- In the first episode of "Bel-Air," there's a scene where a group of white students rap a racial slur.
- Olly Sholotan, who plays Carlton, says one of his co-stars felt uncomfortable doing the scene.
"Bel-Air" star Olly Sholotan told Insider that one of his co-stars was reluctant to film a scene in the first episode where a group of white students sings a song containing a racial slur.
Sholotan plays Carlton in the Peacock reboot that reimagines "
The song they were singing, a viral Bobby Shmurda song from 2014 which inspired the vine "Shmoney Dance" trend, contained the N-word and the group could all be heard saying the derogatory term that has been used to insult the Black community. After Smith berates them, Carlton comes to their defense and in the following scene says that his cousin is "flipping out" over a word.
In an interview with Insider, the Carlton actor said that his co-star Tyler Barnhardt, who was one of the white students in the locker room scene, felt uncomfortable saying the slur.
"We approach these really tough subjects with a lot of delicacy," Sholotan said. "But I remember the first few takes Tyler was actually nervous slash uncomfortable saying that word. Rightfully so. He's the nicest person on the planet. I don't think that's a word he's ever said."
He continued: "I'm not gonna speak for him, but I can imagine it feels icky. We all made sure we were on the same page and the scene that we were shooting is so important."
Insider has reached out to representatives of Tyler Barnhardt for comment.
The argument between Carlton and Smith brings up a common debate on whether white people should be able to use the slur when it's used in popular songs by Black artists.
In 2018, Kendrick Lamar stopped his performance of "M.A.A.D City" during his set at the Hangout Festival in Alabama to tell a white woman, who he had asked to perform with him on stage for the song, to "bleep" the N-word after she repeatedly used it in the song.
When asked what he thought about his white co-stars saying the N-word, Sholotan said that when the slur is used in art it should be "in service of something greater."
"Once you start looking deeper and deeper into it you realize that he's just trying to survive," Sholotan said. "He's the only Black kid in a room full of white guys. All lacrosse players, all huge and they're saying the n-word. What's he gonna, do?"
He continued: "I think this is so important because that's so integral to the Black experience. This idea of making the choice. Whether to assimilate into white spaces or whether to stand up for what you believe in and it's a tough decision, especially if you're a 16-year-old kid who deals with anxiety."
Sholotan also said that this scene worked because it was a common microaggression rather than an "outlandish" racist scenario.
New episodes of "Bel-Air" are out on Thursdays on Peacock TV.