Nia Long portrayed Will Smith’s girlfriend, Lisa Wilkes, on his breakout television series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. But the role would’ve went to Smith’s now-wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, if she was two inches taller.
This story has been told more than once in the past but it’s necessary to revisit for the youngsters who enjoy the reruns on weekday nights.
Nia made an appearance on PeopleTV’s Couch Surfing and reflected on the fun fact after watching a clip of her last scene on the show. “First they cast Jada to play his girlfriend,” Nia said. “Yes! They cast Jada and they were like, ‘Jada’s too short.’ I’m like, ‘I’m only about two inches taller than her, that does not make a difference, right.'”
Fortunately this didn’t stop the two beautiful women from building a friendship. “The joke that I have with Jada is that I got the job but she got the husband,” the 49-year-old added. “That’s like our running joke.”
