TV star David Schwimmer has revealed that he might have been a “movie star” had he not turned down the chance to be in ‘Men in Black‘.
The ex-‘Friends‘ actor is still pondering whether he “made the right choice” in declining the role for the 1997 hit, acknowledging that his career “would have taken a very different trajectory” if he had accepted the part. Schwimmer confessed to the tough call he faced: either join ‘Men in Black’ or direct his first film during a hiatus from ‘Friends’. He chose the latter, a decision he described as “brutal” while speaking on the ‘Origins With Cush Jumbo’ podcast.
He recounted the period after wrapping up ‘The Pallbearer’, his debut movie with Gwyneth Paltrow, which didn’t meet expectations. “It was kind of a bomb but there were high expectations and the studio which was Miramax wanted to lock me into a three-picture deal at a fixed price and I said I would do that if I got to direct my first movie.”
After lengthy talks, Miramax consented to let Schwimmer “would act in three more movies for them” in exchange for the opportunity to “direct [his] entire theatre company in the first film”, which turned out to be ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ in 1998. He added: “All these unknown actors but I was going to put them on the map, basically. I was going to let everyone discover the talent of this amazing company.”
Schwimmer then opened up about the tough decision he faced when he was offered a role in ‘Men in Black’, which clashed with his plans. He shared: “We found this amazing script and we were developing it. We started pre-production. All my best friends in the world in my theatre company quit their jobs so they could be in this film over the summer, which was going to be a six-week shoot in Chicago.”
As they were gearing up for production, the life-changing offer came through. David remembered: “We’re in pre-production, hired the whole crew, everything’s going and that’s when I was offered ‘Men in Black’.” The timing couldn’t have been worse as he explained: “It was a direct conflict with this. My summer window from ‘Friends’ was four months. I had a four-month hiatus and ‘Men in Black’ was going to shoot exactly when I was going to direct this film with my company.”
Despite the potential for stardom, David chose loyalty to his friends, saying: “And of course, it was an amazing opportunity. … However, my theatre company and that relationship with all those people would probably have ended. I don’t think it would have recovered.”
Now 57, David reflects on whether he made the right call but maintains: “you have to follow your gut, you have to follow your heart” in such situations. He concluded with some hindsight: “Look, I’m really aware, whatever 20 years later maybe more, [‘Men in Black’] would have made me a movie star.” He acknowledged the impact the blockbuster could have had on his career: “If you look at the success of that film and that franchise, my career would have taken a very different trajectory.”
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