‘Hitch’ director reveals Will Smith feud 20 years later: An absolute ‘battle’

nypost.com:

Will Smith becoming a rom-com legend didn’t go off without a hitch.The actor, 56, starred opposite Eva Mendes in 2005’s “Hitch,” and now the film’s director Andy Tennant revealed it wasn’t smooth sailing working alongside the on-screen lead.As the movie’s 20th anniversary approaches, the director, 69, told Business Insider: “We had our difficulties.

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.”Tennant accused the Oscar winner of trying to “back out” of the project just three days before the start of filming so he could “work on it some more.” But the creative credited Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, for allegedly stepping in behind the scenes.“Jada was a big help,” Tennant continued. “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.”By the mid-2000s Smith had already made “Men in Black,” “Ali” and “Bad Boys.” So why switch to a romantic comedy?After being told by the studio that “romantic comedies with Black leads don’t travel well overseas,” Smith took it as a challenge, Tennant recalled.