15 Strangest Movie Casting Rumours That Thankfully Never Happened

6. Will Smith As Neo

Will Smith had the world at his feet in the heady days of 1999. The former Fresh Prince was forging a career as a Hollywood A-lister and had just come off the back of four huge films in Bad Boys (1995) Independence Day (1996), Men In Black (1997) and Enemy Of The State (1998). He had a straight choice between two films for his next starring role - a serious sci-fi action film called The Matrix or a Western action-comedy called Wild Wild West. As we all know, Smith picked the latter and we can only assume he wakes up screaming at the thought of fighting a giant mechanical spider. In an interview with Wired he explained that when The Matrix was pitched to him he "just didn't see it" and also that had he got the role he would "have messed up" the film. In the same interview he gave some back-handed praise to the man who took the role instead, saying Keanu Reeves "was smart enough to just let it be... and don't try and perform every moment". So yeah, he's basically saying he would have done too much acting, whereas talking wooden plank Reeves was so little of a distraction we could all just watch the cool stunts and special effects instead. He has a point, too. Reeves worked well as a cipher - we can all daydream and imagine ourselves as Neo, which is part of the fun of these films. He could fade into the background - as much as a lead ever can - and allow the story to take centre stage. Will Smith, by his own admission, would not have done the same, and The Matrix might well have flopped just like Wild Wild West.