Exclusive Interview: Bel-Air’s Jordan L. Jones Discusses Reimagining The Fresh Prince

Jordan L. Jones is bringing the swag in Peacock’s dramatic reimagining of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Starring as the iconic Jazz, Bel-Air follows the journey of a street smart teen whose life is forever transformed when he moves from the streets of west Philadelphia to live with his relatives in one of LA’s wealthiest suburbs. Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Jordan about the must-see series.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts and storytelling?
Jordan: Growing up, I was always the class clown; I was getting kicked out of class for making jokes and whatnot. In eleventh grade, I did my first commercial. I wanted to try it because I’ve always been a funny guy. My first commercial audition was for NFL Play 60. I ended up getting it, and I thought, “Okay, maybe I might be good at this.”

When I went to USC, it was harder to pursue acting. I would get an audition at 6:00 PM for the next morning. I didn’t have time because I had a final or something important to do school-wise. I didn’t major in theater or take theater classes or anything like that, but I knew. I was always on Snapchat and being funny. I was always propelled by my friends and family. They were like, “Hey bro, you got to be on TV because you are way too funny and talented.”

After I graduated USC, I took a PA job in the entertainment industry so I could learn how to navigate it from the beginning. From there, I decided that I was going to quit my job and do acting full force. After I quit my job, I got a manager and an agent. My first audition with them, I got a callback. I was like, “I know this has to be my calling.” The rest is history.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jordan: When it comes to the people who I tend to act like and study, it’s Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, and Jim Carrey. But when it comes to somebody who has been an inspiration for me to keep going and to trust myself, my beliefs, and my talents, that’s 100% my mother. She has always been a supportive force in my life. My mom is also an actress—she’s in Tyler Perry’s The Oval on BET, also The Young and the Restless. She knows what she’s doing. But being a productive mother and knowing this industry and how hard it can be, she wasn’t so gung-ho about me being an actor. Of course, she’s a supporter, but she was like, “If you don’t want to be an actor, that’s good, too.” [laughs] I was like, “No, I’m going to try this.” She was like, “Okay, son. If you’re going to try it, I’m going to support you.” She’s been the best throughout this whole journey.

PC: You’re one of the stars of the highly-anticipated series, Bel-Air. What can fans expect from this reimagining?
Jordan: A lot! They can expect a completely different show—in a good way, though. A lot of people have these preconceived notions like, “It’s going to be just like the Fresh Prince. It’s a sitcom. It’s going to be funny.” But you can tell from the trailer, it’s completely different. Our job wasn’t to try to do the same exact show. We know from the theme song, “One little fight, my mom got scared, move in with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air.” What was the fight that he had in Philly? How serious was that fight if it happened right now in 2022?” A fight is not just a fight as you saw from the trailer. It deals with police brutality. He goes to jail. You never know that he does that. It’s a dramatic retelling and not a reboot. A lot of people think it’s a reboot, and it isn’t that at all. Yes, the characters’ names are the same, but these are different characters than the 1990s sitcom. I can’t wait for everybody to see the difference, and hopefully, the difference being something that they enjoy as well.

PC: Did you feel any pressure heading into this project given how beloved this franchise is and how unique this retelling is?
Jordan: Absolutely. There’s pressure, but it’s not heavy. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was my favorite show ever. The fact that I can play Jazz is a full-circle moment and a dream come true. It’s still so surreal. Sometimes I feel like I’m still dreaming.

I would say that there’s a little pressure. These are characters that people already have in their mind what they “should” be. We can’t worry about what people are going to say because we know people will be like, “Why isn’t he just like Jazz? Why isn’t he just like Will?” This is a different show. The pressure was there, but I wouldn’t spend time in my day or when we were shooting thinking, “What would the original DJ Jazzy Jeff do in this situation?” It was about making this character my own. That’s the best part about it. I didn’t have to worry about it.

Jabari Banks, who plays Will, thinks the same way. I don’t think he’s thinking, “Let me act like Will.” That’s the beauty of us being different actors; we’re making these characters our own. Jazz is a swaggy guy. Trust me, I’m going to be swaggy. Jazz is known for having shades on the whole time—it’s a character choice. We were like, “Let’s keep the shades.” He comes in and he’s the comedic relief. I’m also the comedic relief in certain parts, but I’m more like Will’s Jiminy Cricket. I’m this little piece of home for him. He’s coming from the hood into this wealthy Black family and life is different. I can relate to him the most.

I love the fact that in this one, every character is fleshed out and different. You can be like, “So, that’s how they met. That’s how Jazz met Hilary. That’s how Will and Carlton started becoming cool.”

PC: How did you and Jabari build the bond that we’re going to see on the screen?
Jordan: We’re so similar to the characters. I’m from Los Angeles. Jazz is from Los Angeles. Jabari is actually from Philly. When he first came out here to LA, that’s when it kicked off.

Jabari and I hang out all the time. He’s become a close friend. It’s only been a couple of months, but we talk almost every day. We hang out almost every weekend. It’s crazy; I didn’t really think it was going to be like this until it naturally was. It’s not like we were like, “Okay, as a cast we’re going to go and do this.” It wasn’t like that. It was like, “Hey bro. What are you up to?” I’d be like, “Pull up.” He’d pull up and we’d go out. He’s a little bit busier than I am right now, [laughs] but you get the point!

It’s been a blessing though being able to work with somebody like Jabari. He’s so humble. He doesn’t even know that he’s about to be on the next level. I’m really proud of him. This man is really talented.

PC: Will Smith is also an executive producer on the series. You were saying earlier that you were inspired by him. What has it been like getting to work with him?
Jordan: It’s all been so surreal. Will Smith being a part of this is crazy. It’s so weird. It’s truly been a dream. I’m sitting here looking at this book that Will gave me. It was in my trailer. He signed it and it says, “Jordan, you’re the truth.” I’m like, “What? Will Smith is my boss. What is going on? This is crazy.”

It still doesn’t feel real. I honestly wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’m so happy. From the producers to Morgan [Cooper] being the showrunner, Jabari, and everyone. I can name every individually. They’ve all been so great to me and so great to work with.

PC: The series will tackle a lot of timely and relevant themes. Is there one in particular that hit home for you?
Jordan: The theme of Black excellence is one of my favorite things. Everybody has their own way of dealing with everything. Being an African American in this society, I would say that navigating through life is a bit harder. The system is set up the way that it is.

You’ve got Will who is from Philly who doesn’t want to leave. He wants to stay there. He’s changing his whole entire life, but he’s not going to go live with White people; he’s going to live with a Black family that happens to be extremely wealthy. We have Jeffrey who’s from the UK—that’s a whole different Black dynamic. Jazz is from LA, but not wealthy.

You see all these different types of Black people navigating life. The theme of how great we are as people, and Black excellence is one of my favorite themes of the show.

To keep up with Jordan, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Bel-Air on Peacock today.