Will Smith Explains His Reasoning For Turning Down Original ‘Matrix’ Role

As the cult classic reality-bending Sci-Fi movie “The Matrix” nears its 20th anniversary this March, Will Smith takes to his youtube channel to talk about one of the best movies he was never in.

In the midst of all his blue genie hype, the movie star takes a moment to look back instead and share a story about turning down the lead role in ‘Matrix,’ which instead went to Keanu Reeves. The critically acclaimed film debuted March 31, 1999, and subsequently changed the Sci-Fi genre forever. Now, everyone and their mother knows the plot and premise of ‘Matrix,’ but it wasn’t always that way.

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The film revolves around a computer hacker named Neo as he realizes that the world he is living in is, in fact, a computer simulation controlled by machines. With the help of Morpheus (Lawrence Fishbourne) and a group of rebels, Neo attempts to take down the entire simulation and free humanity. Such a unique concept, though, would be hard to understand if not explained right, which is apparently exactly why Smith didn’t take the part.

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Smith originally sat down for a pitch meeting with the Wachowskis, the two sisters who create the concept for “The Matrix,” who were hoping he would play the lead. Smith was already pretty established in the film industry, with hits like “Bad Boys,” “Independence Day,” and of course the fan favorite sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” “The Matrix,” though, just didn’t seem right for him, considering he couldn’t really understand the premise the Wachowskis were pitching. Looking back now in his video, he realizes choosing “Wild Wild West” over ‘Matrix’ might’ve been a big mistake, but believes Keanu Reeves would’ve been better for the role of Neo anyways.

Watch Will Smith’s full video about his experience with “The Matrix” here: