Cassandra Freeman says Aunt Viv focuses on ‘sanity and mental health’ in ‘Bel-Air”s final season

Aunt Vivian is putting her mental health first in the fourth and final season of Bel-Air. Cassandra Freeman, who plays Aunt Viv on the Peacock series, tells ABC Audio the season finds her once again balancing family and ambition, but doing so on her own terms.

“I’m really big on this philosophy of the more women center themselves in their life and work, the easier life is, and I feel that a lot with Aunt Viv,” she says. “She could go back to her old ways in season 1 and only center her family, and in this [season] she’s like, ‘No, I’m gonna redo this thing.’ And she’s gonna put her own sanity and mental health in the driver’s seat, which is why she makes a lot of the decisions that she makes.”

Aunt Viv, as fans know, is the matriarch of the Banks family; the other women in the family are Hilary and Ashley, played by Coco Jones and Akira Akbar, respectively.

Coco says fans “will be gagged” by her storyline in the fourth season, especially when it comes to her relationships with LeMarcus and Jazz. 

“I think Hilary has a lot on her shoulders this season. And it does get rocky, I can’t even lie, but it comes out with her finding a purpose and finding a reason behind all of the things,” Coco explains.

And Akira says Ashley becomes “more comfortable with who she is and her identity” while growing up and still going through “teenager problems.”

The first three episodes of Bel-Air‘s fourth season are now streaming on Peacock.

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