Will Smith may be known for his starring role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but the star has a much longer and more diverse list to his name. After making his mark with the Men in Black franchise, he spent the early 2000s pushing out hit after hit. From action to comedy and even romance, he tried his hand at everything and kept dazzling fans with his films. Among those blockbusters, was one iconic film that the actor had starred in alongside Kevin James.

Though James may be in the spotlight now for his time on The King of Queens, that was the same reason that Will Smith thought that he would be a perfect fit for the film.

Will Smith wanted to work with Kevin James

According to IMDB, back in 2005 when Will Smith’s iconic blockbuster, Hitch, made its way to the big screen, it was revealed that he had suggested Kevin James to star in the film with him. After checking out the script and taking the role, he knew that James would be the perfect person to play the role of Albert Brennaman. Smith was already a fan of the Paul Blart: Mall Cop star since his days on The King of Queens back in the late 90s.

The Emancipation star, who recently surprised fans with a haircut, believed James could embody the character of Brennaman, a man who is hopeless at even talking to women he likes, so in Hitch, he enlists the help of Will Smith’s character, Alex ‘Hitch’ Hitchens. While the film has lots of twists and turns, it focuses on the smooth-talking player who becomes a “date doctor” to help men like Brennaman score with gorgeous women. But Hitch’s undoing comes in the form of falling in love with Eva Mendes’ character in the film.

While the film may have been a huge hit, Kevin James seems to be remembered for something else entirely. The talented actor did rise to fame on The King of Queens, but now the show has been getting attention for a reason other than its plotline.

The Kevin James meme that stole the spotlight

It is no surprise that Kevin James is most recognized for his more recent projects such as the Grown Ups films with Adam Sandler. However, after almost 25 years since he made his name on The King of Queens TV series, the internet has decided to bring back a promotional shot from the series set. The picture features the actor with a smirk on his face and has now turned into an extremely viral meme.

While the shot of James may be hilarious, the CBS show was actually extremely popular back in the day. It even ran for nine seasons from 1998 all the way up till 2007. In the series, he played the role of a deliveryman, Doug Heffernan, and stole the hearts of anyone who watched the sitcom. Even though there is no proper confirmation on how the meme trend broke out, one thing is for sure, the series will probably never be forgotten again.

What do you think about Will Smith suggesting Kevin James for Hitch? Let us know in the comments below.