Will Smith Explains How Steven Spielberg Convinced Him to Star in MEN IN BLACK

Will Smith is known best for his TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and his action movie career that includes films like Independence Day, Bad Boys, and Men In Black. But the actor came very close to turning down the role of Jay in Men In Black, because it came to him just a year after making Independence Day, and he didn’t want to pigeon-hole himself into two back to back alien invasion movies. It turns out that all it took for him to reconsider was an invitation to the home of Steven Spielberg, who executive-produced the film.

In a recent sit down with actor Kevin Hart on Peacock’s Hart to Heart, Smith explained his trepidation in moving forward with the film, saying:

“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.”

He went on to explain what turned him around:

“Steven Spielberg sent a helicopter for me. I was in New York. To talk. It landed at his house. And he had me at ‘Hello.'”

After laughing about the encounter, he went on:

“He [Spielberg] said, ‘Tell me why you don’t want to make my movie….' He put the ellipses at the end. If he had continued, he would have said, ‘Joker, you know I made Jaws, right? You know I made E.T.‘”

Needless to say, it didn’t take much when it came to convincing, coming from one of the greatest filmmakers of all time! Smith, of course, went on to star in Men in Black and two of its sequels, which live on as fan-favorites.