Will Smith tried to pull out of ‘Hitch’ “three days before shooting”, claims director

nme.com:

Will Smith’s 2005 hit Hitch has revealed the actor tried to back out of the film three days before production was due to begin.The romantic comedy saw the star play a dating expert who helped men attract the women of their dreams, only for him to experience issues in his own romantic life.

The film was a box office hit, making $371.6million and continuing Smith’s status as a Hollywood draw during the decade.However, to celebrate the movie’s 20th anniversary, director Andy Tennant spoke to Business Insider about some of the struggles during production.“We had our difficulties,” he said of himself and Smith. “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 recalled receiving an unlikely ally in the form of the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. “Jada was a big help” he said. “She kind of seconded some of my instincts.

There was a time during prep when I was pushing back on a lot of crazy shit that was happening.”This included what Tennant called “crazy story ideas”, saying: “There was a draft that Will brought in that I was not a fan of.