Tatyana Ali Talks Joining 'Bel-Air' Season 2, Says Cast Has Made 'Fresh Prince' Legacy Their Own (Exclusive)
etonline.comTatyana Ali is headed back to a town called Bel-Air in a very different role than when she left it! The actress, who played Ashley Banks in the originalseries, joined the cast of Peacock's for its upcoming second season, and she sat down with ET's Kevin Frazier to share her experience with the reboot's cast.Season 2 of -- which reimagines the Will Smith-starring '90s sitcom as a flashy, modern drama — picks up with Will at a crossroads as a new figure comes into his life who challenges what he’s learned in Bel-Air and competes for control of his influence.
He juggles this while navigating his home life with the Banks family and trying to rebuild the trust that was broken at the end of last season.Ali joined the cast in a recurring guest star appearance as Mrs.
Hughes, an English Literature teacher at Bel-Air Middle School. Her character sees promise in Ashley (Akira Akbar) and lends her books from her personal collection — a full-circle moment for Ali, who admits it was initially weird to watch another actress portray the character she originated.«I didn't expect it to be weird.
I treated it like an opportunity — [it's] this great job, the writing is amazing and Mrs. Hughes as a character is amazing,» Ali shares. «She's a real mentor [and] she's feeding this young Black girl from her own library of books by Black women, Black radicals.
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