With a career spanning decades, Will Smith has become one of the most profound actors in Hollywood and has also earned an Oscar for his work in the world of entertainment. Starting in a hip-hop duo in the mid-1980s, the actor had his big break as an actor in the 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. With his career evolving over the years, he has also been able to note some of the “horrible” things about his performance initially in his career, one of which includes his breakthrough role in the NBC TV show.

Will Smith Used to Mouth His Co-Stars’ Dialogues

The Harry Potter star Emma Watson once shared that she caused several issues while filming the first film in the franchise, as she would often mouth her co-stars’ dialogues. “I created issues because of this,” she said before adding, “I would ruin takes.”

The Fresh Prince of Bel-air

Will Smith had a similar experience during his first acting job in the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, the Oscar winner shared that it was his first acting job, and he wanted to give his best.

“It was my very first role, and I was very, very focused on being successful,” Smith said. He took his commitment to the next level by memorizing not only his own dialogues but also those of his castmates and would mouth their lines as they delivered them.

Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

“If you watch the first four or five episodes, you can see I’m mouthing other people’s lines,” he shared. As per IMDb, the actor called his performance in the first season “horrible” and said, “When I watch those episodes, it’s disgusting.” His habit of unintentionally mouthing his co-star’s lines also ended up annoying some of them.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Recalled Will Smith’s Habit

During The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion, the cast of the show recalled Will Smith mouthing their lines during the filming. Karyn Parsons, who played the role of Hilary Banks, shared that she noticed Smith mouthing her lines back to her.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion

“I remember the pilot — I was beyond nervous, I was so scared,” she shared, as per People, before adding, “I’m trying to get through it, just doing my thing and keep it together, and you mouthed lines back to me for the first time.” It was followed by his other castmates stating that he did the same to them.

“You did it to me, too,” Tatyana Ali said, and Alfonso Ribeiro revealed that the Men in Black star did the same to him as well. Smith also recalled being called out by Parsons, who told him to “stop it!” while rehearsing for episode 5. The actor was reportedly forced to watch the previous clips to see for himself how bad it looked.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is available on Max.