Adrian Holmes may look nothing like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air‘s original Uncle Phil, but he’s sure got Will Smith‘s approval.
The Bel-Air star stopped by E! News’ Daily Pop on Friday, Feb. 18 to talk all about the new Peacock series—a reimagined version of the beloved sitcom set in modern-day America—revealing that Will, an executive producer on the new show, has been supporting him every step of the way.
“He signed his book, actually, for me,” Adrian recalled. “And he wrote, ‘To Adrian, I love how you’re filling those shoes, Will.’ I was just like, ‘Wow.’ That was the greatest seal of approval right there, and validation from him.”
The pair also met at the Bel-Air premiere, where Adrian said Will took him aside and said, “You’re killing it, brother.”
“It’s a dream, you know?” Adrian continued. “You grow up in this business, and you just want to work and get to a place where you can level up on a platform where you can really affect and inspire and create change, and I think that’s what this show is going to do.”
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Cast, Then and Now
For Adrian, Bel-Air is “a perfect balance of both sides of the coin.”
But most importantly, the series portrays “positive Black stories, which we need more of,” he added.
“We need to focus and expedite more stories that show us affluent, thriving, successful people,” Adrian said. “And our show is Black excellence personified.”
Hear more from Adrian in the above Daily Pop interview.
Bel-Air is now streaming on Peacock.
(E! and Peacock are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
