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David Schwimmer might be known for his work withFriends, but there was another franchise that could have had the actor be in a starring role, that could have possibly made his career as a movie star. However, there was one condition that the actor had that would make or break the deal for him to star in the franchise.
David Schwimmer could have been Agent J instead of Will Smith, but the actor revealed that at the time when he was supposed to make the decision, there was a lot on the line, not just his time on theFriendssitcom. Between his theatre company, Miramax, andMen in Black, Schwimmer needed one thing from the production company for him to give up the Will Smith starter.
David Schwimmer wanted to direct his own film
David Schwimmer, at the time of the part of Agent J being offered to him, had just finished starring with Gweneth Paltrow inThe Pallbearer, which was produced by Miramax. The company was keen on having Schwimmer sign a multi-film deal with them, three to be exact. Schwimmer revealed on theOriginspodcast:
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. 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.
Miramax would go on to sign David Schwimmer on for three films, in which he would co-star, and one of which he would get to direct. Schwimmer, ever loyal to his friends, decided to launch his entire theatre company in his first film. If the actor were to choose to go withMen in Blackinstead, he would have to let go of the members of his company, while they had decided to quit their jobs for the film. Therefore, treating it like a no-brainer, the actor decided to stick withSince You’ve Been Gone.
David Schwimmer’s film seems to have been slighted by politics over at Miramax
Miramax was a company that was underHarvey Weinstein, who had a lot of sway over the decisions that the conglomerate was making. This could have been the reason for all the bad press the Schwimmer’s film has received, after being slashed from its theatrical release to a television film that aired on ABC.
There was a lot of hubbub about why the film could be receiving such bad press, despite being a moderately well-made film with a tight script and a lot of talented actors who would go on to do more work with Hollywood.
A lot of it has been attributed to the behind-the-scenes drama that general audiences might not be privy to for a little longer, but there clearly seems to have been some maneuvering that led to the film’s horrible misfire, swapping in a television slot for a theatrical release.
Anuraag Chatterjee
Content Writer
Articles Published :1633
Anuraag Chatterjee, Web Content WriterWith a passion for writing fiction and non fiction content, Anuraag is a Media Science graduate with 2 year’s experience with Marketing and Content, with 3 published poetry anthologies. Anuraag holds a Bacherlor’s degree in Arts with a focus on Communication and Media Studies.
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David SchwimmerMen in Black
