London-based actor Joseph Marcell debated whether he should risk his life for HBO Max's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion

Los Angeles Times

The longtime Shakespearean actor and board member of Shakespeare’s Globe theater in London, who famously played Geoffrey Butler on The Fresh Prince, says of participating in the recent reunion: “I had to ask myself ‘Am I willing to risk my life for this?’ But I was flattered that they included me and I felt certain they would do everything humanly possible to protect us. I spoke with my wife, my daughter and my son. It took a little consideration, and the only way to operate is to follow the guidelines — but of course... (laughs) I was going to do it." To film the reunion, Marcell had to fly from London, take two coronavirus tests, film the special over two days, then fly back to London and stay in quarantine for two weeks. “It’s a bit of an adjustment,” he says of the experience. “But I was thrilled to do it.”