Will Smith explains how Steven Spielberg managed to convince him to star in Men in Black

‘It was the first time I ever had lemonade with carbonated water,’ recalled the actor

Will Smith has revealed how Steven Spielberg convinced him to star in Men in Black.

Smith, 54, starred in the 1997 sci-fi action comedy opposite Tommy Lee Jones. The actors portrayed Agent K and Agent J, respectively, who are tasked with investigating a series of alien incidents on earth.

Produced by Spielberg, Men in Black spawned two sequels in 2002 and 2012. The franchise was rebooted in 2019 with Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth taking on the lead roles.

While the film is regarded as a huge success – it currently holds a rating of 91 per cent on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes – Smith needed some convincing to take on the role.

During a recent appearance on Kevin Hart’s Heart to Hart talk show, Smith said he had been hesitant to star in the movie right after Independence Day.

Released in 1996 and starring Smith, Independence Day is also about aliens who invade Earth.

The actor said it was ultimately Spielberg who convinced him to accept the role.

“I kind of understood Men in Black a little bit but I didn’t want to make Men in Black,” Smith said. “That was the next year after Independence Day. So I didn’t want to make two alien movies back to back.”

Jada, Willow and Will Smith (AFP via Getty Images)

According to Smith, Spielberg contacted him directly and sent a helicopter so they could speak face-to-face.

“I was in New York. It landed at his house. And, like, he had me at hello,” the star said. “And it was the first time I ever had lemonade with carbonated water. You can’t say no to that.”

The Oscar-winner recalled how Spielberg “said the coldest s***”.

“He said, ‘Tell me why you don’t want to make my movie…’ And he was the producer,” said Smith.

“And he put the ellipsis at the end, it was the dot, dot, dot. If he had continued, he would have said, ‘Joker, you know I made Jaws, right? You know I made ET.”

95th Academy Awards - Roaming Arrivals (Invision)

Smith credited his former manager and longtime business partner James Lassiter as the “arbiter of taste” during those early stages of his career, adding that Lassiter was responsible for him taking on films such as Pursuit of Happyness (2006) and Ali (2001).

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“In the heyday, the 10 movies I made at the top of my career, JL was choosing the films. He just had an eye,” said Smith. “I didn’t want to make Pursuit of Happyness. I didn’t want to make Ali. And JL picked Men in Black.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Smith said that “nobody” in his family had been “happy” amid their rising fame in 2010.

“It was my first realisation that success and money don’t mean happiness,” the King Richard actor said.