Steven Spielberg (And A Glass Of Lemonade) Convinced Will Smith To Star In ‘Men In Black’
If it wasn’t for Steven Spielberg, we never would have learned the good guys dress in black (remember that).
On the season three finale of Peacock’s Hart to Hart, Will Smith told host Kevin Hart about how Spielberg convinced him to star in 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,” the then-King of July 4th explained.
But then, Spielberg, who produced the alien comedy, “sent a helicopter for me. To talk. It landed at his house. And he had me at hello.” While they were chatting, Spielberg served him a glass of lemonade, which was “the first time I ever had lemonade with carbonated water,” Smith said.
“[Spielberg] said the coldest shit,” Smith recalled. “He said, tell me why you don’t want to make my movie…” Smith then pointed out that Spielberg didn’t direct the movie, but rather served as an executive producer on the Barry Sonnenfield flick. He joked, “He put the ellipses at the end… If he had continued, he woulda said, ‘Joker, you know I made Jaws, right? You know I made E.T.’”
The next time Spielberg offers you a glass of lemonade after sending his private helicopter to pick you up, prepare yourself. He’s going to ask for a favor. “Uh, I’m sorry, Steve-O — can I call you Steve-O? — but I can’t help you move that weekend. I’m, uh, out of town.” Then zap him with a Neuralyzer.
You can watch a clip from the episode below.
(Via Decider)