Posted in: NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: ABC, Alfonso Ribeiro, bel-air, dancing with the stars, Fresh Prince of Bel-AIr, nbc, peacock

Fresh Prince: Carlton Was "Greatest and Worst Thing" For Me: Ribeiro

Alfonso Ribeiro (Dancing with the Stars) on how his iconic role as Carlton Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air impacted his career.

When Alfonso Ribeiro was cast as Carlton Banks in the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, it would be his greatest blessing and curse. The actor and host opened up to Closer Weekly about how his career was shaped since the Andy and Susan Borowitz-created series that helped launch star Will Smith into superstardom.

Why Alfonso Ribeiro Feels He "Sacrificed" His Acting Career for 'Fresh Prince' Success

"Playing Carlton on 'Fresh Prince' became a sacrifice. I used to always say doing Carlton was the greatest and worst thing that ever happened to me," Ribeiro said. Carlton is the well-to-do son of Phillip Banks (James Avery), who bonds with Will (Smith) throughout the series. "It was one of the greatest roles that I ever was fortunate enough to play. But it was also the role that stopped me from acting again because people couldn't see me as anything else. The sacrifice was not having an acting career anymore."

That's not to say Ribeiro hasn't taken another role since – including as the host of Dancing with the Stars has done several live-action and voiceovers across film and television since Fresh Prince ended in 1996. His last live-action role to date is 2021's Muppets Haunted Mansion, and he lent his voice in the animated series Big City Greens in 2022, both for Disney. Not to say Ribeiro's issues are unfounded since typecasting is a frequent issue in Hollywood, but he appears to be doing well for himself even parodying himself on occasion like on Fox's Family Guy. Fans are flocking back to the original series with the Peacock dramatic reboot of Bel-Air.

Before Fresh Prince, Ribeiro made his debut in the PBS series Oye Willie in 1980, making appearances on CBS' original Magnum P.I. starring Tom Selleck, NBC's Silver Spoons and Another World. In animation, he would voice Randy Robertson in Spider-Man: The Animated Series and Roland Jackson in Extreme Ghostbusters. Since Fresh Prince, he appeared in 51 episodes of NBC's In the House. For more on Ribeiro, you can check out the piece here.

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