Will Smith is known for many things: his charisma as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, his legacy as an action hero, and even his controversial status as the man who shook Hollywood with a single slap. Now, Men in Blackdirector Barry Sonnenfeld has revealed yet another impressive epithet for the blockbuster star: the man who evacuated an entire movie set for three hours due to a single fart.
Appearing on the Let’s Talk Off-Camera With Kelly Ripa podcast, Sonnenfeld dished out more than a few not-so-savory secrets about his time spent with Hollywood heavy hitters like Smith and his Men in Black co-star Tommy Lee Jones. Despite the unbridled success and iconic legacy of the 1997 sci-fi film — which grossed $584 million worldwide — it seems there were a couple bumps in the road during production. Sonnenfeld memorably recalled one incident in particular where Smith and Lee were sealed inside a pod to capture sequences involving the film’s transforming car.
“There are locks to prevent it from opening and falling,” Sonnenfeld recounted during the podcast. “I say, ‘Roll camera.’ And I hear Will Smith go, ‘Oh Jesus, so sorry. Tommy, so sorry. Baz, get the ladder.’ And you hear Tommy saying, ‘That’s fine, Will. No worries, Will. Don’t worry, Will.’ And what happened was, Will Smith is a farter. It’s just some people are. And you really don’t want to be inside a very small hermetically sealed space with a Will Smith fart. You don’t even want to be sitting next to him at the Disney ranch.”
We evacuated the stage for about three hours. And that’s incredible. No, he’s, you know, a lovely guy. Just, he farts. Some do, some don’t.
An Iconic Film That Almost Never Happened
Will Smith very nearly avoided this now-legendary bodily mishap — because he almost didn’t star in Men in Black at all. The star recently recalled how the opportunity for a role in the sci-fi film came on the heels of his success in another alien movie, Roland Emmerich’s disaster/invasion movie Independence Day. According to Smith, he hadn’t wanted to participate in two alien movies back-to-back for fear of the genre becoming his brand. However, Men in Black producer Steven Spielberg ultimately convinced Smith to take the role, thus sealing his fate (and the fate of the legendary fart) — and apparently, Lee Jones’s as well.
Although undoubtedly an embarrassing moment for Smith, it seems that the incident had no impact on the star’s relationship with his colleagues. Both actors returned for all subsequent Men in Black sequels — which unfortunately never managed to earn the acclaim of the original. Though there could be more Men in Black movies to come…