Will Smith was asked recently for his thoughts on the fate of Captain Steven Hiller ? his character from the 1996 alien-invasion extravaganza Independence Day.
After Smith made the decision not to reprise his role, and instead put the fate of the planet in the capable hands of Jeff Goldblum, one of the biggest questions surrounding the film became that of how his absence would be addressed. The answer, then, came in the form of a semi-dispassionate fake news report found in the film?s viral marketing campaign that declared the character dead from a military aircraft test gone awry.
Of course, the memory of Hiller?s character will live on in the form of his onscreen son Dylan, played by Survivor?s Remorse star Jessie Usher. Still, even though his fictional offspring will carry the Hiller fighter pilot torch, the revelation that his character had unwittingly cashed in his chips on a narratively relevant gamble with alien technology was still something of a shock.
?It was terrible when I found out my character died,? Smith said, in an interview with Yahoo!, before revealing he and the film?s director, Roland Emmerich, had spoken with regard to Hiller?s fate, saying:
?I was working on Suicide Squad during that time. Roland and I had talked about it. The trailer looks really cool. I?m going to be sitting around with tears in my eyes when that one comes out.?
Smith is nice enough to give the film?s trailer the ?looks really cool? stamp of approval and even goes the extra mile, suggesting he?s bound to get emotional when Resurgence enters the air-conditioned atmosphere of movie theaters everywhere this summer.
