According to “Bad Boys” star Will Smith, he was offered the lead role in director Christopher Nolan‘s 2010 sci-fi blockbuster “Inception” but passed on playing the part that eventually went to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Smith, who won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2022 for his performance in “King Richard,” revealed his connection to “Inception” during a radio interview with Kiss Xtra. When asked if it is true that Smith passed on the role of Neo, which eventually went to Keanu Reeves, in 1999’s “The Matrix,” the actor said, “That was one of my beautiful scars!”
While he hesitated to reveal what other, iconic and successful films he has turned down the chance to be in over the years, Smith did reveal that he also passed on “Inception” when Nolan came to him with his pitch for the film. “I don’t think I’ve ever even said it publicly before, and I’m going to say it now because we’re opening up to one another. Chris Nolan brought me ‘Inception’ first, and I didn’t get it,” Smith admitted. “I’ve never said that out loud.”
Smith explained why he believes that the pitches he heard for “The Matrix” and “Inception” did not land with him. “Now that I think about it, it’s those movies that go into those alternate realities … They don’t pitch well,” the actor said. “But I’m hurt by those two.”
Watch the moment below:
Like “The Matrix,” “Inception” went on to become a massive hit — both critically and financially. It received eight Oscar nominations in 2011, including one for Best Picture, and took home a total of four Academy Awards. It additionally grossed over $839 million at the worldwide box office. Coming off 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” “Inception” helped cement Nolan’s status as a filmmaker who could be a legitimate box office draw, regardless of whether his films were original or parts of existing IP properties.
While “Inception” has proven to be a popular cultural reference point and highly influential film, though, Smith is not the only person who has been tripped up by its plot. Following thieves who infiltrate the dreams of their targets, the film tells a notoriously confusing, exposition-laden story that does not lend itself to any form of casual viewing.
DiCaprio ultimately played Dom Cobb, the part that was presumably offered to Smith, a skilled, grieving dream thief who agrees to take on a dangerous job in order to reunite with his estranged children.
