The Peacock series Bel-Air changed Olly Sholotan’s life. The series is a retelling of the iconic 90s sitcom series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which first came on air in 1990 and went off the air in 1996. It was a launching pad for Will Smith’s career, and the re-imagination of the original series has been hugely important to the 24-year-old actor, who feels he is living his dream.

Olly Sholoton plays Carlton Banks, a character that was played by Alfonso Ribeiro in the 1990s. The new Carlton is not quite like the old one. He is a bit more snobbish, snorts Xanax, suffers from anxiety and when we meet him in the first episode of season one, he pushes his cousin Will, who has just arrived from Philly, into the pool in a jealous fit; An act that defines their relationship. It is quite different from the bromance in the original series, but maybe that relationship is about to change in season two?

He was interviewed via Zoom from his music studio at his Los Angeles home.

You play Carlton in Bel-Air. It is now in its second season. But what initially attracted you to the character, who at first glance does not seem very sympathetic?

I could tell that the creative team were interested in doing something different. I think that the pitfall with a lot of reboots is that they take what has been done before and just do the same again. This creative team wanted to build on the legacy and grow from there. So when I auditioned, I was told that it was not a sitcom and that I should not do that kind of performance. So I could do something completely new.

When I read the script, I was fascinated because of how layered Carlton was and there is nothing more interesting to a viewer than watching something that either makes you change your mind or battle with your intuition. I think that Carlton is one of those characters, where you cannot stand him when you meet him but as the series goes on, you really have to ask yourself: Why can’t I stand him? How much of him is in me? I like that he makes people think.

You work closely with Jabari Banks, who plays Will. On screen you don’t always get along. How is your relationship off screen?

Jabari and I very quickly became brothers. When he first came to Los Angeles, I knew he knew nothing about LA, so I came to pick him up at LAX at 10 AM on a Saturday. We ended up hanging out till 11 PM. We very quickly became close, and the fact that we felt very close off screen helped when we had to be at each other’s throats, because we felt safe doing it. We both know that we can make crazy choices and we still have each other’s back. There is nothing worse for an actor if the others are not receptive to what you are doing and that is especially when you are arguing.

Will season two see a change in the way the two get along?

Where we end off in the last season, we definitely see Carlton realizing how much he needs Will. So we do see a dynamic of them being much closer in season two and their relationship is closer to the original sitcom. We see them go on adventures in LA. We see them trying to subvert social situations and how that affects their relationship. We also see how the things that they are dealing with individually impacts the way they interact with each other. I do love that we get to see them be friends and smile more.

Carlton deals with a lot of anxiety. Were you able to relate to this?

My way into every character is that I first look at what is similar about us. Personally, I have grown to be good at social interaction and for the most part I can walk into a room and know who I am. But I had to get there. On this journey of self-discovery as a human being, there were many points in my life where I felt that I did not belong. What if I said the wrong things? So, the best way into my characters’ heads is going inward and finding those emotions in myself. There were things that I had to research. Carlton takes drugs in season one and I had to do a lot of research on that. I wanted to represent truth and I wanted to be careful how I dealt with the darker issues. So I did a lot of reading.

Will Smith is an executive producer and Morgan Cooper is the creator of the series. How involved was Will Smith in the reimagining of Bel-Air? And was his presence inspiring?

He was very present. From the very beginning, Will championed this show. He saw Morgan’s brilliance and then he gave us his production company, Westbrook Studios. Every single day those producers are on the ground with us. He is very generous with us and that is what he is like when he believes in something. We are very grateful.

Did you watch the original sitcom from the 1990s?

The original stop airing in 1996 and I was born in 1998. The reruns were always on in my house, so I have seen all the episodes at least once. At the core, all the characters are the same. The similarities between Alfonso’s and my Carlton are many: they are both very smart, they are really driven and they hold themselves to impossible standards.

The show was Will Smith’s big breakthrough. What has Bel-Air meant for your career?

This show has changed my life. Thanks to this show, I am in conversations that I have never been in. I am in rooms I have never been in before. This show has been one of the greatest gifts for me as an artist. I graduated in 2020 and a few years later, I am in one of the biggest TV shows, which is built on the legacy of one of the biggest TV shows. Every night I just have to pinch myself, because I am living every dream that I had. I was on the phone with my mother twenty minutes ago and I said: ‘I think I am on a billboard on Sunset.’ The fact that I get to do what I love and have a chance to help people change their lives is amazing. Kids come up to me and tell me how much my character has helped them, because showing an emotional black kid on TV like that is huge. There are so many young kids that have not seen that before.

How would you like your life to look like in ten years?

I hope to have done movies. I hope to have released albums. I hope to have touched every corner of the world with my art. Since I was a kid, I have wanted to make a living from creating. And here I am in my studio, in my home and I am getting to do that. I am doing it right now. I am living my dream right now.

How do you commemorate Black History Month?

By showing love and support to black creators. I show love to the big movies and the small content creators. I think we are in a renaissance for black artists and there are black artists doing incredible work that is finally being recognized. I want to contribute to that and that is what I am doing. my mother is a black woman and I would not be able to do anything without her. Both my parents have supported me. But my mother in particular has championed me so much.