“I'm an artist, in every sense of the word. I'm an actor and a musician and I do visual art as well. I love stories and storytelling and I've devoted my life to that.” His sentiment for storytelling has manifested itself on-screen, diving headfirst into a crowd of millions as he managed to snag a monumental lead role in ‘Bel-Air’ – a series that serves as a reboot to the beloved 90’s sitcom – a silver screen classic that millions grew up watching. 

Banks manages to breathe fresh air into his role, cultivating a character that nods as a love letter to its predecessor, all while elevating it for the modern audience. It has become a story that strays away from a comedic standpoint and embodies an authentic depiction of our current generation. “It definitely was a big opportunity and a big responsibility I would say to take on this role, not only for myself as an actor – because I’m hard on myself – but also for the culture.” To be having a rebirth of a story that we all know and love comes with an overbearing pressure to thread together past and present stories. Banks shares, “I have great family and a great supportive system that allows me to blow off all the pressures, which allows me to be myself and do what I do best.” 

The 24-year-old actor admittedly reveals that “acting was never on his radar,” going on to say that “I played a lot of sports, no one in my family acts or sings, we all have ordinary desk jobs. I went out on a limb and dove into the arts, I was lucky enough to have the support of my family, I’m very blessed.” It was a ‘“fish out of the water experience,” as he would explain it, the contrasting shift in his outlook of passions was definitely out of character, but his untapped interest for storytelling consumed every fiber in his being.

 “I grew up writing poems and then I wanted to be a rapper. That was another thing on my list. But my dad put me into sports when I was really young and I fell in love with it – football, and basketball. In high school, however, I wasn't doing well in school, so I was ineligible to play on the team.” In order to stray away from the path of getting in trouble on the streets, his mom pushed him to try something else, theater. He played his first role in ‘The Wiz,’ the show that sparked attention from those around him. A snowball effect ensued and shortly after high school, Banks went to school at the University of the Arts, pinpointing the origins of his path toward acting. 

‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ was actually one of the driving influences that shaped who he is today, “funny enough, it’s actually one of my favorite shows.” Banks was heavily influenced by the works of Will Smith, “it sounds a bit weird saying that now because I’m reimagining it, but I think my personality played a huge part in landing me the role.” He also loved Michael Jackson, which is what propelled him into the musical direction.

On carrying the legacy of the original show, Banks was thrilled to learn that the reboot wouldn’t be a carbon copy of the sitcom. “I don't know if it would’ve done as well. We didn’t think that we needed to see that anymore. We needed to tell the story in a different way.” The creators had an acute awareness of that and thrusted the story into a direction that propels us as a culture. This makes sense, when most people attempt to recreate the magic of a past era, they inevitably fail. It’s a story that thrusts the viewer into a storyline that’s embedded with themes and characters that the modern audience can relate to. “Again, that fish out of water coming of age story, someone who doesn't belong and they're making their way along, and that's something that we can all resonate with.” 

In bringing the character to life, Banks managed to meld his past experiences with the on-screen character, sharing the same sentiments. His shared instances aligned with the character in the way that enabled him to be himself on camera, it was all-natural, for instance, when it was “Will's first time coming out to California, it was also my first time as well, so there are scenes in the show where Will is doing something for the first time and Jabari will be doing that for the first time as well.” It's sort of a meta experience for Jabari to be playing the key character as his first role, one where he lies at the center. Banks is in tune with his feelings and the confidence in his ability to play this character shines through, it’s absolutely brilliant. As each layer is peeled back, the viewer slowly begins to see that Jabari was born for this role. 

Jabari wears Ami