Ethan Hawke shared details on rejecting 1996 blockbuster movie "Independence Day"

Actor Ethan Hawke has shared additional details to his story of how he rejected Roland Emmerich's 1996 blockbuster "Independence Day".

The makers had first approached the 47-year-old actor for a part in the film, which ultimately went to Will Smith and catapulted him to global fame.

During an appearance on host Conan O'Brien's show, Hawke said he was bombarded with offers after the success of his film "Reality Bites" and it also included "Independence Day".

"I'm driving cross-country with a friend of mine. I got the script to 'Independence Day', and there's like dollar bills attached to it," Hawke said.

"And I'm reading it to my buddy in the car like, 'Isn’t this a bad line? 'E.T. phone home,' that's stupid.' And I'm going through it to the point where I literally throw it out onto the Texas highway," he added.

However, the actor later realized his mistake after he watched the film on opening day with a group of friends and his girlfriend at the time.

"Everyone wants to go see 'Independence Day' and I'm like, 'Alright, this will be amusing to see how bad it is.

"I walk into the theatre, it's obviously sold out. Will Smith says, 'E.T. phone home,' and the place roars. I mean they basically give a standing ovation in the movie. And I'm sitting there going, 'Oh my god.' I really didn't get the joke!" Hawke said.

"Independence Day", which also featured Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum, had grossed over USD 800 million at the global box office.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)