A closer look
Chris O'Donnell was originally offered the role of Agent J in Men in Black but turned it down because he thought it was just another alien movie. Steven Spielberg then told director Barry Sonnenfeld to go to dinner with O'Donnell and convince him to take the part, but Sonnenfeld secretly wanted Will Smith instead, so he actively sabotaged the dinner by claiming the script was terrible and the production was going to be a complete disaster. It is incredibly comforting to know that one of the most defining casting choices of the nineteen nineties was the direct result of a petty director straight up lying to a young actor at a fancy restaurant
