The Role: Neo Cast Instead: Keanu Reeves Everyone knows that Will Smith turned down Neo, in order to make Wild Wild West, for some reason, but what was less widely known, until Cage confirmed it himself with MTV, was that he was up for the role as well. Ultimately, Cage turned down the chance of the part because of the filming commitments in Australia, because of his family obligations. Presumably, getting paid a pile of money that could have bought food and toys didn't come into consideration. Why He Would Have Ruined It... Let's be honest, Reeves isn't exactly the greatest actor in the world, and in an impressive feat, has managed to make a career for himself despite being considerably lower in the actual talent stakes than Cage. BUT, for that first movie, he was pretty perfectly cast as the Subsequently of course, Reeves' crippling lack of emotional range turned a superhero lead into a walking mannequin who nobody cared enough about to ignore the ridiculous flaws in the Wachowski's sequels, and we all started to wish that Will Smith had actually taken on the role. But not Nic Cage, he would probably have done exactly the same as Reeves, without the cooler notes of the first film. And his physique just doesn't fit the character - it's hard to imagine Cage as a computer hacker at the best of times, and the film was cast and shot in his buffest period - between Con Air and 8MM. Reeves on the other hand was just the right mix of gangly and poised to fit the transition of the character.
