The Troubling Reason Will Smith Almost Wasn't In The Sci-Fi Hit Independence Day

Roland Emmerich's 1996 blockbuster "Independence Day" wasn't incredibly well-reviewed when it was first released, with many critics citing its overblown melodrama, bad script, and clunky plotting as central flaws. Some also felt that the admittedly impressive visual effects were being wielded as a means to cover up how weak the alien invasion story was. Regardless, audiences showed up in droves and made "Independence Day" the highest-grossing film of the year; it cost a hefty $75 million to make, but raked in over $817 million worldwide. It was a legitimate phenomenon.

Between those who are fond of the film, and those who tend to sniff at it, a few things can be widely agreed upon. Firstly, yes, the film is quite silly and pointedly jingoistic, using an alien invasion as an excuse to repeat All-American platitudes. Secondly, it's exhilarating when the alien invaders blow up the White House. And thirdly, the cast is impressive, and no one gives a bad performance. Jeff Goldblum is perfectly cast as a nerdy scientist, Bill Pullman is perfectly presidential, and Randy Quaid plays his "redneck" shtick to the hilt. At the head of the ensemble is Will Smith, a hotshot Marine pilot who ends up commandeering a flying saucer and piloting it into the alien mother ship to stage a viral computer attack.

Smith was already a big star thanks to his rap career and his stint on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," but "Independence Day" cemented him as a Hollywood leading man. It seems, however, that he almost lost out on his "ID4" role ... because of racism. According to an oral history of "Independence Day" printed in The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, Smith was nearly rejected by Fox studio executives as they didn't think "a Black guy" would attract international viewers.

Before Smith was cast in the role of Captain Steven Hiller, Emmerich considered multiple other possible leading men. Ethan Hawke was famously in contention, but Hawke has admitted in interviews that he threw away the script because it was so terrible. Emmerich diplomatically maintains that Hawke was merely too young for the role. Smith, incidentally, is only two years older than Hawke. Emmerich recalled hearing the studio's weird coding about Smith's "marketability," telling THR:

"Ethan Hawke was on our list too, but I thought at that time he was too young. It was pretty clear it had to be Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum. That was the combo we thought. The studio said, 'No, we don't like Will Smith. He's unproven. He doesn't work in international [markets].'"

Which wasn't really true. Smith's 1995 actioner "Bad Boys" made about $75 million overseas, higher than its domestic take of $65.8 million. It was Dean Devlin, who's co-produced and written several of Emmerich's films ("Stargate" and "ID4" among them), who remembered the outward racism expressed by the bigwigs at Fox:

"[Fox] said, 'You cast a Black guy in this part, you're going to kill foreign [box office].' Our argument was, 'Well, the movie is about space aliens. It's going to do fine foreign.' It was a big war, and Roland really stood up for [Smith] — and we ultimately won that war." 

The idea that a Black leading actor couldn't open a film had been dramatically disproven a hundred times over by 1996, but Fox was stubborn, sticking to racist beliefs left over from many decades prior. It was admirable of Emmerich to call them out on their B.S. and cast Smith. 

In case it needs repeating, the flick made bank.

Indeed, Emmerich threatened to walk away from "Independence Day" if he wasn't going to be allowed to cast Smith. He knew that Smith and Goldblum had great chemistry, and liked Smith's undeniable, and well-tested screen presence. As he told THR:

"It was pretty shortly before the shoot and we still hadn't locked in Will and Jeff. I put my foot down. 'Universal people are calling every day, so give me these two actors or I move over there.' I don't think it would have been a possibility [to actually move studios], but it was a great threat."

Universal, as far as anyone knows, was not poised to snap up "Independence Day," and Emmerich only claimed that it was calling every day. Fox might have known it was an idle threat. Regardless, Emmerich was able to communicate his passion for Smith, and ended up getting his way. Did I mention the film made a lot of money? And that Smith was considered one of the main reasons it made a lot of money? One might hope that Fox has, since 1996, reconsidered its attitudes about Black actors leading their blockbuster films. Smith is certainly "proven" by now.

Smith also has an Academy Award and provided audiences with one of the most entertaining Oscar telecasts in years. His most recent film, "Bad Boys: Ride or Die," made over $379 million earlier this year, so he still has the ability to draw large crowds.