Barry Sonnenfeld's 1999 comedy-action film Wild Wild West has certainly seen its fair share of negativity over the years. Panned by critics and a flop at the box office, the film has an approval rating of just 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. To add to that list of woes, Will Smith recently stated in an interview that he believes it's his worst film to date.
During a recent episode of GQ's Actually Me, the actor spoke briefly about what he considers to be the best and worst films of his distinguished career. "Worst [movie]? I don't know, Wild Wild West just is a thorn in my side," said Smith. "To see myself with chaps, I don't like it."
Smith starred in Wild Wild West alongside Kevin Kline. The pair portrayed US Secret Service agents tasked with protecting President Ulysses S. Grant from the diabolical schemes of Dr. Arliss Loveless (Kenneth Branagh) and his enormous steam-powered spider tank. Smith's recent interview with GQ isn't the first time that the actor has brought up his gripes with Wild Wild West.
As reported by THR, Smith previously described promoting the film as an indication that he'd lost sight of his values. “I had so much success that I started to taste global blood and my focus shifted from my artistry to winning. I wanted to win and be the biggest movie star, and what happened was there was a lag — around Wild Wild West time — I found myself promoting something because I wanted to win versus promoting something because I believed in it," said Smith during a Cannes Lions session in 2016.
As for what the actor considers his best movie, there's no single frontrunner. “For the best, I think it's a tie between the first Men in Black and The Pursuit of Happyness,” Smith said. “For different reasons, those are the two almost perfect movies.”
Men in Black was released in 1997 and while also being directed by Sonnenfeld, it has a far higher Rotten Tomatoes rating of 92%. The Pursuit of Happiness on the other hand, while starkly different to Men in Black, earned Smith an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in 2007.
Smith's major breakthrough as a household name in the industry came during his time on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Earlier this year, it was announced that the show would be getting a reboot. Since then, a number of cast members have been named for the revival, including actor Jabari Banks, who will play the show's lead, Will. Following the announcement of Banks' inclusion in the show, Smith himself personally congratulated the actor.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.