Will Smith shockingly ed on the leading role in The Matrix movies.

The story of the first Matrix movie follows Neo, who discovers that humanity is trapped inside the Matrix, a simulated reality that was created by intelligent machines. Lily and Lana Wachowski, the writers and directors of the first Matrix movie, offered the role of Neo to Smith. Smith accepting the role of Neo would have completely changed his career, as the first movie was a huge success and eventually became the start of a franchise. However, Smith was unsure about the Wachowskis' pitch for The Matrix and decided to turn down the leading role.

Will Smith Wasn’t Sold On The Wachowskis’ Pitch For The Matrix

Will Smith Decided Not To Star In The Matrix

Will Smith ing on The Matrix is one of the most well-known cases of an actor turning down a movie that ended up becoming super popular. Smith himself felt the need to explain why he didn't want to star in The Matrix in a YouTube video in 2019. In the video, he explained that after starring in Independence Day, he also wanted to turn down Men in Black. Steven Spielberg actually ended up convincing Smith that turning down Men in Black would be a mistake, but this proves that Smith didn't want to star in too many sci-fi movies when he was offered The Matrix.

Therefore, when the Wachowskis pitched him their idea for The Matrix, Smith wasn't sold. Smith explained that the Wachowskis pitched him a scene in which he would jump during a fight and stop in midair while the camera moved around him. Of course, this scene ended up becoming one of the best scenes in the first Matrix movie, but Smith didn't understand it at the time. Additionally, Smith was shocked that the directing duo wanted to invent a new camera to film The Matrix. Therefore, he ultimately decided that The Matrix wasn't right for him and ed on the role.

Will Smith Did Wild Wild West Instead Of The Matrix

Wild Wild West Is One Of The Lowest-Rated Movies Of Will Smith's Career

Instead of ing the cast of The Matrix, Smith signed on to star in the 1999 film Wild Wild West. In the above video, Smith even itted that he's not proud of Wild Wild West, as it is one of the worst movies of his career. Wild Wild West was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, who also helmed Men in Black. Therefore, Smith chose to work with a director who he knew and trusted. However, upon Wild Wild West's release, reviews for the film were horrible. Currently, Wild Wild West has a score of 16% on Rotten Tomatoes (via Rotten Tomatoes).

Wild Wild West is a steampunk Western film that follows Smith's James West, a Civil War hero who is tasked with tracking down an inventor who is planning to assassinate the U.S. President. Wild Wild West is not a traditional Western movie by any means, as the inventor created a giant mechanical spider which also has a prominent role in the film. Overall, the tone of Wild Wild West just did not work, and the film was panned by critics and audiences alike. Meanwhile, the bold style of The Matrix led the film to be a critical and commercial success.

How Will Smith’s Matrix Would’ve Been Different From What We Got

Will Smith May Have Changed The Tone Of The Matrix

Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne ensured that both Neo and Morpheus became iconic characters. The dynamic between Neo and Morpheus is one of the highlights of The Matrix. However, things would have been completely different if Smith had accepted the role of Neo in The Matrix. If Smith was Neo, it is unlikely that Fishburne would not have been cast as Morpheus. Smith claimed that the Wachowskis were looking to cast Val Kilmer as Morpheus when he was the first choice to play Neo.

If Smith was Neo and Kilmer was Morpheus, The Matrix would have been a completely different film. Even Smith itted that it's possible he would have ruined The Matrix if he had been Neo. More than likely, Neo would have made a lot more jokes in The Matrix if he had been played by Smith. A lot of Smith's characters are very witty and playful. In contrast, Keanu Reeves' portrayal of Neo was incredibly serious. Therefore, it's possible that the tone of The Matrix would have been completely different if Smith had been Neo, potentially leading to a worse movie.

Neo Is Not The Only Famous Role Will Smith Turned Down

Smith Turned Down Movies Like Rush Hour, Superman Returns, And Django Unchained

In addition to Neo, Will Smith has turned down several other movie roles. Smith has been one of the most in-demand leading men in Hollywood for several decades, so he has had the privilege of choosing what projects he wants to pursue. Smith was also offered the role of Carter in Rush Hour, which was released a year before The Matrix. However, he turned that down because he thought the buddy cop movie was too similar to Bad Boys.

Smith also turned down a role as the most iconic comic book character of all time in Superman Returns. Smith was offered the role of Superman for the 2006 movie, but turned it down because the pressure of playing such an iconic character was too much. Years later, Smith also turned down the leading role in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained because he didn't want to portray a slave. The above examples make it clear that Smith has turned down several major roles in his career. However, nothing will ever top him ing on the role of Neo in The Matrix.

Sources: YouTube, Rotten Tomatoes