DYK Will Smith was not the first choice for 'Men in Black'? It was THIS 'Friends' actor

Men In Black is one of the most famous alien movies to ever be made. Will Smith and  Tommy Lee Jones play the lead role in the iconic movie. Will Smith's performance was highly praised in the movie as James Darrell Edwards III / Agent J. But did you know that Will Smith was not always the first choice for the role. Two more actors were approached before Smith. 

Will Smith was not the first choice for MIB?

Although now it seems difficult to imagine anyone other than Smith as Agent J, the role was initially not offered to Smith. Friends fame actor David Schwimmer was approached for the role of Agent J but he reportedly turned it down. The reason for David's rejection was never disclosed. The role was also offered to Chris O'Donnell but the actor turned down the role because he found the role of Agent J, a new recruit, too similar to his character of Dick Grayson, from the movies Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Smith himself was reluctant to accept the role but accepted it after his wife Jada Pinkett Smith convinced him to take up the role.

Will Smith continues to workout after confessing he is in his 'worst shape'

A few days back Will Smith took to his Instagram and shared a shirtless photo of himself. While sharing the photo, Smith wrote that he was in the worst shape of his life. Smith in another post shared that he would be working towards his goal of losing weight and getting back in shape. He wrote " This is the body that carried me through an entire pandemic and countless days grazing thru the pantry. I love this body, but I wanna FEEL better. No more midnight muffins…this is it! Imma gets in the BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE!!!!!". Recently the actor shared a funny photo of himself working out and wrote "Please don’t use this pic to photoshop me into precarious situations".
 

On the work front, Will Smith will be next seen in the biographical sports drama, King Richard. The movie is based on the real-life events of Richard Williams, the father, and coach of tennis players Venus and Serena Williams. Smith will be playing the role of Williams. 

IMAGE: STILL FROM MEN IN BLACK