The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's Hilary Banks was quite the character.
Not a goody-goody like brother Carlton and not so much of a button-pusher like cousin
Will, Hilary was the fashionista of the family, quick to shop and often lacking common sense.
"I haven't been this happy since I bought my Giorgio Armani suit."
Given her good looks, she was likely many '90s kids' first crush, and, despite it being
decades since the show first premiered, the actress who played her, Karyn Parsons, is
still dropping jaws.
Karyn Parsons premiered the Hilary character in 1990, back when the show's biggest star,
Will Smith, was still primarily known as a rapper.
In an interview with NPR in 2014, Parsons, who turned 52 in 2018, recalled how she snagged
the role.
Revealing that the character was originally described as a "model type," Parsons assumed
she wouldn't get the job.
She said:
"My first reaction to it was oh, well, this is ridiculous.
I'm not going to get this.
I'm not a model type, you know?
This is silly.
And so I did what I could do, which was I kind of turned her into a little bit of a
real brat."
Fortunately, her take on Hilary apparently won over the casting directors, and thank
goodness it did, could you imagine Hilary as anything other than a whiny, spoiled rich
girl?
"Good god, who shot the couch?"
Thinking back to her time on the series, Parsons told NPR:
"It was fun to play that girl.
It was fun to just be so self-absorbed that you say those ridiculous things.
That was definitely my big break…
I definitely wouldn't be who I am now if I hadn't had the experience of playing Hilary
Banks."
But of course, Fresh Prince couldn't last forever.
After the show ended in 1996, Parsons moved on, appearing in a few short-lived TV series
like Lush Life, The Job, and Fly.
But she seems to have largely given up starring on the small screen.
Rather, she's focused on charitable work, founding the organization Sweet Blackberry.
The nonprofit, for which Parsons serves as president, aims to, quote, "bring little known
stories of African American achievement to children everywhere," as noted by its website.
"Unfortunately, I think there's such a small amount of time that's dedicated to sharing
stories of African American achievement."
Sweet Blackberry has worked with the likes of rapper-actress Queen Latifah and comedian
Chris Rock to create several animated films.
When asked about the organization, Parsons told Forbes:
"It's important to shed the light on people that we don't hear about.
There are so many stories that are so inspiring and offer so much to all children.
For children of color, they offer something really great and fortifying.
We don't have enough of that."
Parsons has also focused on her writing career.
As Essence reported in August 2018, Parsons will release her debut novel, How High the
Moon, on March 5, 2019.
The historical book, which will be published by Little, Brown and Company, is set in the
"Jim Crow south" and, quote, "follows a girl through those tumultuous times as she attempts
to reconnect with her mother and learn the truth about her father."
While Parsons has not officially retired from acting, she has admitted that she doesn't
exactly have the time to book acting gigs right now.
She told Sway's Universe in 2017:
"I have two young kids, I've got Sweet Blackberry, I'm really busy, and it's really hard to continue
or pursue the acting thing right now."
Clearly, Parsons is a lot less self-absorbed than her Fresh Prince character was.
"Ashley, honey, how would you like to go into the kitchen and introduce Mr. Teabag and Mr.
Teapot to Mr. Boiling Water?"
As for her personal life, Karyn Parsons is on her second marriage, and, by all accounts,
her relationship is going strong.
Parsons, who'd previously tied the knot with Reservoir Dogs actor Randy Brooks before divorcing
in the '90s, is married to Alexandre Rockwell, whom she wed in 2003.
The couple share two children: Lana and Nico.
Fortunately for fans of Parsons, they can still follow along with her professional and
personal lives by checking out her Twitter and Instagram accounts.
There, she's posted multiple photos documenting Fresh Prince cast reunions, posing alongside
former co-stars like Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, and Daphne Reid.
But, with or without her Fresh Prince crew, Parsons is obviously going places, and we
have a feeling that, for her, the best is yet to come.
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