Will Smith On Independence Day And The Birth Of 'Big Willy Weekend'
He’d already ruled over rap and television. Now the time was ripe for the Fresh Prince star to kick some alien butt and conquer the world of movies
For a while in the ’90s and early ’00s, the first weekend in July rejoiced in a wonderful nickname. This moniker had nothing to do with the Independence Day holiday with which it often coincided. Rather it had everything to do with the star of Independence Day, Will Smith.
‘Big Willy Weekend’ always meant big box-office. Even the woeful Wild, Wild West performed well over the holiday weekend – it was the days and weeks that followed that saw it struggle to claw back its budget.
As for the movie that kicked off the tradition, Will Smith still considers it the most important picture of his career. “To the extent that it’s because of Independence Day that I have a career in movies,” he says by way of clarification. “I was already making movies – Six Degrees Of Separation and Bad Boys are two of my favourite movies - but I’d yet to do in film what I’d already done in music and TV. I’d already made the album I always wanted to make with He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper and I’d already made the television show I always wanted to make with The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. Because of Independence Day, I got to a position where I’m able to do the same thing in movies.”
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