Will Smith led to the change of a very important detail even as a fresher during his Fresh Prince of Bel-Air series. The Oscar Award-winning actor and his co-star Alfonso Ribeiro went on to become one of the biggest and most much-loved stars after having worked in the sitcom together. But the sitcom wouldn’t have been such a success if the character dynamics weren’t what it was.

The actor has proved to ace his comedic roles, but it wouldn’t have been possible in Fresh Prince if Will Smith hadn’t taken a stand on Ribeiro’s character. Here is how Smith influenced Riberio’s change of role.

How Will Smith helped Fresh Prince by tweaking Carlton’s character

Fresh Prince has remained fresh in our minds since it was first released in 1990. While the show would have been amazing despite any changes, there was one character whose fate could have been very different if not for Smith’s efforts. While his own character was shown to be cool and amazing, Carlton’s was the stark opposite as the country nerd. However, as per Slashfilm, the makers of the show wanted Carlton to be as cool as Will Smith, instead of a cunning and higher-than-thou cousin that loved to show off.

But Smith explained to them how having an opposite character adds to the fun of the show as they mingle with each other. The show’s co-creator said that the Men in Black actor eventually managed to convince them to shape Carlton into a negative role, although the two guys developed into becoming best friends, eventually.

Now, celebrities taking a stance is not something very uncommon. A young Will Smith did this before for another one of the Fresh Prince characters.

Smith went beyond his role for weighing on the sitcom’s characters

Ron Glass was originally supposed to play the role of the rich family’s butler in Fresh Prince. At the time, he was already a well-established and well-liked actor. But Smith confessed to having taken a liking for British actor Joseph Marcell, whom he described as the guy with an enormous nose.

It all worked well in the end, and the show only benefited from Smith’s interference. That pro-activeness is likely how the Emancipation actor became such a big star, eventually.

What do you think of Will Smith’s decision to tweak Carlton’s supposed character? Comment your thoughts.