'Independence Day' Director Says Will Smith Was Almost Rejected for Being Black

Ahead of this year's 4th of July celebrations, The Hollywood Reporter revisited 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios)' '90s sci-fi blockbuster Independence Day to mark the film's 25th-anniversary.Sitting down with director Roland Emmerich and writer Dean Devlin, the outlet learned that studio executives were against casting Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller. Despite already being a household name, the executives believed that Smith wouldn't appeal to foreign audiences because he was Blac...