In 1997, Will Smith transitioned from being a TV actor and rapper to a movie star with his role in Men in Black alongside Tommy Lee Jones. This film marked one of Smith's early blockbuster successes as a leading man, but it also left a memorable impression on director Barry Sonnenfeld. According to Sonnenfeld, a single fart from Smith was enough to cause a temporary evacuation of the entire Men in Black set.
Sonnenfeld recounted this story during an appearance on Kelly Rippa's SiriusXM podcast, Let's Talk Off Camera. The incident occurred during a scene where Smith's character, Agent J, and Jones' character, Agent K, were driving upside down through the Midtown tunnel. They had to be sealed inside a fake car on set, which is when Smith accidentally let out a fart while he and Jones were trapped inside.
"I hear Will Smith go, 'Oh, Jesus, so sorry. Tommy, so sorry. Baz, get the ladder,'" Sonnenfeld recalled. "And you hear Tommy saying, 'That's fine, Will. No worries, Will. Don't worry, Will.'" Despite Jones' graciousness, Sonnenfeld mentioned that once Smith was freed, he quickly made his way down the stairs, leading to the entire stage being evacuated for three hours.
"What happened was, Will Smith is a farter," Sonnenfeld explained. "It's just some people are, and you really don't want to be inside a very small hermetically sealed space with a Will Smith fart. You don't even want to be sitting next to him at the Disney ranch... He's a lovely guy, just he farts. Some do, some don't."
Sonnenfeld went on to direct two more Men in Black films with Smith and Jones, as well as Wild Wild West with Smith. He shared this anecdote to promote his new book, Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time, which was released this week.
