Apparently 2020 isn't a total loss. Will Smith and Janet Hubert (Aunt Viv 1.0) had a very emotional and frank discussion for the recent Fresh Prince reunion. A partial transcript/write-up can be found here.
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Will Smith to Janet Hubert: 'You're still my Aunt Viv'
- Thread starter Biggersmaller
- Start date
Honestly, I imagine you have to be incredibly on edge as a black woman in Hollywood. Or any career, really. Gotta make sure to please people.
Reading this only gave me more respect for my ex, who, when she was treated poorly at work told the CEO to her face that she wasn't going to tolerate it. And then ended up with promotion after promotion because she earned that respect. Had to have been hard as fuck.
More on-topic, glad they patched shit up!
Reading this only gave me more respect for my ex, who, when she was treated poorly at work told the CEO to her face that she wasn't going to tolerate it. And then ended up with promotion after promotion because she earned that respect. Had to have been hard as fuck.
More on-topic, glad they patched shit up!
She's been pretty direct about how Will Smith wanted everyone to bend the knee to him and that she wouldn't.
I always thought the aunt Viv change was overblown. But after binge watching the series on Max. Holy SHIT what a massive downgrade. No disrespect to the actress but she is just straight up terrible in comparison.
The show is literally based off his rap persona, the fresh prince & dj jazzy jeff, who won a grammy before the show.
First rapper to win a grammy. The show is literally named after his hip-hop persona, lol.
I don't know how big he was, but he and Jazzy Jeff were a successful duo, yes.
Rapper first. He actually had a pretty insightful video on youtube about how he landed the fresh prince gig, which was hilarious and a prime example of being in the right place at the right time.
Edit: Here it is
Yeah, she's a fine actress, but her performance was very safe. Once the change happened the Aunt Viv character really lost her edge. Herbert's performance, especially in retrospect, was spectacular.
I have no hostility toward New Vivian, but it was pretty clear that they wrote her to be more soft-spoken. Original Vivian was written to be confident, competent, and independent - celebrating the same qualities that her employers pushed her out for.
OG Aunt Viv felt like a girl from Philly. You could see where she and will might have had similar upbringing. They lost all of that when Hubert left.
While Will is partly to blame I do think that she (she ad kits this) felt that she and uncle Phil were just as important to the show and should've been paid equal to Will. And like nah I liked them but Will was top billing followed by Carlton.
With how much he and jadda share and talk about their highs and lows on their show over the years, it's hard to imagine it's an act.
100%. And it's not even that her replacement was bad, it's just that I don't really feel like she even remotely had the same presence.
Is this the video where he talks about how broke he was and if he hadn't landed the show he was talking about going back to blue collar work?
Edit: just watched and yeah this is that one.
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With the backstory in mind, the role of Viv being played down, was probably by design.
I always read "difficult" in this situations as a dog whistle for women that won't allow themselves to be disrespected or taken advantage of.
Wasnt the deal that she was an awful person and they all hated her? She also got in some beef with a bunch of random youtubers.
Edit: This youtuber got into some beef with the actress and she really didnt do herself any favours.
Edit: This youtuber got into some beef with the actress and she really didnt do herself any favours.
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First he was insecure as hell and intimidated by 2pac , then he ends Aunt Viv's career. Smh.
He was bigheaded for a long time, that's why Jada got sick of his crap at some point. He had an ego after the show during his big 90s-00s movie run.
OP
OP
Hearing her experience of being a black actress with a reputation of being "difficult" was equal parts frustrating and insightful. It's likely she demanded too much money and wanted the role to be given higher priority than a show starring Will Smith would make sense to allow. But damn, she was also utterly amazing as Aunt Viv.
It's on the writers for basically stripping the character down to 'house wife', not on Daphne Reid for playing what she was given. She did fine, but she wasn't given anything to do.
I'm glad this situation and resolution was brought to light like this.
Will just comes off like a huge piece of shit based on that explanation. Really big of her to forgive him.
Im suprised people's takeaway is "omg Will was the villain!!!" when she literally says that contract issues got her in trouble and that she became uncommunactive/paranoid of her co-workers. That would very easily lead to a tense atmosphere and anger at the star of the show specifically because of their bigger paycheck, which in turn would make the star confused and defensive. What this interview seems to me is an opprotunity for this woman to explain the "why" behind her past behavior and be seen as more than one-dimensional, and for the guy hosting it to be supportive and really observant
Yeah totally, she was such a strong character in the first few seasons and then she took a back seat. Definitely nothing against the actress playing the second viv