00:00We're not trying to be like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air because you can't do that again.
00:03What they did was a once-in-a-generation moment that stands on its own.
00:07And in the same way since day one, the vision has always been about
00:10creating the show that ultimately stands on its own as well.
00:17I'm Ravey Rose with Essence. How are you doing?
00:20I'm good. Thank you. Good morning.
00:22Good morning. Thank you so much for taking the time today.
00:24Just to kick things off, you know, this came from a concept that you put forward on YouTube,
00:31gained traction, got the attention at Wilkins Production Company, and now here we are.
00:35So now that you've pretty much established, like, you know, the ground base in season one
00:41and you've built the fan base and, you know, everybody can see now, like, what the full vision was,
00:46what are you anticipating now building up, building upon the story for season two?
00:51Absolutely. You know, coming off season one, it was so beautiful how we brought people
00:57into the world of Bel-Air, you know, and this dramatic reimagining of the Fresh Prince.
01:03And so for season two, since day one, you know, we went on hiatus.
01:07It was all about raising the bar in every way, shape, or form.
01:10And so, you know, people can expect a lot of joy, a lot of fireworks,
01:15and a crazy rollercoaster from episode one to episode 10 in season two.
01:21You know, we just go deeper into every single relationship, you know, and at the end of season one,
01:26there were quite a few cliffhangers in terms of relationships and Will, you know, his fallout with Lou
01:32and then Uncle Phil as a result in terms of that secret that's kept.
01:35And so those are all things that we address head on in season two.
01:39And, yeah, I couldn't be more proud of this season.
01:42Now, for you, I'm sure you always had a vision of what you wanted this to be,
01:46and it came to fruition.
01:47But what was your, what was surprising for you, I guess, about people's response,
01:52the audience response, and the industry response to this project during season one?
01:55It's interesting how polarizing, especially when it was announced, the show was, you know,
02:01before any episodes aired.
02:02Because you have people like myself who just love the Fresh Prince, you know,
02:06it's something that we grew up on.
02:07It's a touchstone of our culture.
02:09It's a touchstone of television in general.
02:11And so, you know, people are very protective of that, which I understand, you know.
02:15But, you know, what I always tell people about this, this idea, you know, in Bel Air,
02:19it wasn't an idea that was born in a studio, boardroom, or anything like that.
02:23You know, this was something that came to me when I was driving down the road,
02:26my hometown in Kansas City, and the vision for it hit me.
02:29And it was birthed from a place of passion, you know.
02:32And so I think people sense that and why we've been able to accrue such a passionate fan base
02:37is because they really feel that we love the stories that we're telling.
02:41We're not trying to be like the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, because you can't do that again.
02:44What they did was a once-in-a-generation moment that stands on its own.
02:48And in the same way since day one, the vision has always been about creating the show that ultimately stands on its own as well.
02:54Awesome. And it's a boy we can see in season one. You definitely created that.
02:59I am curious as to, and I know you can't give spoilers away,
03:02but what are some of the things you can tease for the fans that are coming up this season
03:06to kind of like, you know, wet our appetite?
03:08Yeah, absolutely. You know, starting with Will, you know, again,
03:12there was such a fallout at the end of season one when he reconnects with Lou.
03:15And, you know, he learns a secret, you know, that has been kept from him, right?
03:20And how that, you know, informs, you know, we'll see how that informs the steps that he takes towards his future
03:27and him wanting to retain the essence of who he was and reconciling that with who he can be and his potential.
03:34You know, will he end up wearing that crown or will he end up reverting to old ways?
03:39And so that's something we explore.
03:40The Hillary jazz relationship is something I'm so excited for fans to, you know,
03:46it's just such a beautiful relationship that has so many beautiful ups and downs and it's exciting.
03:52We learn more about, you know, 007 Jeffrey and some of the things about his past
03:58that we start to uncover in season two that I'm really excited about.
04:03We see Phil, you know, reconciling with the fact that, you know, his DA dreams have been dashed,
04:09you know, when he conceded, right?
04:12And so what does that mean for his next step in his life?
04:14And how does that affect his relationship with Viv and his children, right?
04:18And Viv, you know, with the Neiman Fellowship, all of the sudden she's stepping into a different side of the art world
04:24and seeing things that, you know, from a perspective that, you know,
04:28maybe initially she thought would be more, you know, fruitful, more from a spiritual perspective.
04:35And so we'll see what she learns, you know, from this choice.
04:39And if she wants to continue, you know, going down this path in her career.
04:43Thank you so much for your time today.
04:46Absolutely. Thank you.
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