It's common knowledge that Will Smith was offered the role of Neo in The Matrix before Keanu Reeves landed the part, but the Bad Boys For Life star has now explained why he turned down the gig in a very funny clip from a resurfaced YouTube video.
In the video, which was first posted in 2019, Smith recalls a disastrous pitch meeting with directors Lana (then known as Larry) and Lilly (then known as Andy) Wachowski. Though the actor does refer to the pair as "geniuses," their pitch didn't exactly blow him away, and he decided to make notorious flop Wild Wild West instead.
Check out the video below.
Probably not his best career move, but as Smith acknowledges, The Matrix would have been a very different movie if he'd accepted the role. For one, Val Kilmer was being looked at for Morpheus and likely would have secured the part over Laurence Fishburne if Smith had signed on.
The Wachowskis recently returned to helm the still untitled fourth Matrix movie, which (as far as we know) is still scheduled to release this December. A first look should be with us very soon, so keep an eye out.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.