Vivica A. Fox has admitted the Independence Day sequel didn’t work without Will Smith.

In the 1996 original, the Kill Bill actress played Jasmine, the partner of Smith’s character Captain Steven Hiller, and while she returned for the sequel 20 years later, the Men in Black actor did not.

Reflecting on the 2016 follow-up in an interview with The A.V. Club, Vivica candidly admitted it failed to live up to its predecessor.

“I just didn’t feel like it was good and it lived up to the first one,” she shared. “I really feel we missed out by not… bringing Will Smith back.”

She noted that although the sequel featured “most of the original cast”, such as Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman, Smith’s absence was an issue the film couldn’t overcome.

“The one true link that was missing to the success of Independence Day 2 was that Will Smith wasn’t there,” she added.

Independence Day: Resurgence was a box office disappointment and received overwhelmingly negative reviews, and Vivica admitted she had a feeling about the reaction at the film’s premiere.

“I’m gonna keep it real,” she promised. “I was at the premiere, and I was like, ‘Mmm. Mmm. Let’s see how the fans are gonna feel about this.’ And sure enough, on Twitter, they blew me up.”

Smith turned down his role in the sequel due to scheduling conflicts with 2016’s Suicide Squad, and his character was subsequently killed off.

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