Cue the music…here come the men in black! Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones suit up for a third installment of the popular Men in Black sci-fi, comedy/action series, and Josh Brolin joins the dynamic duo as the younger version of Lee. This time around when Agent K’s (Jones) life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J (played by Smith) will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind. I sat down with Will, one of my longtime favs to talk about the movie and his biggest concern during filming.
What made you decide to come back for number III?
Being able to create a movie in a series that is stand-alone is a difficult concept. You get caught a lot of times making a movie because it’s a sequel versus with this idea, which is probably why we waited so long. We finally found a concept and an idea that stood on its own merit outside of the series. And Josh Brolin coming in as they young Tommy Lee Jones, I mean it was such an amazing twist and new look at the series, and that was the reason why I felt really good about diving in and going back for a third dip.
You and Tommy Lee have such chemistry together on screen, no doubt because you have done this twice before, did adding Josh to the mix disrupt that or affect that in any way?
The chemistry between Tommy and I is so distinct, and it is what the series has been based on; so, it was scary going into this film where half of the movie is with Josh Brolin, but as a testament to Josh, I never felt any difference in the scenes between Tommy and myself or Josh [and myself]. He studied and found whatever that essence is in a way that whenever we hit the camera there was no adjustment that I had to make. It was as if Tommy was there. Josh is just a fantastic, wonderful image of the young Agent K; so,
you get a glimpse into what young K would have been like through Josh’s eyes.
MIB3 really is a flashback in time whereas the others were more futuristic. So, what all went into really creating the feel of this movie?
Bo Welch, he ripped this thing. I walked into that 1969 headquarters and again it’s just magic. You walk in and you just feel “that thing.” It will be fifteen minutes into the movie before people start paying attention again just from being shocked by the recreation of that era. Bo has been able to just over and over again recreate that quintessential Men in Black feeling, and I’m just happy to be on his team.
There are even retro-aliens in the movie.
What I loved about the 60’s and the creation of the 60’s creatures is what it captured was the men in black [of the] 60s [era]; so, it’s the comedy and what the subconscious of aliens in the 60’s with the Barry Sonnenfeld (MIB director) twist taking it back to the glass bulbs on their heads. And what I always love about the villains and the way Barry sees villains is they’re always scary, but you laugh which is difficult to impossible [to achieve]. A lot of times when a villain is funny, you lose the seriousness of the jeopardy, but what Barry has always been able to do is to find that line where the humor is terrifying.
So, did you have any concerns in coming back for this third installment?
This is my first time in 3D; so, I was just happy my ears didn’t take over the whole frame. That was my big concern that in 3D these things would be exponential.
Well we love you Will, big ears and all! You can check out MIB3 when it opens in theatres nationwide this week. The film is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, and brief suggestive content.