‘Friends’ star recalls turning down ‘Men in Black’

Hollywood star David Schwimmer, who portrayed Ross Geller in the popular television comedy “Friends,” has revealed turning down a role in “Men in Black.”

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Recalling the time when he received the offer to star in the movie, the actor said that his focus was on venturing into direction, however, he acknowledged that his ‘career would have taken a very different trajectory’ if he appeared in the 1997 film.

During an interview, David Schwimmer was asked if he passed on the franchise due to date issues with ‘Friends’ filming schedule.

Responding to the question, the Hollywood actor said, “That’s not why I turned it down. [It] was a brutal decision. I had just finished filming The Pallbearer, my first film with Gwyneth Paltrow, and there were high expectations of that which didn’t come true.”

According to Schwimmer, he was locked into a three-picture deal by Miramax and he agreed to the deal if they let him direct his first movie, 1998’s “Since You’ve Been Gone.”

However, the production for his directorial debut clashed with ‘Men in Black’ filming, leading Schwimmer to turn down the movie.

“We’re in pre-production, hired the whole crew, everything’s going and that’s when I was offered Men in Black,” the Hollywood actor said. “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.”

While acknowledging that the blockbuster movie was an amazing opportunity, David Schwimmer maintained that leaving his first directional would have ended his relationships with the people involved in the project.

The Hollywood star, however, admitted that the movie might have turned him into a huge movie star given the success of the franchise.

“If you look at the success of that film and that franchise, my career would have taken a very different trajectory,” he said.

It is worth mentioning here that the ‘Men in Black’ franchise later starred actor Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the lead roles.