Could Will Smith have played Arnold? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Confidence30 · 10-18-2021, 06:33 PM

Wow, it's funny both Gary Coleman and Will Smith were born the same year in 1968, which would make them 10 that year. Could will Smith have landed the part for Arnold and would the show last 8 seasons if he was playing Arnold and not Gary Coleman?

EccentricGenius · 06-20-2022, 08:51 PM

Don't be ridiculous, Confidence30. Are you, like, on crack (or some other illegal mind-altering substance)? You must be either totally clueless or absolutely insane.

As for the answer to your equally ridiculous question, there is absolutely no way in hell Will Smith could've possibly portrayed pint-sized orphan Arnold Jackson when "Diff'rent Strokes" premiered in 1978. Though he and the late, great Gary Coleman were both indeed born in 1968 (seven months apart from each other), Will was still living in West Philly with his folks at the tender age of ten, while Gary was already a seasoned (and quite experienced) professional child actor at the exact same age, thanks to his memorable guest appearances on "The Jeffersons" and "Good Times." Will didn't even become an entertainer, and widely recognized to the mainstream public, until the late eighties when he teamed up with his buddy DJ Jazzy Jeff for their Grammy Award-winning classic hip-hop single "Parents Just Don't Understand." As for Gary...well, you should already know by now how his career and personal life both ultimately evolved from the late eighties until his unsurprising death in 2010 at the age of 42.

Enjoy your evening, bro.

10-18-2021, 06:33 PM	#1
Confidence30 Member Senior Member Join Date: May 24, 2021 Location: Florida Posts: 1,246	Could Will Smith have played Arnold? Wow, it's funny both Gary Coleman and Will Smith were born the same year in 1968, which would make them 10 that year. Could will Smith have landed the part for Arnold and would the show last 8 seasons if he was playing Arnold and not Gary Coleman?

06-20-2022, 08:51 PM	#2
EccentricGenius Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 30, 2015 Posts: 767	Don't be ridiculous, Confidence30. Are you, like, on crack (or some other illegal mind-altering substance)? You must be either totally clueless or absolutely insane. As for the answer to your equally ridiculous question, there is absolutely no way in hell Will Smith could've possibly portrayed pint-sized orphan Arnold Jackson when "Diff'rent Strokes" premiered in 1978. Though he and the late, great Gary Coleman were both indeed born in 1968 (seven months apart from each other), Will was still living in West Philly with his folks at the tender age of ten, while Gary was already a seasoned (and quite experienced) professional child actor at the exact same age, thanks to his memorable guest appearances on "The Jeffersons" and "Good Times." Will didn't even become an entertainer, and widely recognized to the mainstream public, until the late eighties when he teamed up with his buddy DJ Jazzy Jeff for their Grammy Award-winning classic hip-hop single "Parents Just Don't Understand." As for Gary...well, you should already know by now how his career and personal life both ultimately evolved from the late eighties until his unsurprising death in 2010 at the age of 42. Enjoy your evening, bro.