Tommy Lee Jones explains the secret of comedy: “I now know everything there is to know”
Neo-Western and action hero Tommy Lee Jones is known for his serious acting and reliable persona, but when he turned to a comedic style in the iconic Men in Black (MiB) alongside Will Smith, he seemed to master a whole new genre. The 1997 sci-fi comedy sees Jones take on the role of Agent K, who is hiring a new addition to the ‘Men in Black’ agency – an extra-terrestrial surveillance service.
Agent J (Smith) is recruited from NYPD, and the two must stop an alien bug, which crashed into Earth on a flying saucer before it escapes with the galaxy. We can gather from the synopsis alone that Men in Black is pretty light-hearted, but we’d think the more comedically gifted party would be Fresh Prince Will Smith – and that’s where we’re wrong.
Jones comes through as a great comedic performer in MiB, and reflects on the experience as a masterclass. He told the BBC: “Comedy roles haven’t come my way a lot. I’ve really had a wonderful time doing this. I didn’t have a lot of experience in my professional life with comedy so, after doing Men in Black and now this one [Men in Black II], I now know everything there is to know!”
So, what is there to know? He continues: “Really, the secret to being funny is to do everything Barry tells you and to stand very close to Will Smith… and then people think you’re funny.” Said “Barry” is of the Sonnenfeld variety, who also directed the Addams Family films, and we imagine that everyone would be hilarious when Barry told them what to do.
Of course, being in the company of Smith will do it, and clearly Jones has a great affinity with him through the MiB films. On making the second film, Jones said: “I was making another film when Barry Sonnenfeld [the director] started shooting, so he had to shoot all the scenes in which I didn’t appear first. “
It posed a seriously difficult shooting situation for the director: “Then he had Grand Central Station booked for a day’s shooting – and that isn’t easy to get – and I was filming up until the day before that in Washington State. So I flew in and we had to go that day at Grand Central. So we really had no choice, no warming up between Will and I. But happily, that wasn’t necessary, we were already good friends and had a good solid working relationship. And we worked really hard.”
That working relationship seems to make all the difference, especially in Jones’ case as Smith’s humorous personality seems to have rubbed off. It’s also nice to see a more seasoned actor taking cues from someone younger, even if the younger is Will Smith.
