Will Smith has finally explained exactly why he rejected the role of Neo in ‘The Matrix’. The actor said that the filmmakers’ initial idea confused him more than it impressed him, and that’s why he turned down what would turn out to be one of the most innovative movies ever made.
Will Smith Couldn’t See ‘The Matrix’s Vision
It’s hard to believe that anyone other than Keanu Reeves would be Neo. However, Smith’s latest comments reveal just how difficult it was to understand the Wachowskis’ ambitious vision before audiences actually saw it on screen.
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In a meeting, the filmmakers had explained to Smith that they wanted to achieve a new kind of visual effect with approximately 30 cameras arranged in a line. The idea was that an actor could jump, appear frozen in midair, and the camera would move around them, a technique that would later become famous as “bullet time.“
“I’m gonna give you the exact pitch they gave me: yo bro, so what we’re thinking is we’re gonna design these cameras, so it’s not one camera, it’s like 30 cameras bro, and they’ll be all in one line, and what’ll happen is all the cameras will go at one time so you’ll be able to jump, but you’ll stop jumping, you’ll be able to freeze,” he shared on the Fullsend Podcast.
But at the time, Smith couldn’t imagine what they were talking about. He recalled that it seemed impossible and that he thought it was a very unusual pitch, so he walked away from the project. “And I was like, bro, you’re funny, I’m not doing that, I’m passing.”
He also revealed that the original plan would have paired him with Val Kilmer as Morpheus,, which would have been a completely different version of ‘The Matrix’ than the one that made it to theaters.
It’s a reminder that revolutionary ideas can sound like risky business until they’re done. What later became one of the most influential visual effects in movie history initially seemed too unconventional to convince one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Will Smith Regrets Rejecting ‘The Matrix’
Later, Smith saw ‘The Matrix’ and knew what the filmmakers were attempting to do. He said that when he saw the iconic action scenes and groundbreaking visual effects, it all came together. In hindsight, the actor admitted that he now regrets turning down the part.
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“And then I saw it, I was like, oh, that’s what actually happens, that’s so cool. But yeah, now I miss The Matrix, I miss that one.” The decision, of course, altered the course of Hollywood history, too. ‘The Matrix’ forever changed science fiction and action filmmaking for a generation.
Keanu Reeves’ Neo became one of the most iconic characters of his career. Smith has enjoyed an extraordinary career filled with blockbuster successes, but his latest comments show that even the biggest stars occasionally wonder what might have been.
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