Brad Pitt is easily one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He has achieved the level of stardom most can only dream about. The same goes for Will Smith who has starred in several critically acclaimed as well as commercially successful films of all time. However, the two turn down ‘The Matrix.’
After the 1999 science fiction action film was passed on by the two, it finally went to Keanu Reeves. Both Pitt and the ‘Bad Boys‘ actor have talked about turning down the role of Neo. So let’s find out why exactly they rejected such an interesting film. Keep on reading to know more.
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Brad Pitt Rejected ‘The Matrix’
‘The Matrix‘ is now associated with cyberpunk, leather suits, agents, bullet timing, and it’s lead actors Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. However, it could have been Brad Pitt playing Neo.
Pitt had turned down the role before it went to Reeves. In 2020, he talked about it at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival when asked about the films he passed on in his career.
“I did pass on ‘The Matrix,'” he revealed. “I took the red pill. That’s the only one I’m naming,” he added with a smile. He was referring to the film’s scene where Neo is given the option to choose between the blue pill (live without knowing about the simulation) and the red pill (find out the truth). However, Pitt didn’t reveal the reason behind rejecting it.
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Will Smith Turned It Down Too
It turns out, Pitt was not the only actor to pass that film. Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Smith also joined the list of actors who rejected the film. In 2019, Smith finally addressed the reason behind it.
In a video titled ‘Why I Turned Down The Matrix‘ posted on his official YouTube channel, Smith gave his reason for rejecting the film while stating that he is not proud of that decision.
The film’s director, the Wachawoskis, gave a pitch to Smith where they only described his character jumping in slow motion and dodging bullets. They also talked about inventing cameras for capturing the bullet timing. All this didn’t impress Smith and he rejected the offer.
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