While the song that accompanied the 1999 film’s soundtrack was a real hit, the same cannot be said of Wild Wild West, the steampunk western film which, according to Will Smith, it is also his worst movie. An opinion that was certainly also shared by the box office of the time.
Costing $ 170 million, Wild Wild West proved to be a flop at the box office, managing to raise “only” $ 220 million.
A small stain on the resume of the star who, to star in the film, had also turned down the lead role in The Matrix (one of the biggest blockbusters of all time).
Will Smith remembers the Wild Wild West flop, “his worst movie”
In a recent video shared by GQ, Smith talked about his career and revealed what he believes are the best and worst movies he has starred in. Without hesitation, Smith stated that Wild Wild West is was his worst film:
“For the best, I think it’s a battle for first place between ‘Men in Black’ and ‘The Pursuit of Happiness.’ For different reasons, these are two near-perfect films. The worst? ‘Wild Wild West’ is just a pain in the ass. Seeing myself with guys… I don’t like it ”.
Paradoxically, his best and worst films were directed by the same person, Barry Sonnenfeld. The fact that he wanted to work with Sonnenfeld again afterwards Men in Black it therefore makes sense, as does being able to work with the Oscar winner Kevin Kline in the movie. Everything seemed to promise for the best, at least on paper.
The result, however, was terrible:
“I have been so successful that I have begun to taste global blood and my focus has shifted from my artistry to victory. I wanted to win and be the biggest movie star, and what happened is there was a delay – back in the days of “Wild Wild West” – I found myself promoting something because I wanted to win versus promoting something because I believed in it. “.
He obviously learned a valuable lesson from his choices.
In the film, “When President Ulysses S. Grant (Kline) discovers that the diabolical inventor Dr. Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh) is planning to assassinate him, he orders Civil War hero James West (Will Smith) and Marshal of the States United Artemus Gordon (also Kline) to arrest him. West’s trigger-happy personality doesn’t always go well with that of the caring Gordon, but they manage to work together. And with the help of a mysterious stranger (Salma Hayek), West and Gordon get closer to Loveless ”.
Did you also see Wild Wild West at the cinema in ’99? What do you think? Let us know with a comment below, as you listen to the most famous song from the soundtrack:
