‘Fresh Prince’ Star Alfonso Ribeiro Says Show ‘Became a Sacrifice’ That Ended His Acting Career

Alfonso Ribeiro is best known to audiences for “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” but he admits the role sometimes leaves him a little conflicted.

In a new interview with Closer Weekly, Ribeiro said his iconic role as Carlton Banks, cousin of Will Smith’s title character, was ultimately a “sacrifice” for his acting career.

“Playing Carlton in ‘Fresh Prince’ became a sacrifice. I always used to say that playing Carlton was the best and worst thing that ever happened to me,” Ribeiro told the outlet.

He continued: “It was one of the greatest roles I ever had the chance to play, but it was also the role that stopped me from acting again because people couldn’t let me see it as something else. The sacrifice was not having an acting role.

FORMER THE PRINCE OF BEL-AIR STAR ALFONSO RIBEIRO EXPLAINS WHY HE WON’T BE DOING SITCOMS SOON

Ribeiro doesn’t hold a grudge against the show and shared some of his favorite memories from filming.

“It was about the actors and spending time with them. Before every show, we would go to Will Smith’s dressing room and play music and dance and just have a great build-up of energy to get ready for the show. Those were some good memories of being together,” he recalled.

And although he hasn’t had a major acting role in a while, he told Close Weekly: “I love being a host and I’m very happy with it.”

“But yes, I would start playing again if it was exactly the right thing,” he added.

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The 52-year-old currently co-hosts “Dancing With the Stars,” alongside Julianne Hough, after winning season 19 in 2014.

He also hosts “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and “Jack Hanna’s Passport”, both on ABC.

“My happiest moments, career-wise, are winning ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and now becoming the host of ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ And after winning ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ I had the opportunity to do the series I always wanted to do: ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos,'” Ribeiro said.

Ribeiro began his career young, landing the lead role in Broadway’s “The Tap Dance Kid” at age 8.

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This led to an appearance in a 1984 Pepsi commercial with Michael Jackson, followed by his role as Rick Schroder’s best friend in “Silver Spoons” the same year.

Recalling his work with Jackson, Ribeiro said: “It was amazing. I was a huge fan and ended up becoming friends with him. It was pretty special. The funny story is that When we were doing rehearsals, I didn’t understand why it was taking so long.” Michael was so keen to learn such simple choreography. Then I realized, “Oh, he’s not learning it, he’s perfecting it.” Every movement, every fingertip had to be exactly what he wanted it to be. I learned that it’s not about how quickly you do something, but about getting the smallest details right. »

The father of four shares a daughter with his first wife, Robin Stapler, and three children – two sons and another daughter – with his wife Angela Unkrich.

He revealed that at least one of his children wants to follow in his famous footsteps.

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“I think my daughters will,” he said of whether or not his children would go into show business. “My oldest daughter was in a movie. I don’t know about my boys, but I’ll support them in whatever they want to do. I coached them in baseball and it was fantastic. I’m all for letting them do their job.”