‘Bel-Air' Star Jordan Jones Talks Bringing New Life to Jazz

For the past two years, Morgan Cooper and Will Smith have been reshaping and redefining what The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has brought to television culture with the Peacock series, Bel-Air, a dramatic re-imagining of the sitcom. 

In the original sitcom, the character of Jazz, Will’s best friend, was played by Smith's real-life rap partner DJ Jazzy Jeff. In the Bel-Air series, Jordan Jones has taken on the role, bringing a new dimension to Jazz. Unlike the original sitcom, where Will and Jazz already had a friendship, in 'Bel-Air,' their friendship develops over time. As the show prepares to debut its third season, Jazz's character has grown significantly.

“In the first season, Jazz was so smooth, helping everyone with everything. He helped Hillary get the influencers and assisted Will in navigating through Los Angeles. Then season two was more about, ‘Okay, now we get the chance to see Jazz. He's kind of insecure about certain things, we get to see who he is internally.’ I think season three is a good combination of both. You get to see him navigate through different trials and tribulations, new characters, and his relationship with Hillary,” Jones discussed Jazz’s development in the series up to now. “I think this is going to be a great season where you get to learn a lot more about Jazz. Like who he is, as a person and the things that he stands for,” Jones added.

While Jazz has been shown to offer advice and a helping hand when needed, Jones himself received “guidance” in a sense from the man who originally played the role, DJ Jazzy Jeff. Jones had the opportunity to meet Jazzy Jeff in person during a barbecue celebration for Bel-Air, where he received praise from the veteran deejay and actor.

“He was like, ‘Yo, dude! I just want to say thank you, man. You made the family proud,’” Jones said, recalling Jazzy Jeff’s reaction to how he brought a new Jazz to life.

Although he made original cast members like Jazzy Jeff proud, Jones initially hesitated to join the project due to the significant impact of the original series on Black culture and even turned down the audition. But as the old saying goes, “What is meant for me will be.” The opportunity came back around, and upon seeing Cooper’s proof of concept teaser video, Jones realized the potential of the project.

“I remember watching that and thinking, 'Oh my God, that was insane; such a good short film,' right? When I got the audition, I didn't connect the two," Jones said. His manager insisted he consider the opportunity more seriously. "So I read the script and thought, 'Oh, this is different.' Then I saw a little YouTube video and realized it was the same video from years ago. So I was like, 'Yeah, let's do it.'”

While Bel-Air has been a successful reboot, some reboots of beloved television series haven’t been as successful, and others are still in development. Jones offered some advice for those considering rebooting a well-loved past series.

"For me to say, ‘You can take our way of doing the reboot,' wouldn't do justice to certain projects," he expressed. "In artistry, you just have to trust your heart. Even if things don't go as planned, you can't give up. If this is something that you're passionate about and want to succeed in, don't let anyone stop you," he added.

Bel-Air fans will see what Jazz’s journey has in store in the new season.

Check out the full interview.