Jimmy Akingbola is Feeling Blessed
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He isn't your uniformly dressed Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Geoffrey, who threw sarcasm and shade in response to Uncle Phil asking him to fetch his tools. Actor Jimmy Akingbola, who plays Geoffrey in Bel-Air, is laced in the illest drip from Scotch & Soda double-breasted coats to Paul Smith knits. He's the keeper of secrets. And he's upgraded from cleaning up dishware to cleaning up the lives of the Bank's family by any means necessary. "It's a different Geoffrey. It's Geoffrey 2.0.," Akingbola told us on set in New York City. Speaking with our UK brother, Jimmy talks about Bel-Air, season 2 of The Tower dropping on May 16th, and his love for the sun.
Photographer: Ammar Thomas @iam.ammarjamal | Created in partnership with Peacock.
So first, I want to be sure I'm saying your name right. Jimmy Akingbola?
Yes, that's correct. It looks more difficult than it is.
How are you?
I'm feeling blessed right now. It's an exciting time. The second season of Bel-Air just wrapped up on Peacock and right after episode four aired, we got picked up for a third season, so we’re excited to bring audiences more of those stories. I've also recently released my documentary, Handle With Care on Peacock, which is about my journey through the care system in the UK – our version of foster care. It's beautiful to see how my story in Handle With Care also connects to the original Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which was based on Benny Medina's story of getting adopted in America as a young Black kid. The alignment of these two projects being released simultaneously is a blessing, and I’m so grateful for the positive reception that both have received.
Also, you just celebrated a birthday.
Yes, I did. Thank you so much! I'm an Aries man. I went to Belize.
Was that your first time?
Yeah. First time in Belize. I loved it. I'm an island man.
Let's get right into Bel-Air. Bel-Air is a reboot or a remake with a lot of differences. The original was more of a comedy. This one is more of a drama. How was it stepping into the role of Geoffrey, who was a "butler," but this is not your character? You seem to be more of a fixer to Uncle Phil, played by Adrian Holmes. Who would you consider your version of Geoffrey to be, and where did you pull that inspiration from?
You're right. My version of Geoffrey is a fixer or a consigliere. He is equal to Uncle Phil. They are brothers. That's a conversation I had with the creator, Morgan Cooper because I wanted to respectfully portray a Black Butler in 2023. I also think American’s often shows British people moving and talking in one way – but we don’t all talk like the queen and drink tea. I wanted Geoffrey to represent someone from East London because that's where he's from. He was born in Jamaica and came to the UK when he was young. I know guys like that in the UK, where I grew up, so I based him on certain people I grew up around. I also wanted to make sure there wasn't a stereotype about him. I've enjoyed creating a mystery about him as well. It's a different Geoffrey. It's Geoffrey 2.0.
MC April Vest ($225) Tuxedo Pleats Pants ($610) HOMME PLISSE ISSEY MIYAKE, Sneakers (similar styles) JIMMY CHOO.
The American audience is getting introduced to you through the character Geoffrey in this drama, Bel-Air, but you do a lot of comedy.
I do! It's so interesting. My work in America has been serious dramas, either villains or serious people, but I do a lot of comedy. I did a comedy with Idris Elba called, In The Long Run, which came out on Starz. It's almost like a British TV version of Coming to America. It's about Idris' character’s family coming from Sierra Leone to London, and I played his younger brother. That was a joy to work with him. I did a comedy on ITV called Kate And Koji, with Brenda Blethyn. I did another BAFTA-winning comedy called Rev. with Olivia Colman, where I played a drug addict. I enjoy expressing and flexing my range. When I started acting, I did not want to pigeonhole myself as a straight-drama guy or a comedy guy. I wanted to do it all. I've done theater, TV, and film. I do radio. I do voiceovers.
I was going to touch on that. You have a long award-winning career in theater. You were the first Black actor to play Jimmy Porter. You've done Shakespeare as well, then comedy. For the American audience, it’s more drama. You have yet another drama coming up called The Tower.
I appreciate that because it's not easy to move to America in this industry unless you come over with a Game of Thrones or something the American audience is familiar with. Arrow was one of my first big jobs in America, where I played the categorical Baron Reiter. It was a great experience but people thought that was my first job, and I was like, 'No!' In the UK, I did a lot of theater. I've worked with people like Ian McKellen on stage. I've played roles like Othello. I won an award for playing Christopher in Joe Penhall's award-winning play Blue/Orange. To be able to play an icon like Jimmy Porter, in Look Back in Anger in on the West End was an honor and I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished in the UK and here in the States. That work prepared me for where I am now, working and living in America. I’d love to continue flexing my comedic chops and exploring the world of comedy a bit more. If Insecure were still on, I'd love to be in something like that or Curb Your Enthusiasm. I also produce and want to continue more in that direction as well. I’m ambitious, and there are endless possibilities for where I can see my career going in the future.
You are also a game show host on a show about black history. Sorry, I Didn't Know. Is that coming back at all?
That's coming back. We're going to be doing a fourth season for ITV. It would be a dream to bring that to America, even just for Black History Month in February. There's nothing like this show in the world, and it'd be great to have that on US TV.
MC April Vest ($225) Tuxedo Pleats Pants ($610) HOMME PLISSE ISSEY MIYAKE, Sneakers (similar styles) JIMMY CHOO.
You have the second season of The Tower, where you play a police officer.
Yes! I play a police officer named Steve Bradshaw, and The Tower is based on a novel. There are three novels. And it's all about the world of the police in the UK. My character, Steve, is one of those guys who's been in the business for a long time, and he's seen the change in the Metropolitan Police in the UK. He's a Black man. And he sees he's been a minority, but he's held it out and been great at his job. I've enjoyed playing an authentic character and having the license to pepper in things not written on a page, and collaborating with my writer and showrunner, Patrick Harbinson; Season two is premiering in the States on BritBox on May 16. It's a mini-series so we did three episodes for season one, and [for season two] I think we're doing four. That's one thing I enjoy about the UK. We can do these great big, bold stories in a short amount of time. I wanted to represent those Black police officers because it's not an easy job. Season one did a great job of talking about institutionalized racism and unconscious bias, and season two doesn’t shy away from those topics either.
The Tower is coming out May 16th, and you've confirmed a third season on Bel-Air. The characters you're playing tackle prevalent issues in society. On Bel Air, we've seen addiction. We've seen characters deal with bullying and gun violence. Will confronts his father after years of not being there. How do you decompress from these different roles?
I think that's when family and friends come into it. Connecting with your family or friends, switch off, travel, and let go. I love comedies. I love going to see stand-up. I went to see MJ: The Musical here recently in New York. And last fall I saw Topdog/Underdog. You have to tap into real life because holding on to these characters can be a bit much and seep into your personal life. I'm serious about what I do, but it's acting. I also switch off by watching other talented performances. I love transporting into different worlds in films, TV shows, or live theater. You can't beat that. That allows you to immerse yourself in a world and let go of the world that you're working in.
Who's your favorite actor?
I call them the OGs. You can't beat Denzel Washington, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro. I give props to Will Smith, Don Cheadle, and Forest Whitaker. I could go on. And in the UK, I have respect for people like Daniel Kaluuya, Idris Elba, Lennie James and Marian Jean Baptiste. I love to see my friends winning.
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And we're seeing so many actors and actresses come from London, and it seems to be running rampant. You guys are taking over.
It's interesting this debate. It always interests me because I'm a person who thinks, you win, we all win. We're one people. There is a Renaissance period right now. There are a lot of Brits working in the US. I don't know if we're taking over because if you can count the number of people working between TV and film, it's not that many people. It's a celebration period when you look at people like Daniel Kaluuya, Damson Idris, Naomi Harris, and Lashana Lynch. It's an exciting time because there's a whole generation now working in the US. In the past, you could only name maybe one or two Black British actors. Before there was Idris Elba on The Wire there was Eamonn Walker, who was on OZ. Those UK actors are the ones that inspired me and made me realize I can be a Brit and work in America, and I can play Americans, Brits, Africans and more. There's having a dream, but achieving it is not easy. To get a green card, to start again, plus the financial implications – it’s very difficult. I like to think there's none of that 'who's better than the other person?' I grew up watching American actors like Denzel Washington. I love Andre Holland. I'm inspired by people like Mr. [Ryan] Coogler. I just watched an amazing film recently called A Thousand and One. She [Teyana Taylor] gave one of the best performances I've seen in a long time, and the director, A.V. Rockwell, she's one to look out for. I really appreciate the way it's shot and the writing. It's a woman lead story written and directed by a first-time director; this is her baby. But also, the care story in it, I related to that, you know, being fostered myself. I urge people to see that film.
What's a role that you want and that you haven't done yet?
I like to have fun, so I'd love to do a Marvel – Black Panther 3 is a dream. I like original IP stories. I've been reading a few books recently, and I just read, The Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. They're making that into a movie. I also like real-life stories and characters. I'd love to play Michael K. Williams if someone did a film about his story.
One thing that's interesting to me about Bel-Air is the fashion. You guys are probably the most fashionable cast on TV right now. Do you have any part in those fashions?
First of all, I'll give you guys props. You had me looking right at my shoot, so thank you so much. With our clothes [on Bel-Air], we have to give props to Queensylvia Akuchie. She's our costume designer, African American Nigerian woman. It was one of the first times in my career that I'd gone to the costume designer like, 'This is how Geoffrey needs to look.' And then she was like, 'Well, this is the mood board,' and everything she had on the mood board, I was like, 'that's it.' We hadn't even spoken because she came on for season two. She talked about colors and designers. She put me in an Oswald Boateng outfit for episode two, and I was just like, this is amazing. She gets it, and she gets it for everyone as well. Everyone is talking about Geoffrey’s suits, but if you look at someone like Hillary, how she styles her, Jabari Banks, who plays Will, and Jordan L. Jones, who plays Jazzy Jeff. I love that for her, it's about storytelling, and it's about elevation with excellence. I think that is the spine of the whole show. Morgan Cooper created this story. He did the trailer in 2019, and it went viral. But you can't make Bel-Air if it's not rooted in detail and excellence. If you look at the pilot, it's a dramatized version of the song. Right? You sing that song, see the quick credits, and then we're in the house. But what I love about our show, the pilot is the whole song. You get to see him in Philly before he comes to Bel-Air. Then even when he [Will] meets Geoffrey, it's the same in the pilot. They have a quick exchange. They're a bit frosty at the beginning, and then they become tight. I feel like the costumes represent the excellence of the show. I'm just blessed to have her, Queensylvia Akuchie.
My last question. Three things Jimmy can't live without?
I can't live without good food. I'm a foodie. I went to Tatiana's last night, here at the Lincoln Center, by Chef Kwame. Trust me, if you haven't been, go. I can't live without some sun. I'm a sun, baby. That's why I moved to LA. And I can't live without family and friends.
Art Director & Interview: Ammar Thomas @iam.ammarjamal | Fashion Director: Nigel Isaiah @nigel_isaiah | Grooming: Madge Earle @iammadgeearle for Distinct Artists @distinctartist | Location: The 9 Studios | Cover artwork designed by Freepik | Special Thanks: Peacock @peacock ID PR @teamid
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