Bel-Air Episode 1 Racial Slur Scene Made White Costar Uncomfortable

screenrant.com:

Bel-Air’s Olly Sholotan, who plays Carlton on the show, says that shooting one of season 1's scenes was extremely uncomfortable for another actor on set. Bel-Air is a new reboot of the hit '90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which aired for six seasons. The original show is responsible for establishing Will Smith’s acting career, and Smith’s onscreen father figure, James Avery, also served as a mentor to the up-and-coming star. Now, he has come full circle, serving as a producer for the reboot and assisting the cast.

Although the characters in Bel-Air share the names of those of the original and the premise remains the same, the new series diverges from its roots in several big ways. Bel-Air is quite a bit grittier than its predecessor — Fresh Prince did tackle several controversial topics, such as racism, cultural identity, and gang violence, but the emotional moments were normally accompanied by lighthearted comedy due to its nature as a sitcom. The new show involves many of the same subjects but in much more of a serious, realistic fashion. Explicit language is used freely and the main characters’ personalities are much more solemn.

Related: Why Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air's Serious Reboot Is So Divisive

Due to Bel-Air’s confronting sensitive social issues, the cast has had to overcome some of their own insecurities while filming, and in a recent interview with Insider, Sholotan discusses a moment that troubled one of his co-stars. In the scene, a number of white lacrosse players are carelessly rapping to a popular song by Bobby Shmurda. The n-word is frequently used in the song’s lyrics and is belted out by the team, something which made a few of the actors feel uncomfortable. See what Sholotan had to say about the