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Will Smith explains why he refused to star as Neo in ‘The Matrix’

Will Smith explains why he refused to star as Neo in ‘The Matrix’
Ben Bowman

Ben Bowman

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One of the most interesting things a movie fan can do is play “What if?” Some of the most iconic roles in movie history almost went to other actors. Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone auditioned for Han Solo. Nicolas Cage was almost Superman. Cameron Crowe intended Tom Hanks to play Jerry Maguire. And in one jaw-dropping scenario, Will Smith was offered Neo in “The Matrix.”

Matrix Will Smith

For the first time, Smith is now sharing the story of why he turned down one of the most important movies of the last 20 years. Watch this video to hear Smith explain his decision.

But we got this instead:

Another shocker in Smith’s video: If he had accepted the role, Val Kilmer would have played Morpheus. So maybe everything worked out for the best.

Ben Bowman

Ben Bowman

Ben Bowman is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who led Softonic.com's editorial team in 2018 and 2019. Before joining Softonic, he was the Head of Content for Curiosity.com and a news producer for NBC, Fox, and CBS. He is an award-winning filmmaker and director of sketch and improv comedy, and a contributing writer for the Pitch comedy app.

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