It’s crazy to think about Independence Day without Will Smith as Captain Steven HillerRIGHT? But it almost happened. In 1996, as the film was being prepared, director Roland Emmerich and screenwriter Dean Devlin ran into a huge obstacle with 20th Century Fox. The studio did not like Smith for the role because they did not think he would appeal to international audiences. They said, ‘If you cast a black man in this role, you’re going to kill foreigners (at the box office).’ » Like, really? This was the mountain they had to climb.

Emmerich and Devlin did not back down, however. According to Devlin, it was “a great war.” The studio believed Smith was “unproven” and feared his star power would not travel well overseas. But Emmerich wasn’t having it. The director was determined to make the Smith and Jeff Goldblum combo work. After all, they were the perfect team to take on the aliens. But the casting drama was still unresolved as days passed and time was running out.

In a bold move, Emmerich established the law. He threatened to take the film to Universal if 20th Century Fox didn’t get its act together and cast Smith. “I put my foot down. “The people at Universal are calling daily, so give me these two actors, or I’m moving there,” Emmerich revealed. Although he admits changing studios wasn’t an option, the threat worked. Fox relented and, just like that, Will Smith became the face of Independence Day.

And man, they were so right. On Independence Day, they grossed $817.4 million worldwide, cementing their place as a sci-fi legend. Will Smith’s charisma and that perfect couple vibe with Jeff Goldblum turned the film into a box office beast. After that, it was Men in Black, Bad Boys, and the rest was just Will taking over Hollywood.

It’s hard to believe that Will almost didn’t get the role because of his race. But Emmerich and Devlin stuck to their guns, which paid off. Saving the world from aliens wasn’t about where you came from but who was leading the charge. And Will? Yeah, he was born to be that guy.

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