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Friends Star David Schwimmer Reveals He Turned Down Lead Role In THIS Major Franchise: 'My Career Would Have...'
David Schwimmer, Friends star, spoke candidly on a recent podcast about a significant turning point in his career when he turned down a lead role in a major blockbuster.
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David Schwimmer talks about a major moment in his career during a recent podcast interview
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He turned down a lead role in a major blockbuster film, a decision made during his Friends fame
David Schwimmer, best known for his iconic role as Ross Geller on Friends, recently revealed that he declined a significant role in a major film franchise that could have changed his career path. During an episode of Cush Jumbo's Origins podcast, Schwimmer talked about his decision to pass up a lead role in Men in Black, a blockbuster film that went on to be a huge success.
Schwimmer talked about his career with Jumbo, including his decision at the height of his Friends fame. Despite his success on the popular sitcom, the actor has revealed that he was once offered a lead role in Men in Black.
Schwimmer admitted that he didn’t know if he made the right choice, reflecting on how his career could have turned out differently if he had accepted the role.
Cush Jumbo asked Schwimmer, "David, I also read that you turned down another role while you were doing Friends, which was Men in Black." Schwimmer confirmed it, saying that he signed a three-film deal with Miramax while filming The Pallbearer.
But there was one catch: "I got to direct my first movie." Schwimmer was excited to direct his theater company, Chicago's Lookingglass Theater Company, for his first film project.
Though the opportunity to star in Men in Black was huge, Schwimmer explained that it came at a difficult time. His summer break from Friends was brief, and he had already committed to directing a film for his theater company.
Schwimmer said that they started pre-production, explaining how his best friends from the theater company had quit their jobs to work on the project. Everything was set, including the budget, crew, and schedule.
That's when the offer for Men in Black came in. Schwimmer called it as a brutal decision because accepting the role would have meant abandoning his friends and theater project. He said his summer window from Friends was four months. He had a four-month hiatus, and Men in Black was going to shoot exactly when he was going to direct this film with his company.
Schwimmer admitted that turning down Men in Black could have changed his career trajectory. "I'm really aware—whatever, 20 years later," he said, "that the Men in Black role would have made me a movie star. If you look at the success of that film and that franchise, my career would have taken a very different trajectory."
Men in Black, which was released in the summer of 1997, was a huge box-office success. The film, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, was one of the highest-grossing films of its time.
It went on to create a successful franchise, cementing its place in Hollywood history. Had Schwimmer taken the role, he could have established himself as a leading actor in blockbuster films.
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