• TGN's Newsletter
  • Posts
  • “He Said The Coldest Sh*t”: Steven Spielberg Confronted Will Smith After He Initially Refused Men In Black-TGN

“He Said The Coldest Sh*t”: Steven Spielberg Confronted Will Smith After He Initially Refused Men In Black-TGN

Summary

  • Will Smith initially turned down the lead role in Men in Black, not wanting to be a part of another alien movie after Independence Day.

  • Director Steven Spielberg convinced Smith to reconsider by sending a helicopter to his house and appealing to him personally.

  • Smith’s portrayal of Agent J in Men in Black became iconic and contributed to the success of the franchise, making his decision to accept the role the right one.

Megastar Will Smith recounted when director Steven Spielberg confronted him on his initial decision to turn down the lead role in Men in Black. Smith’s role in Men in Black has become iconic, with the actor himself becoming heavily associated with the franchise in pop culture. However, Smith turned down the initial offer for a role of James Darrell Edwards III (a.ka. Agent J) in Men in Black, not wanting to be part of the movie.

In a clip uploaded by Peacock of Kevin Hart’s interview show Hart to Hart, Smith reflected on how Spielberg, who served as a producer for the movie, confronted him about turning down a role in Men in Black. Smith’s recollection, which starts at 0:26, reveals he didn’t want to do two alien films in a row, until Spielberg flew Smith to his house via helicopter to have him reconsider. Check out Smith’s full story below:

(Lassiter) picked Men in Black. I kinda understood Men in Black like a little bit, but I didn’t want to make Men in Black — that was the next year after Independence Day. So I didn’t want to make two alien movies back to back… Steven Spielberg sent a helicopter for me… to talk. It landed at his house. And he had me at ‘Hello’… And it was the first time I ever had lemonade with carbonated water. You can’t say no to that, it was lemonade with carbonated water!

But yeah, he flew me in, and he said the coldest s***. He said, ‘Tell me why you don’t want to make my movie….’ He’s the producer. He put the ellipses at the end, it was the ‘dot, dot, dot.’ If he had continued, he would’ve said, ‘Joker, you know I made Jaws, right? You know I made E.T.’

Why Will Smith Was Perfect For His Men In Black Role

Smith’s portrayal of Agent J has become pseudonymous with the Men in Black franchise, proving he made the right decision in taking the role. Smith would reprise his role as Agent J in Men in Black II and Men in Black 3, continuing to maintain his position in the leading role. If Smith hadn’t been convinced by Spielberg to take on the role, Men in Black may not have been a successful franchise, or at least not to the extent that it is now.

Because of his charisma and comedic timing, Smith’s Agent J winds up being an entertaining fish out of the water as he slowly improves at his new job at the MIB. Agent J also continues to develop with every new entry, becoming a highly-competent agent by the end of Men in Black 3. By bringing Agent J to life, Smith was able to make the character into one of the most recognizable classic sci-fi heroes.

While the future of the Men in Black franchise is uncertain, it’s possible Smith could return as Agent J in a potential Men in Black 5. However, with nothing confirmed for the future of the Men in Black film franchise, it’s unclear if Smith will reprise his role as Agent J anytime soon. Even so, his performance in Men in Black is one of his most memorable roles, proving Spielberg was right to convince him to accept the role.

Source: Peacock