Will Smith was once treated like a royal by Hollywood&#039;s biggest directors and how he convinced him for his most iconic role.

&#8220;He had me at hello&#8221; &#8211; Will Smith On His Relationship With This Oscar-Winning Director Who Never Hired Him

&#8220;He had me at hello&#8221; &#8211; Will Smith On His Relationship With This Oscar-Winning Director Who Never Hired Him - Netflix Junkie

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Ibadat Kaur is an entertainment writer at Netflix Junkie. Her love for Narcos &amp; Pedro Pascal is what brought her to the world of entertainment news. She has immense love for historical and investigative documentaries on people and cultural practices. If this was not enough, she was a blogger prior to keeping her step in the glitz and glamor of the entertainment world and covered culture and heritage while traveling across Central and South America. For Ibadat, writing has been her safe space, and she aims to pick up reviewing anthology formats like Black Mirror &amp; Criminal at Netflix Junkie. If you want an expert on comedy (dark and satire) psychology or travel, then Ibadat is your person. While you will mostly find her covering everything and anything from the world of entertainment, about her favorite celebrities, shows, and movies, Ibadat is an avid Schitt's Creek fan and loves the novel George Orwell’s 1984. And if not this, she will be seen actively backpacking for her next trip, petting her dog Raven, or studying the human condition (side-eye).

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&#8220;He had me at hello&#8221; &#8211; Will Smith On His Relationship With This Oscar-Winning Director Who Never Hired Him - netflix-junkie

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Back in the 90s, <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/tag/will-smith/">Will Smith</a> was not just the &#8216;Fresh Prince&#8217; of Bel-Air. He was the reigning king of the box office too. With back-to-back successful films under his belt, the 54-year-old became a one-man blockbuster-making machine. Although the actor is still one of the biggest names in the industry, his best days seem to be behind him. From slapgate at the Oscars to averagely-performing movies, he now seems to be in a downward spiral.
But back when he was in full demand, the actor enjoyed all the luxuries that came with being an A-lister. And one director, in particular, charmed his way into Smith’s heart by spoiling him like an actual prince.
<h2>Will Smith reveals how he finally agreed to be in Men in Black</h2>
Appearing on an episode of Heart to Hart by Peacock, Smith opens up about an encounter he had with Steven Spielberg that changed the trajectory of his career. After Independence Day, he was reluctant to join another movie revolving around aliens. And Men in Black being just that sort of movie was a project he was going to turn down. But Steven Spielberg, who produced the movie, did not want to hear no for an answer.
<div class="flex-video widescreen youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Hart to Heart | Season 3 | Official Trailer | Peacock Original" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2WIc2DpZbWA?start=7&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
He flew Smith to his home in a helicopter and greeted him with a lemonade. Referring to his host’s warm hospitality, the actor said that Spielberg “had me at Hello.” On his Youtube channel, the 54-year-old also once revealed <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-do-me-a-favor-dont-use-your-brain-steven-spielberg-told-will-smith-when-he-turned-down-men-in-black/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how the director even called him to convince him for the same role.</a> Thanks to Spielberg’s persistent efforts, the flick was spear-headed to immense success through Smith’s ingenious comedic timing.
ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-not-men-in-black-but-will-smith-had-another-multi-million-dollar-alien-franchise-waiting-for-him/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Not ‘Men in Black’ but Will Smith Had Another Multi Million Dollar Alien Franchise Waiting for Him</a>
Regardless of the duo finally working together on Men in Black, there’s something amiss from their portfolios. And for that, we have the Jurassic Park director to blame. 
<h2>When Steven Spielberg explained why he never directed a movie for Smith</h2>
With three Oscars and several blockbusters under his belt, Spielberg is one of the most sought-after directors of all time. Most actors wish to work with him. And those that have sing his praises. Wishing to be among them, <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-steven-spielberg-once-revealed-to-will-smith-why-he-never-hired-the-actor-despite-working-together-on-men-in-black-ii/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smith once asked the 76-year-old why he never got a chance to be in a movie directed by him.</a> To which the director retorts, &#8220;Oh, you’re too big for my movies.&#8220;
<figure id="attachment_89056" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-89056" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-89056 size-full lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1445892465-scaled.jpg" alt="Will Smith rejected a handful of superhit films" width="2560" height="1707" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1445892465-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1445892465-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1445892465-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1445892465-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1445892465-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1445892465-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1445892465-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-89056" class="wp-caption-text">LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA &#8211; NOVEMBER 30: Will Smith attends Apple Original Films&#8217; &#8220;Emancipation&#8221; Los Angeles premiere at Regency Village Theatre on November 30, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Owing to the well-known fact that he refrains from hiring A-listers due to financial reasons, Spielberg rejected the Emancipation actor. And since it took a helicopter and a beverage just to convince Smith to join Men In Black, maybe Spielberg just wasn’t in the mood to splurge again. This is a shame considering the kind of results a movie made by these two legends could have seen.
ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-will-smith-mysterious-disappearance-reason-from-the-independence-day-sequel-finally-revealed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Smith’s Mysterious Disappearance Reason From the ‘Independence Day’ Sequel Finally Revealed</a>
Do you think Will Smith&#8217;s performance in Men in Black justified the special treatment he received from Spielberg? Tell us what you think in the comments.

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SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA &#8211; FEBRUARY 27: Will Smith accepts the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for ‘King Richard’ onstage during the 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Barker Hangar on February 27, 2022 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)

28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards &#8211; Show

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Will Smith was once treated like a royal by Hollywood's biggest directors and how he convinced him for his most iconic role.

"He had me at hello" - Will Smith On His Relationship With This Oscar-Winning Director Who Never Hired Him - Netflix Junkie

Ibadat Kaur

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&quot;He had me at hello&quot; - Will Smith On His Relationship With This Oscar-Winning Director Who Never Hired Him

https://www.netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-he-had-me-at-hello-will-smith-on-his-relationship-with-this-oscar-winning-director-who-never-hired-him/

“He had me at hello” – Will Smith On His Relationship With This Oscar-Winning Director Who Never Hired Him

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