Hey Will Smith ! Use Your Head More
The fact that Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in the cult classic Matrix, is more of a 20 years open secret. We all knew it, and for the first time ever Will Smith admitted it. On Camera.
In a short 3 minute video he mentioned that he also turned down the role in Men in Black, because he didn’t wanted to be known as the Alien movie guy after the success of Independence Day.
However, after one phone call from Steven Spielberg (the producer of MIB) he was convinced to accept the role in one of the best SF comedies of all time. Steven even told him not to use his head for this, but i would have to highly disagree. Will Smith should use his head more! Not just his mouth.
Oh if only he made another phone call to Will to accept the role of Neo. Seriously. But in Will’s version of the movie, the Wachowslki’s are partly to blame, since they didn’t sell the movie properly. According to Will, their pitch was confusing and he wasn’t sold on the 360 camera used in the Matrix.
But I think Will should take part of the blame too. He doesn’t even have to say it, but the fact that he didn’t like the director’s pitch was partly to the fact that he’s short-sided and doesn’t particularly like to make risks with his career.
And don’t even try to play the race card Will. If he had accepted the role of Neo than Morpheus wouldn’t have been black… Bla Bla Bla… It’s BS and he knows it.
He thought the movie will be crap, and a bitch to shoot given that the technology used in the Matrix was revolutionary for the time. Oh and he had to learn a lot of martial arts.
Rapping and dancing to Wild Wild West is one thing, but the Matrix was another beast.
So, I think that fear overcame him in that particular pitch meeting, and his brain wasn’t able to comprehend the technology and the movie altogether. But kudos to admitting that Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishbourne were amazing in Matrix. However, my advice to Will is to be a more adventurous and risky when choosing the roles. And no. The role of Genie in Aladdin doesn’t count as adventurous, brave or risky.
