'Men In Black' Star Will Smith's Energy Needs To Be 'Harnessed'

'While I'd be turned here directing Josh Brolin, Will Smith would be punching me in my kidneys,' 'MIB3' director Barry Sonnenfeld says.
By Kara Warner

Will Smith in "Men in Black 3"
Photo: Columbia Pictures

No matter what you love most about the "Men in Black" franchise, the most compelling aspect of the sci-fi/action films — despite all their otherworldly and impressive visual effects — is the charm of its star and all-around likable actor Will Smith as Agent J. The former "Fresh Prince" is known for being a ball of excitable, positive energy on set, but according to "Men in Black 3" director Barry Sonnenfeld, sometimes that energy can get a little dangerous.

"Usually, while I'd be turned here directing Josh Brolin, Will Smith would be punching me in my kidneys," he told MTV News recently. "In fact, at the end of this movie, I went into the hospital because Will had torn my rotator cuff. On 'Wild Wild West' he broke my hand in five places, so Will's gotta have his energy harnessed a little bit, at least when he's working with me. I don't think he ever went around punching Michael Mann [who directed Smith in 2001's 'Ali'], let me just say that."

We then asked Sonnenfeld if there were any repercussions for Smith with all this on-set abuse.

"I told him that if he didn't stop hitting me that I would direct 'Men in Black 4' and hire his son to play young Agent J," Sonnenfeld joked. "So maybe that will make him calm down a little bit."

It should also be known that Smith's acting skills were a little rusty when he arrived on set to begin work on "MIB 3," which required some lighthearted finessing from Sonnenfeld and extra practice from Smith.

"On the first day of photography, we filmed Will on a blue-screen stage having to jump down [from the top of the Chrysler building], and what was great about it was that he hadn't acted in three years and was really bad," Sonnenfeld recalled of one of his favorite moments during filming. "Luckily, we cut out the bad stuff, but that first take we did after he hadn't acted in three years, I was sweating because he was no good. After I yelled, 'Cut!' Will said, 'Baz, I can do better! I'm really terrible. I haven't acted in three years, I'm really rusty!' And within a day or two, it all worked out fine. But man, it was interesting. You know how they say 'Once you learn how to ride a bicycle, you never forget?' Well, Will forgot how to act for the first day or two. Luckily he wasn't acting with other actors or it would have been really embarrassing."

Check out everything we've got on "Men in Black 3."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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• MTV Rough Cut: 'Men In Black 3'

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High gas prices still curbing consumer spending

By Eve Tahmincioglu

Americans are still keeping a tight grip on their wallets, bypassing vacations and dinners out, even though they feel better about their own financial security.

What?s still spooking U.S. consumers? Gas prices.

Even though gas prices have been declining for several months, nearly six in 10 consumers say they?ve cut back on nonessential spending because of hefty fuel prices, according to a study released Monday?by Bankrate.com.

?Gas prices are still a drag on people?s spending power,? said Greg McBride, Bankrate?s senior financial analyst.

According to AAA, the national average price for regular unleaded fuel declined to $3.689 a gallon, down from $3.871 a gallon last month, and below the average prices of $3.867 a year ago.

?Despite the drop in recent weeks, gas prices are still at elevated levels,? he continued. This at a time, he pointed out, ?when so many households are dealing with stagnant incomes.?

But there?s good news in the Bankrate.com report. Consumers are feeling pretty okay about their job security and their debt loads.

For the first time since December 2010, Bankrate?s Financial Security Index -- which tracks how consumer gauge there overall economic health -- passed the 100 threshold, which shows that Americans see an improvement in their financial security.

Bankrate's Financial Security Index

?We?ve seen improvement on multiple fronts,? McBride maintained. ?People are feeling more secure in their jobs, they feel better about their debt burdens, and they?re reporting lower net worth with less frequency.?

The main reason for the optimism, he noted, was the stabilizing of home prices throughout many town across the country. ?When people see home prices sliding they can see their net worth declining, but when they rise, all of a sudden they feel better about their net worth.?

So the wild card, he added, are gas prices. If they start to decline further, ?that?s going to breath some life into household budgets and they?ll have more money to spend.?

And it may take off before the job market gets more robust.?

?While hiring has not exactly taken off, downsizing activity remains relatively low and many employers are actually worried about losing talent," maintained John Challenger, CEO of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. "This is not to say that job security has returned to pre-recession levels, but workers certainly are enjoying more security than two years ago." ?

What?s your take? Have you decided to cut back on nights out at the movies, or Memorial Day travel because of gas prices? Do you feel more secure about you job??

{"contentId":"11791830","totalVotes":"8900"}

Have you cut back on other spending because of gas prices?

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