It’s wild to think about Independence Day without Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller, right? But that almost happened. Back in ’96, when the movie was gearing up, director Roland Emmerich and writer Dean Devlin hit a massive roadblock with 20th Century Fox. The studio wasn’t keen on Smith for the role because they didn’t think he’d click with international audiences. They said, “You cast a Black guy in this part, you’re going to kill foreign [box office].” Like, really? That was the mountain they had to climb.
Emmerich and Devlin didn’t back down, though. According to Devlin, it was “a big war.” The studio thought Smith was “unproven,” and they were worried that his star power wouldn’t travel well overseas. But Emmerich wasn’t having it. The director was determined to make the combo of Smith and Jeff Goldblum work. After all, they were the perfect team to take on space aliens. But the casting drama was still unresolved as the days ticked by, and the clock ran out.
In a bold move, Emmerich laid down the law. He threatened to take the movie to Universal if 20th Century Fox didn’t get their act together and cast Smith. “I put my foot down. ‘Universal people are calling daily, so give me these two actors, or I move over there,’” Emmerich revealed. Although he admits that switching studios wasn’t an option, the threat worked. Fox gave in, and just like that, Will Smith became the face of Independence Day.
Trending
And man, they were so right. Independence Day, they raked in $817.4 million worldwide, cementing its spot as a sci-fi legend. Will Smith’s charisma and that perfect odd-couple vibe with Jeff Goldblum turned the movie into a box office beast. After that, it was Men in Black, Bad Boys, and the rest was just Will taking over Hollywood.
It’s hard to believe Will almost didn’t get the role because of his race. But Emmerich and Devlin stuck to their guns, which paid off. Saving the world from aliens wasn’t about where you were from but about who was leading the charge. And Will? Yeah, he was born to be that guy.
For more such stories, check out Hollywood News
Must Read: Is Better Man Based On Robbie Williams’ Life? Release Date, Cast, Plot & More Details
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Google News
The post When Will Smith Almost Didn’t Get Cast In This Major Film Because He Was Black appeared first on Koimoi.