Ahead of the 20th Anniversary of “Hitch,” director Andy Tennant sat down with Business Insider to talk about his experience making the film – including big clashes with star Will Smith. Apparently, tensions came to a head just three days before filming was slated to start when Smith tried to back out and rework the script.
Admitting to difficulties on both sides, Tennant said, “The movie I wanted to make and the movie Will wanted to make, neither one of those movies is as good as the movie we made together. It was a battle. [Smith’s wife] Jada [Pinkett Smith] was a big help. She kind of seconded some of my instincts. There was a time during prep when I was pushing back on a lot of crazy s–t that was happening.”
Smith brought in his own draft of the 2005 film which Tennant said he was not a fan of. So much so, that he threatened to quit. “I didn’t want cheap jokes, but he didn’t trust me,” Tennant said. Luckily, Smith and Tennant were able to come to a passive agreement.
“I finally told the studio that I was more afraid of Will making that version of the movie than I was about them firing me,” the director said. “Because I knew they were right on the edge of firing me before we even began shooting. And to Will’s credit, we didn’t go with that draft. I don’t think I was ever in anyone’s favor.”
However, the working script reportedly still didn’t sit right with Smith. Tennant chalks the actor’s behavior to “fear [of] doing a big, expensive romantic comedy.” In fact, “Hitch” was the first foray into the genre for Smith. Previously he was known for doing action movies like “Men in Black” and “Bad Boys.”
“It was fraught with peril,” Tennant added about the experience. “Will tried to back out three days before we started shooting. He wanted to shut down and work on it some more. It was madness.”
Despite loads of unknown conflict, the final result of the film was a resounding success. While we might never know what changes were made, the final version of the film sees Smith as a secretive dating expert who helps men find their chance with the women of their dreams. His job, and his life are thrown into disarray when he meets a gossip columnist (Eva Mendes) who is determined to expose and unmask the mysterious dating guru. The movie was a critical success and a box office juggernaut grossing $371.6 million worldwide.
Surprisingly, the movie never got a sequel, a usual staple for hit Smith franchises. Now, exactly 20 years later Tennant says that a sequel is apparently in the works – just not involving him.
“I just found out about it three months ago,” Tennant said. “I had a really good idea for a sequel, and I was talking to an executive at Sony, and he said Will’s production company is developing a sequel. Hey, that’s Hollywood.”
“I don’t have anything against Will,” he continued. “He hired me to make this movie. It was not an easy job for anybody, but we went around the world with the movie. Even the hard times he’d always say, ‘Wait until the junket. We’re gonna go around the world with this’ — and we did, and it was great. It was the most amazing trip I had ever been on. And when it was over, my time with Will was over. That was it. And I have never heard from him since.”
The post ‘Hitch’ Director Recalls ‘Battle’ Working With Will Smith: He ‘Tried to Back Out 3 Days Before’ appeared first on TheWrap.
