that instantly takes you back when those first few beats kick in.

You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who made a better transition from TV to movies than Will Smith. As The Fresh Prince was winding down, he went back to back to back with massive hits Bad Boys, Independence Day and Men In Black. By the time this July 4 trifecta wrapped up in 1997, he had 100 percent cemented himself as Hollywood’s biggest star.

A fun by-product of his movie star status was the success of the Men In Black theme, which saw him return to the top of charts, but this time as Will Smith. Of course, Will stressed that he and Jeff were still making music the same, they were just releasing it under a different name. Big Willie Style has sold 6 million copies to date, and gave us “Gettin’ Jiggy wit It,” “Just the Two of Us” and “Miami,” which you’ll hear anytime a Miami sports team is playing.

Though we had seen glimpses of Will’s dramatic talents, Ali is where he showed that he was more than a charismatic action star. Playing a real person is always a tricky balancing act between honoring them and impersonation. In Ali, Smith’s portrayal of The Greatest walks that artistic tightrope beautifully, and officially closes the book on the “rapper turned actor” narrative.

The phrase “they carried the movie” is used a lot to describe standout performances, but in I Am Legend, Will literally carries the movie, as he’s the only human we see for most of the film. He’s the last man in New York after a virus has wiped out humanity and turned the survivors into vampire mutants. It’s a very short list of performers who could keep us captivated for two hours with their only companion, a dog. Will made us care about Neville’s solo journeys through the city, and his nightly fear was a living thing. I Am Legend is one of his most underrated acting performances.

After a few misses, Will returned to big action flicks by playing Deadshot in the DC comic book movie. As the infamous hitman, his blend of comedy and character development made him one of the heavily-criticized movie’s standout performances. In fact, there were a lot of disappointed nerds when he didn’t appear in the sequel. However, Deadshot is still alive somewhere in the DC Universe, so he can always come back for another film or series.

We heard rumors of a Bad Boys 3 for years, but with Martin Lawrence stepping back from the business for a little while, it seemed like a long shot. But then, it actually happened, and it was the rare satisfying ending for a trilogy. Will and Martin’s banter didn’t skip a beat, the action was still over-the-top entertaining and it even left a few breadcrumbs for a fourth film. It basically felt like Will was reminding us he still has it.

I’ll admit when I heard they were making a movie about Venus and Serena’s entry into the tennis world, I wasn’t immediately on board with Will as Richard Williams. However, like he’s done his entire career, Will proved me wrong and delivered a tour de force performance as a father determined to see his daughters achieve greatness. He’s swept through awards season, receiving accolades from every possible critics and film association. His performance feels completely locked into the story and character in a way he’s never done before, leading us to really appreciate just how far our Fresh Prince has come.

2022 - The Slap

So, about that slap. Will Smith was five minutes away from achieving a dream he spent his entire career working toward when he ruined his reputation with one poorly timed decision. Chris Rock was presenting Best Documentary Feature and went into his bit where he makes fun of the celebrities in the audience, except when he got to Jada Pinkett Smith, joking about her baldness “Jada, I love you – I can’t wait for GI Jane 2,” it didn’t go over well.

The joke prompted Will to approach the stage, slap Rock in the face, then return to his seat yelling “Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth.” A stunned Rock presented the award as the tone of the show changed for the rest of the night. Since then, there’s been no end to the hot takes on Will, the Academy, toxic masculinity and alopecia. Ultimately, Will resigned from the Academy, with the organization banning him from all events, including The Oscars, for 10 years.

2022 - Oscar-Winner

After all hell broke loose, Will did win the award for Best Actor, apologizing to the Academy, thanking his co-stars and the Williams family in the process. Here’s the thing: Will is absolutely going to make a comeback. He’ll go on an apology tour, make Men in Black 4 or join the MCU, and everyone will forgive him, because at his core Will Smith is still the endlessly charming Fresh Prince.

“Emancipation” stars the Philadelphia native as Peter, an enslaved man who escapes and joins the army to fight back against slave owners. The character is based on the photo of a slave’s back injured from being whipped. The film streamed on AppleTV+, not receiving the push producers and Smith wanted due to the slap.

While promoting her memoir, “Worthy,” Jada Pinkett Smith revealed that she and Will have been separated for seven years. While there’s been countless rumors about their marriage over the years, this news still came as a shock to everyone. However, it was the fallout of the slap that led them to work on their relationship.

As fans spent 2023 celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince made their triumphant return to the stage at “A GRAMMYs Salute to Hip-Hop.” The duo dropped right back into it like no time had passed. Did you forget this man is an Oscar winner and a hip-hop legend?

The King of Summer Blockbusters is officially back with the fourth entry in the “Bad Boys” franchise. For all those analysts who wondered if people would still head to the theater for Will Smith, the answer is yes. The film opened with a big $56.5 million box office, proving that you can never count out the Fresh Prince.