The Men in Black franchise is undoubtedly one of the most successful film series of all time. It consists of four films, Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), Men in Black 3 (2012), and Men in Black: International (2019). The films have grossed over $1.7 billion worldwide.
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were the stars of the first three movies. They delivered outstanding work that was loved by the fans all over the world. In the third movie, Josh Brolin was cast as young Agent K. It was Brolin’s first MIB movie and he once described the experience of working with Will Smith.
Josh Brolin talked about working with Will Smith
Actor Josh Brolin played the role of young Agent K in Men in Black 3 (2012). The movie required the actor to work with Will Smith, who played Agent J in the movie. But how was their chemistry on the sets? In 2012, Brolin told LRM online,
“The chemistry with Will (Smith) was either going to be there or not. I think that was just luck. You can act it. I remember acting with an actor I didn’t like so much. He said ‘I feel like you don’t like me’ and I said ‘I don’t have to like you, I can act it!’ Which wasn’t a nice thing to say but the truth of the matter was I hadn’t met Will before I said yes to this. So we went into rehearsals right away.”
The actor further explained that they eventually got along and focused on giving their best on-screen.
Josh Brolin says working with Will Smith is like going to an “insane asylum“
Later in the interview with LRM, Josh Brolin talked about Will Smith’s behavior on the set and how it felt like going to an “insane asylum,”
“It’s sort of the first time you meet Will he’s like ‘Heeey!’ And you’re like wow, you’re serious? We’re waiting for rehearsal, try this voice and talk about it, whatever. He’s like ‘M.I.B.!’ But at the same time, it’s just funny. It’s like going to an insane asylum. Will doing that and then you have Barry going ‘Oh my God this is so great!’ and he’s telling stories about his mother calling him when he’s at Madison Square Garden when he’s sixteen. I’m like these people are crazy, I thought I was crazy but these people are nuts.”
Overall, Josh Brolin and Will Smith managed to give the fans an unforgettable performance despite having minor issues on the set.
How did Josh Brolin get the role?
Director Barry Sonnenfeld and Josh Brolin used to hang out together at a few bars back in the day, During that time, Brolin once did the impression of Tommy Lee Jones and it was so accurate that years later Sonnenfeld asked him to play young Agent K in the movie. Brolin told the Independent in 2012,
“Barry was like, ‘Hey, Brolin! You want to be in Men In Black? It’s fun!’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I love Men In Black. But as what? Like, Agent Q or Agent Whatever?’ And Barry said, ‘No, to play young Tommy! Remember, you did that impression for me?’ There’s one thing about being out at a bar with Barry and doing stupid impressions of Tommy Lee Jones with the Coens, and then there’s another thing where somebody’s telling you to do a movie that’s going to be screening all over the planet.”
Josh Brolin reportedly worked really hard to accurately portray young Agent K. It was revealed that he used to listen to Tommy Lee Jones’ voice on the set in order to prepare for his role.
Source: LRM online
