Will Smith is one of the most legendary actors in the world, but according to filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld, he’s known for something else as well.
During a recent appearance on Kelly Ripa’s podcast Let’s Talk Off Camera (via EW), Sonnenfeld jokingly recalled a story about Will Smith’s time filming the 1997 hit film Men in Black. Specifically, Sonnenfeld reflected on how legendary Smith’s farts were.
Sonnenfeld specifically recalled a time when both Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were filming a scene inside the film’s hypercar.
What did Barry Sonnenfeld say about Will Smith’s farts?
“We have to bring a ladder over on wheels like the old days when you would get on airplanes from the tarmac, and we get them up there and we put them in the thing and we turn it upside down, and we’re ready to shoot,” Sonnenfeld said. “And they’re hermetically sealed in this space, and there are locks to prevent it from opening and falling. I say ‘Roll camera, and I hear Will Smith go, ‘Oh, Jesus. So sorry. Tommy, so sorry. Baz, get the ladder!'”
The director said that Jones was a good sport about the matter and that the crew didn’t know what was going on when they got there. “You hear Tommy saying, ‘That’s fine, Will. No worries, Will. Don’t worry, Will,'” said Sonnenfeld. “I don’t know what’s going on. So we race the ladder over. Tommy reaches his leg out as the ladder is coming over, races down the stairs.”
According to Sonnenfeld, the source of the issue was Smith farting inside of the vehicle, and it got so bad that they had to clear the area for “about 3 hours.” Despite the issue, Sonnenfeld still holds a lot of love for the actor.
“Will Smith is a farter,” Sonnenfeld said. “Some people are. And you really don’t wanna be inside a very small hermetically sealed space with a Will Smith fart. You don’t even wanna be sitting next to him at the Disney ranch . . . He’s, you know, a lovely guy. Just, he farts.”
