Starring in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ended my career says sitcom legend in shocking revelation
THE Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air is one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, but not for everyone!
The US series is widely considered to be the mainstream breakthrough for Oscar winning actor Will Smith.
He starred in six series of the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated show from 1990.
But Will, 55, was not the only star to find success from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
Alfonso Ribeiro, 52, is best known for playing the role of Carlton, the preppy and conservative cousin to Will’s eponymous character.
Now, he’s opened up about struggle he faced after the show as he admitted he found it difficult to live up to the beloved role.
Ribeiro even admitted the reputation he gained effectively ‘ended’ his career in acting.
“Playing Carlton on Fresh Prince became a sacrifice. I used to always say doing Carlton was the greatest and worst thing that ever happened to me,” Alfonso revealed.
“It was one of the greatest roles that I ever was fortunate enough to play, but it was also the role that stopped me from acting again because people couldn’t see me as anything else.”
He told Closer Weekly: “The sacrifice was not having an acting career anymore.”
On the show he was best known for his unique jazz dance sequence which he performed to the song, ‘It’s Not Unusual’ by Tom Jones.
The move was widely considered to be named after the legendary character as it became so iconic and such a staple of 90’s culture.
Despite the struggles he faced living up to the role, the actor did admit that he has no regrets about his time on the show specifically.
“It was about the cast and spending time with them,” the TV presenter admitted.
“Before every show, we would go into Will Smith’s dressing room, and we’d play music and dance and just have a great energy build-up to get ready for the show.
He added: “Those are some great memories of just being together.”
But since then, Alfonso established himself to become a well known personality in the UK.
He entered the I’m A Celebrity jungle in 2013 and he previously filled in for Bruno Tonioli on Strictly Come Dancing.
This was after he appeared as both a contestant and as the host on the US version of the long-running BBC dancing competition, Dancing With The Stars.