Will Smith became an action star in the late 1990s and 2000s with blockbusters such as the Men in Black franchise and the Bad Boys franchise. The actor has also successfully transitioned to the dramatic category as he starred in films such as Ali, Six Degrees of Separation, and King Richard. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the latter.

Smith’s breakthrough role as a mainstream actor came in the form of Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day. The sci-fi action film was the second highest-grossing film of 1996 and has gained appreciation as one of the greatest sci-fi action films. The film propelled Will Smith to global stardom. However, he was not the first choice for the film.

Will Smith In Independence Day

Will Smith

Will Smith’s portrayal of the Marine pilot Captain Steven Hiller was lauded universally with the release of Independence Day. Along with Michael Bay’s Bad Boys, the film aided in making Will Smith an action star to look out for. He then went on to star in a number of blockbuster action films such as I, Robot, Hancock, and the Men in Black series.

Independence Day was directed by Roland Emmerich, who was then known for directing the cult sci-fi hit Stargate. The director got the idea of the story while answering a reporter’s question about aliens at a Stargate press conference. He then developed the story with his Stargate collaborator Dean Devlin. The duo apparently wrote the script while on vacation in Mexico and the project was greenlit by 20th Century Fox a day after it was sent for consideration.

Independence Day starred Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Pullman in lead roles. The makers reportedly always imagined Captain Steven Hiller to be African-American and wanted Will Smith to portray the role after seeing his performance in the drama film Six Degrees of Separation. However, Roland Emmerich first offered the role to Training Day actor Ethan Hawke, who reportedly hated the script.

Ethan Hawke Was Offered The Role Of Steven Hiller

Ethan Hawke

Before the role of Steven Hiller went to Will Smith and became his breakthrough character, it was offered to actor Ethan Hawke. At the time, Hawke had become widely known for his role in the romantic drama Reality Bites. His role as the broody teenager Troy Dyer was lauded by critics at the time and was seen as a great representation of Generation X. It was also actor Ben Stiller’s directorial debut.

The film was a huge success at the box office, earning $41 million at the box office against a $11 million budget. Hence, lead actor Ethan Hawke was being eyed by several studios to lead in their films. Hawke was sent the script of Independence Day and the actor reportedly read it on a cross-country road trip. He hated the script a lot and was mocking it throughout the drive. He recounted the story on the late-night talk show Conan,
“I got the script to Independence Day, and there’s like dollar bills attached to it…And I’m reading it to my buddy in the car like, ‘Isn’t this a bad line? ‘E.T. phone home,’ that’s stupid.’ And I’m going through it to the point where I literally throw it out onto the Texas highway.”

Will Smith in Independence Day

The actor then refused the role, which eventually went to Will Smith. According to Complex, Smith was paid a whopping $5 million to star in the film. Hawke says that he regretted the decision after catching the film with his friends, where he saw that everybody loved the film. He said,
“Will Smith says, ‘E.T. phone home,’ and the place roars. I mean they basically give a standing ovation in the movie. And I’m sitting there going, ‘Oh my god.’ I really didn’t get the joke!”
Independence Day became a blockbuster upon release, earning over $817 million at the box office. The film became the second-highest-grossing blockbuster of the year and also won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

Independence Day is available to stream on Starz…