Will Smith famously turned down the chance to don the iconic trench coat and sunglasses of Neo in The Matrix. The sci-fi film went on to become a cinematic gem with never-seen-before actions, groundbreaking visuals, and mind-bending storytelling. When Smith turned down the role, it went to Keanu Reeves who gave an unforgettable portrayal.
In a cryptic Instagram post, Smith recently teased a what-if scenario where he would’ve agreed to the role. Fans couldn’t help but imagine Smith playing Neo in the film instead of Reeves. They were sure that if things went differently, The Matrix would’ve taken a different creative direction.
Why did Will Smith turn down the role of Neo in The Matrix?
Keanu Reeves + Kung Fu is a combination that swept us away when we first saw The Matrix. Reeves played Neo, a hacker-turned-messiah who set out to free people from the Matrix or simulated reality created by intelligent machines. It is hard to imagine anyone else in the titular role in the Wachowskis’ ode to the cyberpunk subgenre.
However, Lana and Lilly Wachowski‘s first choice for Neo was Will Smith. They had every reason to go to one of the biggest players in the industry. He had just given two smashing hits at the time: Independence Day and Men in Black. However, The Matrix came across something that he wasn’t sure about doing.
Smith passed on the opportunity, which turned out to be one of the biggest regrets for the actor. Even worse, he rejected the iconic film for a rather forgettable movie in his filmography, Wild Wild West. During the premiere of Gemini Man in 2019, he shared the one piece of advice he would give himself if he could go back in time. Smith shared (via EW):
I’d go back to the Wild Wild West [set] and I would say, ‘Asshole, why didn’t you make The Matrix?’
When the discussion for The Matrix was underway, Smith had already collaborated with the likes of Roland Emmerich, Barry Sonnenfeld, and Tony Scott. In fact, it was Steven Spielberg who convinced him to take the role of Agent J alongside Tommy Lee Jones. However, the Wachowskis were two newbies with only Bound in their filmography.
In a satirical video posted to his YouTube channel, Smith hinted at the reason why he did not join the Wachowskis’ film. He shared in the video, “They came in and they made a pitch for The Matrix. And as it turns out, they’re geniuses! But there’s a fine line in a pitch meeting between genius and what I experienced in the meeting.”
Smith went on to do an impression of the directors, stuttering and stammering through a confused presentation. He shared that he chose to do Wild Wild West instead of The Matrix after that pitch. While it isn’t clear if the Wachowskis did an actual bad job pitching the film, it appears that the makers of the neo-Western certainly did a better pitch.
Will Smith as Neo would have changed the film drastically
Will Smith himself revealed one major change in the film if he were cast as Neo (via @willsmith/YouTube). He shared that Laurence Fishburne wouldn’t have played Morpheus in the film. It was likely that the producers would’ve gone for a White actor in the role since it was the norm of the time.
Smith further shared in his YouTube video that Val Kilmer was approached for the role of Morpheus when he was offered Neo. When he turned down the role and Reeves took it on, Fishburne was handed the other lead in the film.
Interestingly, Kilmer was also considered for the role of Neo. So were stars like Nicolas Cage, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Brad Pitt (via Yahoo! Entertainment).
However, the one question that needs to be answered is whether Smith’s casting would’ve still made the film into a blockbuster. Reeves’ unbeatable salary hike record is proof that the film had a resounding success at the box office.
All actors including Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Hugo Weaving were required to perform their own stunts and underwent six months of training under Yuen Woo-ping’s supervision. He was the stunt choreographer of Jet Li’s Fist Of Legend and Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master. Yuen brought his expertise in fast-paced martial arts combat and wire work to the film.
While Smith too was a committed actor, his star status at the time wouldn’t have allowed him to be as focused as Reeves. The Seven Pounds actor’s roles at the time were ones that largely needed his charisma and humor. However, this wouldn’t have worked for the Wachowskis. Smith’s dramatic films, such as I Am Legend, came much later in his career.
Finally, Warner Bros. was half-minded throughout the project but gave the promising directors full creative control over their project. Smith himself admitted in a 2016 interview that his focus shifted from artistry to winning at the time (via THR). It meant that Smith would’ve sought more control over the project, probably ruining the movie and the franchise.
Will Smith teased about the what-if situation of him playing Neo
Warner Bros. announced a fifth Matrix movie a few months back, with the Wachowskis out and Drew Goddard in as the director. Goddard, the screenwriter of The Martian and the creator of Daredevil, is also set to write a screenplay, which will most probably reboot the franchise.
Will Smith’s Instagram post on January 6th sent fans into a state of confusion and excitement. The cryptic video showed a message being typed on the screen in a font reminiscent of The Matrix. It read:
In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in The Matrix. Smith turned it down. He chose Wild Wild West, believing it was a better fit for him at the time. But the question remains: What would ‘The Matrix’ have been like with Will Smith as Neo?
The video then ends with the two lines of text, “Wake up, Will… The Matrix has you.” Some fans speculated that Smith could be finally taking over the role from Keanu Reeves. While the rumor of Smith’s potential role in The Matrix 5 circled around the internet, THR’s Aaron Couch debunked the news in a tweet.
Will Smith is not starring in the new Matrix movie
— Aaron Couch (@AaronCouch) January 6, 2025
It isn’t clear why Smith posted the cryptic message but some other fans of Will Smith, the musician, speculate that it could be related to his music. Smith teased that he would venture into music after 20 long years. The rumor has it that his music will be in the cyberpunk subgenre.
The Matrix films and Wild Wild West are now available for rent on AppleTV.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
