{"id":289963,"date":"2021-07-03T03:16:16","date_gmt":"2021-07-03T00:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/will-smiths-independence-day-role-was-initially-entangled-in-a-racial-debate\/"},"modified":"2021-07-03T03:16:16","modified_gmt":"2021-07-03T00:16:16","slug":"will-smiths-independence-day-role-was-initially-entangled-in-a-racial-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/will-smiths-independence-day-role-was-initially-entangled-in-a-racial-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"#Will Smith's 'Independence Day' Role Was Initially Entangled In A Racial Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Will Smith's 'Independence Day' Role Was Initially Entangled In A Racial Debate<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n\"Will<\/p>\n
\n20th Century FOX<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nHollywood, CA \u2013 <\/span> In the summer of 1996, Will Smith \u2014 already a proven Hip Hop star \u2014 became an internationally known one after the release of his film Independence Day<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The film is credited to have dawned the modern-day blockbuster, shattering box office records onwards to its way to the year\u2019s highest grossest distinction as well an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.<\/p>\n

But The Fresh Prince\u2019s charismatically militant performance as Marine Captain Steven Hiller was almost in jeopardy to never happ<\/a>ening according to the film\u2019s Director and producer combo Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin.<\/p>\n

Speaking candidly with The Hollywood Reporter<\/a><\/em> for a retrospective dive for the film\u2019s 25th anniversary, Emmerich revealed 20th Century Fox decision-makers thought Will Smith\u2019s skin tone wouldn\u2019t resonate with audiences when time to shop-and-sell the project internationally.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, we don\u2019t like Will Smith,\u201d Roland Emmerich recalled the studio saying. \u201cHe\u2019s unproven. He doesn\u2019t work in international [markets].\u201d<\/p>\n

Dean Devlin remembered a racial component being a factor saying, \u201cThey said, \u2018You cast a Black guy in this part, you\u2019re going to kill foreign [box office].\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cOur argument was, \u2018Well, the movie is about space aliens. It\u2019s going to do fine foreign.\u2019 It was a big war, and Roland really stood up for [Smith] \u2014 and we ultimately won that war.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emmerich ultimately issued an ultimatum: either move on with Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith in the lead roles or they would move the film to Universal Studios. <\/p>\n

Albeit, a couple decades and record book entries later, he can admit he was born with a poker face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it would have been a possibility [to actually move studios], but it was a great threat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Independence Day<\/em> went on to earn $817 million worldwide \u2014 making Will Smith a permanent Hollywood A-lister and the aforementioned conversation moot at the same time.<\/p>\n

However, a platinum opportunity was missed not having The Fresh Prince rap-out on the soundtrack. For his next alien-save-the-world-bender leading role \u2014 1997\u2019s Men In Black<\/em>, Will Smith released the single of the same name which went on to spearhead the second wave of his Hip Hop career and snag a 1998 win for the Best Rap Solo Performance.<\/p>\n