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Originally Posted by Locke
I was thinking about this, but at the time its not as though Will Smith had all that much pull. His career was just starting out.
Its more likely that there is a fire behind all this smoke. Sure, her career suffered after this but its highly unlikely that she is entirely blameless.
Hubert may well have been hurt, but shows like these are collaborative affairs. If the cast dont get along it translates to the final product.
She clearly feels that Will Smith was the principle villain in this affair, but like I said before, she cant possibly feel that she is blameless. Remember, this was one of Smith's first jobs, its not like he had the authority of a Hollywood Legend so its unlikely that he stages some sort of 'cast coup' all on his own, she likely stepped on a lot of toes for it to get to that stage.
Out of all of the cast I'd say that the only one with enough clout to pull something like this off would have been James Avery and from what I've read he was a very kind and reasonable person, but a consummate professional, so to get him on board there is likely something pretty serious going on in the background.
Either way, this is the job. If someone doesnt fit they just move along. I think if she feels Will Smith ruined her career at that point then there has to be more to the story.
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She's certainly acknowledged that she wasn't blameless, but her cost was much, much higher than Smith's. And Smith was known well enough in celebrity and music circles before Fresh Prince, and I would guess that right around 1993 he was in negotiations as the next big thing in Hollywood, and within 3 years starred in two major blockbusters: Bad Boys and Independence Day. I think a lot of people saw his star on the rise in the very early 90s.
James Avery definitely would have been a patriarch and leader in the cast, but the show wasn't the Fresh Uncle of Bel-Aire. Without Will Smith there was no show. Avery would have had influence, but not near the command of Smith. No one really knows if Avery took a side, but given everything people have said of his character I think probably not.
I dunno, that's the way I read that moment in the special. One person devastated and looking to move on, another going through the motions then taken aback by someone's genuine pain. Smith's ongoing vanity makes me believe this more likely.