David Schwimmer, the iconic actor who brought Ross Geller to life on ‘Friends‘, has opened up about one of the most difficult choices of his career. He turned down a role in the blockbuster hit ‘Men in Black‘.
Schwimmer, the guy we all know for his love of dinosaurs and that infamous “we were on a break” line, had the chance to star in ‘Men in Black‘ but turned it down. And it wasn’t just any role. It was the lead role that ultimately went to Will Smith, skyrocketing him to superstardom. Here’s what Schwimmer had to say about it now.
David Schwimmer’s Heart Vs. Hollywood Stardom
David Schwimmer recently said on the ‘Origins with Cush Jumbo‘ podcast how different his career would been had he not rejected the offer to lead 1997’s ‘Men in Black.’ Back then, Schwimmer found himself torn between two incredible opportunities.
“[It] was a brutal decision,” Schwimmer said. “I had just finished filming ‘The Pallbearer,’ my first film with Gwyneth Paltrow, and there were high expectations of that which didn’t come true. It was kind of a bomb but there were high expectations and the studio, which was Miramax, wanted to lock me into a three-picture deal at a fixed price and I said I would do that if I got to direct my first movie.”
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He had just secured a four-month hiatus from filming ‘Friends‘ and was gearing up to direct ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’. It was a comedy centered around a 10-year class reunion.
“We started pre-production. All my best friends in the world in my theatre company quit their jobs so they could be in this film over the summer, which was going to be a six-week shoot in Chicago,” Schwimmer shared, reflecting on the project.
But then, as fate would have it, ‘Men in Black‘ came knocking. “We’re in pre-production, hired the whole crew, everything’s going and that’s when I was offered Men in Black. It was a direct conflict with this,” Schwimmer explained.
‘Men in Black’ Could Have Changed Everything
It’s hard to imagine anyone but Will Smith suiting up as Agent J, but that could’ve been David Schwimmer’s big moment. ‘Men in Black‘ went on to be a massive hit, with Smith riding the wave of his previous success in ‘Independence Day’ straight into megastardom.
“My summer window from Friends was four months,” Schwimmer recalled. “I had a four-month hiatus and ‘Men in Black’ was going to shoot exactly when I was going to direct this film with my company. And of course, it was an amazing opportunity. […] However, my theatre company and that relationship with all those people would probably have ended.”
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Although ‘Since You’ve Been Gone‘ was originally intended to be a theatrical release, it premiered on ABC as a made-for-TV movie in 1998. Schwimmer could’ve been a bona fide movie star, but he doesn’t dwell on the past.
“You have to follow your gut. You have to follow your heart,” Schwimmer said. “Look, I’m really aware, whatever 20 years later maybe more, ‘Men in Black’ would have made me a movie star. If you look at the success of that film and that franchise, my career would have taken a very different trajectory,” he said.
