‘Men in Black’ director downplayed film to Chris O’Donnell so he could cast Will Smith instead

It seems as though Chris O’Donnell was somewhat tricked into passing on a leading role in “Men In Black.”

Director Barry Sonnenfeld admitted to pulling some strings in a bid to land Will Smith as the lead in the hit 1997 sci-fi film, including downplaying the movie to O’Donnell in hopes of him turning it down.

The film eventually starred Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as Agents J and K, two government workers who monitor alien activity on Earth.

Speaking to Insider, Sonnenfeld said producers initially wanted O’Donnell and Clint Eastwood as the leading men.

“I had suggested Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith,” Sonnenfeld told the outlet. “Will was actually my wife’s idea.”

The director said execs needed little convincing to accept Jones, however, getting Smith the lead role raised a few eyebrows.

At the time, Smith was known for starring in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and for his rap albums rather than starring in blockbuster movies.

He had just finished filming his first major movie lead role in “Independence Day,” however the movie was not yet released at the time.

On the other hand, O’Donnell was a well-known name in Hollywood after starring in “School Ties,” “The Three Musketeers,” and “Scent of a Woman.”

In a desperate bid to dissuade O’Donnell from taking the role, Sonnenfeld revealed he downplayed the movie to him.

“I met with Chris and he had concerns about the script and had another movie offer,” he said. “So I told him, ‘Yeah, we might never fix this script and I don’t think I know how to direct this movie.’ So he passed on the movie the next day.”

O’Donnell turning the role down opened the door for Smith to be in the conversation.

Sonnenfeld recalled setting up a meeting for Smith with the film’s producers, Walter F. Parks, Lauri MacDonald, and Steven Spielberg, in the Hamptons.

“And that’s how Will got the part,” he remembered.

“I think [O’Donnell’s] a good actor, but I had really been thinking about Will since my wife made the suggestion,” he said in hindsight.

And of downplaying the script to O’Donnell, Sonnenfeld said, “Well, you know what, you always want to underpromise and overdeliver.”

“Men in Black” went on to become a box office smash hit, which saw two additional films be made in 2002 and 2012.

Smith recently received a 10-year ban from attending the Academy Awards after he slapped host Chris Rock on stage at this year’s Oscars.