Milo Ventimiglia Shares 'Best Lesson' He Learned From Will Smith During His 'First Paying Gig' (Exclusive)

The actor had a part on 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.'

The Fresh Prince himself, Will Smith, left quite the impression on Milo Ventimiglia.

The This Is Us star attended the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night in Los Angeles, California, and recalled with ET's Cameron Mathison what it was like to land a role on Smith's '90s sitcomFresh Prince of Bel-Air

"My very first paying gig was on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and I remember Will Smith being the kindest person to his entire crew and [to] me -- a guy who had one line on that set," Ventimiglia said of the 49-year-old actor. "That's what I wanna inspire to when it's my show. Not only do you have to put in the work, but also [you have] be a good person."

The 40-year-old actor added, "Respect everyone around, inspire and make sure everyone in the crew and the cast and everyone feels welcome."

Further praising Smith, he added, "So, that was the best lesson I've learned and [that] was my first paying job."

Ventimiglia had lots to celebrate at the SAG Awards, as he and his This Is Us co-stars won for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. "It's nice when the group of us are recognized," he told ET ahead of the show's big win. "I mean, it's a hard working group. It's a very talented group of people. We're excited to be here."

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