Celebrating the Nigerians Representing the Motherland on Will Smith’s Bel-Air Reboot

When Will Smith announced the reboot of the iconic series that launched him into the limelight, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, everyone knew it would be amazing. When the trailers finally dropped, we knew it would be worth the hype - and it has been.

That happens when like-minded excellent people get on a project like this, behind and in front of the camera. In a time where reboots have become the norm, it was paramount that Will Smith and everyone else brought their A-game. And they have - including the two Nigerian cast members, Olly Sholotan, who plays the iconic role of Carlton and Jimmy Akingbola, who plays the butler/house manager, Geoffrey.

If there’s one thing Nigerians will always do wherever you put them, it’s shine, and that’s what these two have done on Bel-Air, which is now available to binge on Showmax. They’ve both embodied their characters and played them so well that they deserve all the flowers they get.

Olly has been a revelation in his breakout role on the show. He put in years of work since he was a teenager into preparing for the role he has now. Olly, whose real name is Olamide, moved to the U.S. from Nigeria with his family when he was ten years old. He attended Kinder High School in Texas, where he studied visual arts and was the 2015 YoungArts finalist in theatre arts. Olly went on to train at the University of California School of Theater, Film and Television. After honing his skills in several short films like Main Street, Run Hide Fight, and Partying With Communists, he finally landed his role on Bel-Air alongside fast-rising star Jabari Banks and singer Coco Jones.

He describes what the role of Carlton means in the reboot. “This Carlton has got a little bit more spice in him. He’s definitely battling a lot of demons. He has problems with anxiety. He has problems with depression. He wants to be like his dad. He wants to be better than his dad. At some point, you really get a sense of compassion and caring for him once you see his struggle, and once you see the weight on his shoulders.”

Jimmy also started working on his craft when he was a young man. With the help of his foster parents, he attended the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, where he studied acting for three years before graduating with a bachelor’s degree. He honed his craft performing on stage at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, acting in front of a live audience for many years. He later branched out into British television, appearing in shows like Holly Blue, Rev., The Crouches and Stupid! Then in 2015, he moved to Los Angeles to try his hands on American TV. Over time, he appeared in several series like NCIS, Macgyver, Kate & Koji, In The Long Run, and most notably, Arrow. Bel-Air has been Jimmy’s most prominent appearance on American TV yet.

He told The Hollywood Reporter about how he got the role and how terrible his auditions went over Zoom in London. He said, “I did my producer session with Morgan Cooper and the showrunners at 9 p.m. on a random hot day in London. I was wearing a three-piece suit and sweating with the lights on me. And there were technical difficulties — I couldn’t see the casting director. I could only hear her. So I got in my head that it was terrible. I tried to ad-lib and make it very London. But she was crashing over my ad-libs. And then we wrapped up. I just resigned myself to the fact I’d messed up. I wanted to come off the call. It was a massive audition I thought I’d messed up. But apparently, they said I was their first choice.”

Bel-Air, which screams black excellence, is available in over 50 countries in Africa and Nigeria, thanks to Showmax. Peacock has already ordered Season 2.

Lovers of the original show TheFresh Prince of Bel-Air, who would love to see how much the dramatic reboot has changed, will have to catch the series on Showmax. Interestingly, they can access the platform and subsequently the show alongside thousands of other great series, starting from as low as N1,200. For more information about Bel-Air and how you can stream it, visit www.showmax.com.