Ben Vereen stated in an interview that he broke into tears himself after walking out the camera shot to leave Will. Vareen, a father himself, couldn't imagine doing that to his children.
Near the end of the episode, after Will Smith (Will) and James Avery (Uncle Phil) hug each other and the camera cuts to the statue, you can hear Karyn Parsons (Hilary) crying backstage.
This is the highest-rated episode of the series. Will Smith considers it the most emotional episode because of his feelings about his father, both on the show and in reality. His real-life father was there for him growing up (despite being separated from his mother), but many of his friends never knew their fathers. His emotions in the final scene came from thinking of all his friends who never had a father in their lives. His hug with James Avery was known to be a hug from man to man, and not them being in character.
Laurence Fishburne was offered the role of Lou but producers felt his demeanour was too laid back for the part. It was later offered to Ben Vereen. Coincidentally, Will Smith turned down the opportunity to appear in The Matrix (1999) alongside Fishburne, and whose sequels featured Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Will's father was given the last name Smith despite it previously established that his mother and her sisters (including Vivian) also had the maiden name Smith. Though to be fair, Smith is the most common surname in the United States.