Despite Will Smith’s initial refusal, Spielberg, as the executive producer of Men in Black, was determined not to take no for an answer. He personally contacted the actor and made a direct effort to persuade him to accept the role in the film.

The Bad Boys actor remembered, “Steven Spielberg sent a helicopter for me, I was in New York. To talk to me. It landed at his house.” In his own words, he was left flabbergasted. He joked, “And he had me at hello. … And it was the first time I ever had lemonade with carbonated water. You can’t say no to that.