Between The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Bad Boys, Independence Day, and I Am Legend, Will Smith has consistently been able to headline productions and capture audiences' attention. But not every film can be a success, as even a cinematic titan such as Smith has starred in box office bombs and critical failures every once in a while. Now, Smith has gone on record to reveal why he believes Warner Bros.' Wild Wild West is the worst of those bombs.
Wild Wild West is a western cyberpunk action/adventure film directed by Men in Black and Men in Black II director Barry Sonnenfeld. The Warner Bros. film starred Smith along with Kevin Kline, Salma Hayek, and Kenneth Branagh and told a story in which the protagonists played by Smith and Kline struggled to prevent the assassination of the president at the hands of Branagh's wily villain. The film only managed to gross about $222 million on a $170 million budget and is generally considered to be a box office disappointment. The film was also a critical failure, garnering eight Golden Raspberry Award nominations and winning five.
During a segment for GQ, Smith revealed why he considers Wild Wild West to be his worst film. Smith stated, "Wild Wild West is just a thorn in my side. To see myself with chaps... I don't like it." Nonetheless, Smith also revealed that, in his opinion, his best film is a tie between the first Men in Black and The Pursuit of Happiness.
Smith is continuing his work as a Hollywood actor and producer to this day. Though his portrayal of Deadshot was notably absent from The Suicide Squad, Smith will still appear in cinemas later this year when he stars as the father of Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard, which comes to theaters this November. Smith is also continuing to be an executive producer of Cobra Kai and will be starring in various upcoming movies, including the Antoine Fuqua-directed slavery thriller Emancipation and a sequel to the Netflix fantasy crime film Bright.
Wild Wild West may not be fondly remembered by the audiences and the filmmakers alike, but it's a testament to how appreciated Smith is by his fans and his peers that he has managed to move beyond that film and make more outstanding projects, even with a flop such as that on his résumé.
Wild Wild West is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: GQ/YouTube