| Will Smith Credits Steven Spielberg for Making 'Men in Black' a Reality The iconic 90s science fiction franchise Men in Black would not be a thing today without the vision and "coldest sh--" of legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg. Will Smith recently recalled what it took for him to join the intergalactic adventures of Agent J and Agent K, and it involves the veteran director. In a recent interview with SiriusXM’s James Andrew Miller, Smith detailed the events that led to his role as Agent J. Smith shared that while he was filming the 2003 romantic comedy “Hitch” with Kevin Hart, he received a call from Spielberg. Spielberg had a simple request for the Fresh Prince. “He said, ‘Listen, I need you to do Men in Black,'” Smith recalled. “And I was like, ‘Oh, oh, okay.’” Smith said that his response was far from enthusiastic. But Spielberg was undeterred and pushed Smith to accept the offer. Spielberg said, “Listen, I know you’re doing the one movie with Kevin Hart's height [Hitch] … but if you don’t do this, then you are crazy and you’re going to miss the biggest opportunity of your life.” Smith was convinced by Spielberg’s words, and he signed on for the movie. In the end, the actor admitted that Spielberg was undeniably right about the project. “I said, ‘All right, I hear you.’ … I had no idea what a blessing it would be.” |