Will Smith Allegedly Tried To Back Out Of This Iconic 2000s Role Days Before Filming
I had no idea Tom Hanks wasn't the first pick for Forrest Gump. And Steve Carrell was definitely not first in line for Micheal Scott in The Office, either.
But what about actors who were cast, but abandoned their projects at the last moment?
Well, it seems that Will Smith was so put off at the thought of how one of his biggest roles might be received, the film's director has claimed the actor almost dropped out of the film completely just days before shooting.
Andy Tennant, who directed Hitch, told Business Insider: 'We had our difficulties. The movie I wanted to make and the movie Will wanted to make neither one of those movies is as good as the movie we made together'.
The filmmaker continued: 'There was a draft that Will brought in that I was not a fan of".
'I finally told the studio that I was more afraid of Will making that version of the movie than I was about them firing me'.
He added: 'Because I knew they were right on the edge of firing me before we even began shooting. And to Will's credit, we didn't go with that draft. I don't think I was ever in anyone's favour'.
Andy went on to say that the tension was key to the movie's success, sharing that one of the movie's best scenes ― when Hitch shows Albert how to walk a woman to the door ― was rewritten on the sport at Will's request.
Per IMdB, Will was also responsible for the casting of Kevin James, who he'd enjoyed in The King of Queens.
But he also said some misalignments were so strong that Will Smith 'tried to back out three days before we started shooting' in order to improve the script.
'He wanted to shut down and work on it some more. It was madness.'
In the end, it was apparently Will's wife Jada Pinkett-Smith who talked him back round.
'It was a battle. Jada was a big help,' Andy claimed.
'She kind of seconded some of my instincts. There was a time during prep when I was pushing back. A lot of crazy shit that was happening.'
He added: 'I swear to god, when we wrapped that movie, I called my wife and said, 'I've just ruined my career, and I've ruined Will Smith's career.''
The 2005 hit ended up making $371,594,210 (£300,160,797) worldwide, making it one of the 10 highest-grossing films of that year.
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