Interview: AFV's Alfonso Ribeiro Chats Growing to Appreciate 'The Carlton,' New Hosting Gig, Return to Theatre

Whether it was while making his Broadway debut in THE TAP DANCE KID, or on THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR as the up-tight Carlton, or while winning DANCING WITH THE STARS' 19th Mirror Ball Trophy, chances are pretty good that at some point over the past 30 years, Alfonso Ribeiro has made you smile. Since his DWTS success, the former child-star song-and-dance man has taken on yet another entertaining role, this time as the new host of ABC's long-running AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS, a job that the father of three appreciates for what it provides both on and off screen.

(For more information on AMERICA's FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS, visit their official site.)

"It's a great way to work; it's the best job on TV, I keep saying," Ribeiro said. "I love family entertainment, and this is the No. 1 family show on TV, it's been that way for decades now. It's just a pleasure to work with everybody at Vin Di Bona, they've been so supportive. I'm loving every minute of it."

While Ribeiro admits that his two young sons (two-year-old Alfonso Jr. and six-month-old Anders) are "a little wild to come to set," the entire family is involved with the AFV process from beginning to end.

"It starts off when they send me the videos to watch to be able to do my voice-over to them," Ribeiro said. "My whole family will sit, and I will put it on the computer, and we sit there and watch, and just laugh and laugh and laugh together."

Then when the show airs, usually around his sons' dinner time, the family watches together, and the boys get excited seeing their daddy both on screen and sitting next to them.

"Those are the times that you don't get back, and it's just wonderful to be able to do that," Ribeiro said. "I've been working a lot out of town, so now to be able to work in town, to be able to go home every night and see my kids and hang out with the family, it's a wonderful, wonderful time in my life."

On tonight's episode of AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS, which airs on ABC at 7:00pm ET, Ribeiro performs his famous "Carlton Dance," a bit of nostalgia that he was more hesitant to indulge in in years past.

Though he has worked fairly steadily in front of, and behind, the camera since the THE FRESH PRINCE ended in 1996, very rarely was he able to break free of the large shadow which the popular show and character cast. However, when he performed the Carlton as part of his jazz routine in DWTS's fourth week, a burden seemed to be lifted as he finally gave the fans what they had been waiting for.

Ribeiro admits that doing the dance after weeks of questions was at least partially to return the focus to the show's more competitive dancing. However, seeing how much joy it brought to fans changed his appreciation for the Carlton.

"The appreciation definitely has changed through the years," Ribeiro said. "Simply because, when time goes by, if you're not working, the thing that's stopping you from working becomes your obstacle; when you are working, the things that people love and enjoy become bonuses, and simply because I'm working right now, it's a bonus. That love that people have for it is a bonus in my life, and I appreciate it."

Ribeiro also said that at times, the public's, and Hollywood's, insistence on tying him to his FRESH PRINCE character could become frustrating, as it served as a microcosm for his inability to find artistically fulfilling work. However, in recent years, his perspective has changed.

"I'm appreciative of the jobs that I have, and the love that I'm getting," he said, "I feel like now, it's me saying 'Thank you, here let me give it to you; let me give you the dance.' Where for many years, I was like, 'I don't want to do the damn dance anymore. I'm over this, let me do something new,' because as an artist, you want to create, you want to be creative, and you want to be doing the things you love to do. And, people reminding you of the past, while not giving you a present or a future, is a painful experience. So, it was always difficult for me to fully enjoy it, because I didn't have a present or a future with that attached. So, my perspective definitely has changed."

Throughout the years, in addition to guest-appearances and hosting gigs, Ribeiro, a graduate of the New York Film Academy, directed numerous episodes of sitcoms including ALL OF US, MEET THE BROWNS, ARE WE THERE YET?, and SHAKE IT OFF. For the former child-star, the evolution to director always seemed natural.

"If you're paying attention, if you're that kid that loves how things are done, then you can see someone making that transition effectively," he said. "I've always been that type of guy. I have another show that's on the Food Network called UNWRAPPED 2.0, and that show is ultimately about how things are made. Growing up, I've always been interested in how things are done, and so that's kind of what transitioned me into directing."

Despite having worked on TV shows since he was nine years old, and becoming a regular on SILVER SPOONS at the age of 13, Ribeiro admits that he was surprised at how theatrical the process of shooting AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS was.

"It feels really good, and it feels easier than I thought it would be," he said. "Typically most shows when it's not literally live, you can do it a couple of times until you find the one you want. But the way we shoot AFV is like a live broadcast; unless there's a mess-up, you've got one shot at it. I'm finding that at times, that one shot is actually better than if I had several takes on it. It feels like you're in the moment, and you're just rolling out of the video packages into the next one. It feels very live and free-flowing, it's not how I thought it would be done, but (I'm) loving that we're doing it that way."

Given his Broadway roots, and success on DWTS, as well as being crowned the champion of FOX's CELEBRITY DUETS in 2006, many fans have been clamoring to get Ribeiro back on the boards. When asked about a potential return to the stage, Ribeiro said that while he has no immediate plans, it is something that he plans on doing eventually.

"My wife and I talked about this last week," he said. "When I went on tour with the DANCING WITH THE STARS show, we absolutely missed being on tour. I miss every night going out on that stage and performing for people live, and getting that energy every night. Each night is a little different, and the show kind of transition and grows, it's a wonderful experience when you're able to be on a live stage.

"So, I definitely miss it, and when the time is right, when I can do it, when it works for the family, works for the career, to jump back on a stage, I will absolutely do it. It's certainly nowhere in the present, but it is in my future."

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If you could cast Alfonso in any role for his Broadway return, what would it be? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter. Also, don't forget to follow @BWWTVWorld on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for all of the latest TV news, reviews, and recaps.

Banner Image Credit: ABC and Michael Ansell | ABC