The Friends star was then hit with a “brutal decision” when his agent told him he’d been offered a role in Barry Sonnenfeld and Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi film Men in Black, which would eventually star Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in the role originally offered to Schwimmer.

David Schwimmer explained why he turned down a lead role in 'Men in Black,' admitting that being in that blockbuster 'would have made me, I think, a movie star.'

David Schwimmer's career outside of Friends could've been very different, especially if he hadn't turned down a role in the hit movie Men in Black. During his appearance on the "Origins With Cush Jumbo" podcast,

David Schwimmer recently said on the "Origins with Cush Jumbo" podcast that he’s well aware how different his career would been had he not rejected the offer to lead 1997’s “Men in Black.” The actor’s popularity was skyrocketing at the time as he was a few seasons into “Friends.

David Schwimmer discussed the wholesome reason why he turned down a role in Men in Black. The 57-year-old Friends actor made an appearance on the Origins with Cush Jumbo podcast published on Tuesday where he discussed walking away from the role of Agent J, which would go on to be played by Will Smith.

When you think of Men in Black , you think of Will Smith , but that almost went a very different way. At the time the movie was made, one of the most popular TV series on air was Friends , which was a few seasons in.

David Schwimmer looked back on his brutal decision to pass Men in Black, which would be a career game-changer. On Tuesday, September 17, The Hollywood Reporter published that the Friends star

David Schwimmer has admitted turning down a lead role in Men in Black was a "brutal" decision. The actor appeared on the Origins with Cush Jumbo podcast recently and recalled how rejecting the chance to star in the 1997 action movie proved a costly mistake.

David Schwimmer admitted that turning down 'Men in Black' to direct his first feature was a 'brutal decision.'