Michael Jackson wanted to be in Men in Black II. He told me he had seen the first Men in Black in Paris and had stayed behind and sat there and wept. I had to explain to him that it was a comedy.

He started work as director of photography on the Oscar-nominated In Our Water (1982). Wild Wild West was an expensive disappointment. He also worked with Danny DeVito on Throw Momma from the Train (1987) and Rob Reiner on When Harry Met Sally (1989) and Misery (1990).

Barry Sonnenfeld (born April 1 1953) is an American filmmaker and television director.