Why Will Smith Is Hollywood's Biggest Summer Attraction

Ebony, July, 1999 by Lynn Norment

ALL the signs of summer are here. Birds are chirping, flowers are blossoming, the temperature is rising, and --oh yes-- Will Smith has another blockbuster movie arriving in theaters.

As with Independence Day and Men In Black, the hit films that put this energetic actor on the movie map, there is plenty of positive buzz surrounding Wild, Wild West, his 1999 July 4th weekend release. It appears that Will Smith will demonstrate--yet again--that he is Mr. July to the movie industry. "That's my weekend--July 4th. I own that," he jokingly said last year.

This summer the multitalented actor showcases his silver screen appeal in a movie version of the popular television show, Wild, Wild West. But this time, the lead role of special government agent James West is portrayed by the 6-foot-3 rapper-turned-actor: West, who is champing and witty like Smith, and his agent partner Artemus Gordon, portrayed by Oscar-winner Kevin Kline, are assigned to track down the enemy. This summer, it is not alien foes that want to destroy the world; it is rather, the brilliant but diabolical Dr. Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh), who is plotting to assassinate the president.

Like Smith's previous summer movies, Wild, Wild West is packed with adventure and excitement. But there's also plenty of comedy and fantasy. Some of the movie's most dramatic scenes involve Dr. Loveless' "monstrously huge, walking weapon-transport vehicle" called The Tarantula. In addition, Gordon, as in the popular television series, is a clever master of disguise and a brilliant inventor of gadgets. He and West start out as competitors but soon see the wisdom of pooling their strengths and talents to defeat the enemy.

Adding spice, romance and another level of complexity to the mix is actress Salma Hayek, who portrays the "beautiful and mysterious entertainer" Rita Escobar, who intertwines herself into West's plans to capture Loveless. In addition, Loveless has his own team of deadly beauties personified by three lovely women. The film features a slew of one-of-a-kind gadgetry, outlandish weapons, stunning sets and cutting-edge physical and computerized action. And there are plenty of hair-raising confrontations. But such is what film fans have come to expect from a Will Smith movie when the weather heats up.

Smith's action heroics have been etched in the hearts and minds of moviegoers, young and old, since he lit up the big screen in July 1996 as a fearless Marine fighter pilot in the film Independence Day. Americans flocked to theaters in record numbers to see Smith fight off alien invaders on this patriotic holiday. ("I'm probably the first Black guy who ever saved the world," he joked.) During the five-day 1996 holiday weekend, Independence Day rang up box-office receipts of $83.5 million, in addition to $11.2 million the preceding day for sneak previews. It was the fastest-selling blockbuster in movie history. By the end of 1996, the movie had made more than $300 million and established Smith as an exciting new force in the film industry. To date, Independence Day has grossed $797.9 million worldwide.

By the time Independence Day exploded on the screens, Smith was well into filming his next movie, Steven Spielberg's Men in Black, which also was released on July 4th weekend (1997) and which made more than $588 million worldwide. In this science-fiction adventure, Smith is recruited by Oscar-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones to join a top-secret government agency that polices aliens living on earth. Their uniforms of simple black suits and dark sunglasses set off a trend among Generation X. In addition, the Men in Black soundtrack sold more than 3 million copies, and Smith won a Grammy for the jazzy-rap title song.

That performance led to Smith's re-entry, into the music industry and to his signing a very lucrative contract with Columbia Records. Smith began his career as a rap artist while in high school in Philadelphia. He and longtime friend Jeff Townes released their first record before Smith graduated. As D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, the duo sold millions of records and won two Grammy Awards with outrageously funny, clean-cut rap that appealed to youngsters hut also to their parents. (High school teachers nicknamed Smith "Prince" due to his outrageous charm.)

The penchant for physical comedy that Smith exhibited in his music videos caught the attention of Quincy Jones, who offered him the opportunity to star in his own television show. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air became an enormously popular sitcom; it ran on NBC from 1990 until 1996. In fact, the last show aired just a few weeks before Independence Day was released, and Smith hardly has sat still since.

Actually, Smith seems to have increased his frantic pace. He admits he is a workaholic, motivated not by money but by the love of what he does. He credits his devoted parents with instilling in him the strong work ethic that keeps him crazily bus), despite his phenomenal success. In an interview he explained: "I think I have what I like to refer to as a psychotic drive; I'm extremely competitive. While everyone else is eating, I'm working. While everyone is sleeping, I'm working. While everyone else is having sex, well, I mean, I'm having sex."