Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld recently shared a humorous behind-the-scenes story about Will Smith during the filming of the 1997 sci-fi film. Speaking on Let’s Talk Off Camera With Kelly Ripa, Sonnenfeld revealed that Smith’s on-set antics once led to a three-hour evacuation.
Hear what happened here:
According to Sonnenfeld, Smith “is a farter,” and one incident occurred during a scene where Smith and co-star Tommy Lee Jones were “hermetically sealed” inside a pod while shooting an upside-down car scene. That’s when Smith decided to let out a particularly potent fart!
Sonnenfeld recalled Smith’s reaction: “‘Oh Jesus, so sorry. Tommy, so sorry. Baz, get the ladder.’” Tommy Lee Jones, known for his no-nonsense demeanor, remained calm, saying, “‘That’s fine, Will. No worries, Will.’” However, the smell was so bad that the set had to be cleared for 3 hours.
“You really don’t want to be inside a very small hermetically sealed space with a Will Smith fart,” Sonnenfeld joked, adding, “He’s a lovely guy. Just, he farts.”
Interestingly, Smith initially didn’t want to star in Men in Black following his success in Independence Day. He shared during a talk with Kevin Hart that he was reluctant to do another alien film. However, producer Steven Spielberg persuaded him with a personal meeting, ultimately convincing Smith to take the role.
