Surely more than half of Hollywood actors would give up half their careers for having formed part of the distribution Friends. The sitcom par excellence that has transcended the most over the years, is still valid for its fans who watch it over and over again and for those who end up falling under the social pressure of being that series that “You have to see it once in your life”. Subsequently, most of his main cast has not had the same significance on celluloid nor in his subsequent works on the small screen. But it will not be because the industry has not offered them projects. The last one who has revealed that he could have participated in a big blockbuster of the past has been David Schwimmer.
‘Friends’ (NBC).
Whoever was Ross Geller In the fiction created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, he has built a filmography full of minor romantic comedies. Something quite similar to the rest of her colleagues, except for Jennifer Aniston, who did prove to have a magnet for the public thanks to several incontestable hits on the billboard. However, Schwimmer only managed to shine again in his return to the field of series, when he played Robert Kardashian in the series American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson. A role that would earn him an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor, after more than five failed Golden Globe nominations for his role in Friends. But if there is a role that he misses having played, it is that of Agent J in Men in Black.
An ideal role for David Schwimmer?
David Schwimmer could have been the protagonist of ‘Men in Black’.
Yes, as you have read, David Schwimmer first applied for the role of the newcomer to the space control agency before will smith. But it’s not that the actor couldn’t do it because he got into a scheduling conflict with Friendsbut because the development of Men in Black coincided in time with the beginning of his debut as a filmmaker.
‘Men in Black’ (Columbia Pictures).
Schwimmer had just finished filming my unknown friend with Gwyneth Paltrowa production with great expectations but which was a commercial failure, despite having at that time an inexperienced filmmaker like Matt Reeves, who years later would be responsible for titles such as Monstrous, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the recent Batman.
‘Friends’ (NBC).
Chatting with the podcast Origins with Cush Jumbothe actor explained in detail what the process had been like and why, to his sadness, he had to reject the science fiction film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld.
‘Friends’ (NBC).
“Miramax wanted to sign me a three-picture contract at a fixed price and I said I would do it if I managed to direct my first movie,” Schwimmer began by explaining. The illusion for direct your debut It weighed much more than other options, including appearing in the film produced by Columbia Pictures:
‘Men in Black’ (Columbia Pictures).
«We were in pre-production, we hired the entire team, everything was underway and it was a conflict when they offered me Men in Black. I had a four-month hiatus and Men in Black It was going to be shot exactly when I was going to direct this film with my company. And of course, it was an incredible opportunity.
His directorial debut
signed by Steven Spielberg’s seal, Amblin Pictures, Men in Black managed to harvest almost 590 million dollars throughout the world, being one of the first commercial phenomena of Will Smith’s career. On the other hand, David Schwimmer’s first film titled Since you leftended up going directly to television. Without regretting his decision, he is aware that his subsequent interpretive path would have been very different:
‘Since you left’ (Miramax).
«You have to follow your instinct, you have to follow your heart. Look, I’m very aware that, 20 years later, or maybe more, I would have become a movie star. “If you look at the success of that movie and that franchise, my career would have taken a very different trajectory,” the New Yorker finished explaining.
David Schwimmer on ‘Friends’ (NBC).
In 2024, Schwimmer will be present in the animated film Little Death and will star the miniseries Nightmares 2. His career as a filmmaker continued after Since You Left, filming several episodes for the Joey series and filming films such as long distance runner and You can trust mewhich did end up at least entering the billboard.
