Back in the ’90s, Friends was the biggest show on television and all of the actors were household names. So big, Hollywood tried to turn the small screen stars into big screen ones and for almost of them it failed. But that didn’t stop the studios from offering some of them pictures deals.
Case in point, David Schwimmer starred in the huge dud Pallbearer with Gwyneth Paltrow, but before it came out Miramax thought it was going to be huge. So huge, they offered him a 3 picture deal. He told
The Hollywood Reporter that he negotiated a deal with them where he would direct his first feature and all of his friends from his Chicago Theater Company would star in it. A year after he bombed in Pallbearer, it was time to direct Since You’ve Been Gone, but Miramax asked him to star in Men in Black. He didn’t want to disappoint his friends, who turned out work to be in movie, so he declined the role that eventually went Will Smith.
Take a minute to soak that in.
Now imagine what the movie would’ve been like with Ross playing Agent J. We never would’ve gotten Men In Black II which was Smith’s last good movie. And we also probably would not have gotten some of the Smith’s more recent pieces of crap.
Wait now I am trying to think how this is a bad thing that he turned down the role in Men In Black. Maybe it could’ve been a good thing because there is no way the film would’ve been as successful with him as the lead and it would’ve saved us from a lot of Smith’s recent failures. Someone try to convince me he made the right choice for us.
I should say, his reason for turning down the role is very honorable. His friends should thank him every time they talk to him because he sacrificed a lot for them.
