Olly Sholotan Explains How Carlton Survives His Community On Bel-Air

From the first episode of "Bel-Air," Will and Carlton are in conflict, especially when Carlton voices stereotypical views about poor African Americans. However, Sholotan said that it wasn't difficult to get into Carlton's mindset for a very specific reason. "Well, to be quite honest, it wasn't much of a challenge because it's something that I think every Black person has experienced," Sholotan explained. "I always say the Black experience is that of constantly experiencing white supremacy to a certain extent."

Sholotan went on to share that he feels Carlton's perspective should be viewed as a reflection of a Black person attempting to thrive in a community that may not otherwise accept him. "It's easy to look at Carlton and be like, 'Oh, this is a kid who sees Black people as lesser than,'" Sholotan observed, "but when you realize that a lot of his opinions are as a result of him trying to survive in his community and in his very privileged corner of Bel-Air, then you see why he feels the way that he feels. For me, it made sense. When I read that scene, I was like, 'It totally makes sense that Carlton would feel that way about that.'"

New episodes of Bel-Air are available on Thursdays on Peacock.