Will Smith reveals he turned down role in ‘Inception’ because he ‘didn’t get it’

Will Smith may have an Oscar-winning career, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a few regrets when it comes to his filmography.

During a recent interview with radio station Kiss Xtra, the King Richard star revealed two movie roles he’s turned down that he’s still “hurt” by to this day.

First, Smith confirmed that he turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix to lead the steampunk western, Wild Wild West, calling turning it down one of his “beautiful scars.”

When prodded about another role he’s turned down, the actor quipped that “it hurts too bad to talk about,” before sharing that he turned down the lead role in Inception.

“I don’t think I’ve ever said it publicly but I am going to say it because we are opening up to one another,” Smith said. “Chris Nolan brought me Inception first and I didn’t get it. I’ve never said that out loud. Now that I think about it, it’s those movies that go into those alternate realities… they don’t pitch well.”

“I’m hurt by those two,” Smith admitted.

Leonardo DiCaprio ended up headlining Nolan’s cerebral action blockbuster instead, and it became one of the star’s biggest hit movies.

The role of Neo in The Matrix eventually went to Keanu Reeves, of course, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. Reeves starred as Neo in all four Matrix installments, most recently returning to play the chosen one in 2021’s The Matrix Resurrections. 

On the other hand, Wild Wild West was commercially unsuccessful, panned by critics, and won several Razzies, including Worst Screen Couple, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Original Song for Smith’s single of the same name. (We beg to differ on that last award!)

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly‘s free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Smith delved further into his reasoning for turning down The Matrix in a video shared to his YouTube page in 2019.

The father of three explained that the main reason was because he didn’t connect to the Wachowski siblings’ pitch, which he said was more about their intended directing style and not about the actual story.

Smith re-told the pitch as follows: “We’re thinking like… imagine you’re in a fight. You, like, jump. Imagine if you could stop jumping in the middle of the jump. But then, people could see around you 360 degrees while you stop jumping. We’re going to invent these cameras and then people can see the whole jump when you stop in the middle of the jump.”

Smith couldn’t see it and turned down the role for Wild Wild West, which he admitted was a terrible mistake. However, the Fresh Prince star said he is still certain it was all for the best because had he been cast as Neo, Val Kilmer would’ve been sought after to play Morpheus instead of Laurence Fishburne, who ultimately landed the role.

“So, I probably would have messed The Matrix up. I would have ruined it,” Smith snarked in the video. “So, I did y’all a favor!”

Of course, box office regrets and flops aside, Smith remains one of the biggest box office draws. He most recently starred in 2024’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which was his first major film since slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, the same night he won Best Actor for his performance in King Richard.

Since then, Smith has returned to his musical roots, dropping his first full-length album of solo material since 2005’s Lost and Found.

The album, titled Based on a True Story, opens with a one-two punch of bold lyrics addressing headlines Smith has made across the last three years, including slapping Rock and his admittedly “complicated” relationship with wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

Based on a True Story is out now.