“Unveiling Regret: Will Smith Revisits the Iconic Scene from a Film He Almost Starred In – What Was the Role He Passed Up?”
Added on February 1, 2025 inMusic News Cards
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Will Smith, the quintessential entertainer and master of reinvention, is at it again! Recently, he took a nostalgic plunge back into a role he famously passed on: the iconic Neo from The Matrix. You have to wonder, haven’t we all had moments where we questioned our choices? Imagine how different pop culture would be if Smith had donned those glasses instead of Keanu Reeves! But alas, the universe seemed to have a different plan. In a striking new cameo for the music video ‘Beautiful Scars’ alongside Big Sean, Smith brings a whimsical twist to the legendary choice between the red and blue pill, giving fans a taste of what could’ve been. As he navigates this hypothetical cinematic journey, we can’t help but reflect on how every choice in life—big or small—can lead to unexpected outcomes. Curious to dive deeper into this entertaining glimpse of what might have been? LEARN MORE.
Will Smith has recreated an iconic scene from a film he regretted turning down.
Now, it feels like it’s been a hot minute since we saw the actor on the big screen, but it’s safe to say that any project he’s been part of has been a success.
From The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to Agent J in Men in Black, and Christopher Gardner in The Pursuit of Happiness, he’s brought depth and emotion to every character he’s touched.
Despite going on to win an Academy Award, there is still one role Smith regrets missing out on.
Will Smith admitted he regretted turning down the role (YouTube/@willsmith)
But Smith has finally stepped into the shoes of the main character for a music video, which shows fans exactly what could have been had he said yes to playing the part.
The star declined to play Neo from The Matrix and ended up passing the baton to Keanu Reeves, however, a new song with Big Sean shows what could have been.
In the music video for ‘Beautiful Scars’, you can see Smith and Big Sean sitting opposite one another as the rapper asks the actor to choose between the blue pill and the red pill.
While the blue pill will allow Smith to live his life as normal, the red pill will see him star in the film that got away.
After being unable to decide, Smith takes both pills and ends up taking a wild ride with Big Sean in The Matrix universe as the legend finally gives us all a taste of his musical skills again.
The movie they are referencing came out in 1999 and it starred Reeves, who played a normal man who went on to find out that he’s a super-powered messiah sent to free us from a digital prison.
He could have played Neo (YouTube/@willsmith)
While you might think Reeves was perfect for the part, it could have been very different as Smith claimed the way they pitched it to him wasn’t convincing.
On an episode of Full Send Podcast, the veteran actor revealed: “So yeah, I had Neo, so it was going to be me, and Val Kilmer was Morpheus.”
“But it would have been a whole different thing, when you see it, like Keanu was absolutely a perfect Neo,” he added. “I would have been trying to do jokes and stuff like that I think I would have messed it up.”
In a 2019 YouTube video on his channel, Smith also admitted: “It was a crazy time in my life.
“It was like however I threw the ball, it was going in.
“[The Wachowskis] 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.
“Imagine you could stop in the middle of the jump.
“But then people could see around you 360 while you stopped jumping.”
“I had so much success that I started to taste global blood,” Smith told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016.
“And my focus shifted from my artistry to winning. I wanted to win and be the biggest movie star, and what happened was there was a lag – around Wild Wild West time. I found myself promoting something because I wanted to win versus promoting something because I believed in it.”
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