10 Actors Who Must Regret Turning Down Major Film Roles
2. Will Smith - Neo (The Matrix)
The Matrix has been one of the most successful, groundbreaking film franchises in the history of cinema, and its three movies have made a colossal amount of money. It's hard to imagine anyone other than Keanu Reeves in the main role as Neo, despite his incredibly wooden acting at times, but he was actually drafted in at the last minute because the first-choice for the role turned it down. That man was Will Smith. The 46-year-old was hotly tipped to take on the role of the computer programmer, but declined in order to star in the fairly pitiful Wild Wild West instead. In an interview, Smith stated that he simply didn't feel he would ever have done the part justice:
You know, The Matrix is a difficult concept to pitch. In the pitch, I just didnt see it. I watched Keanus performance and very rarely do I say this but I would have messed it up. I would have absolutely messed up The Matrix. At that point I wasnt smart enough as an actor to let the movie be. Whereas Keanu was smart enough to just let it be. Let the movie and the director tell the story, and dont try and perform every moment.
While Wild Wild West was a relative flop - it remains one of Smith's most forgettable films to date - The Matrix made a profit of over $400m. In total the three films have grossed nearly two billion dollars. Smith would have earned a staggering amount from the movies, and the role of Neo would probably have defined his entire career. While he isn't exactly doing badly for himself at the moment, rejecting The Matrix was a rather baffling decision.
