Will Smith reveals he turned down ‘Inception’ because he didn't get the plot
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Will Smith is opening up about two of the biggest movie roles he regrets turning down.
'The King Richard' star recently revealed that Christopher Nolan first offered him the lead in 'Inception', a role he now admits he didn’t fully understand at the time.
Will Smith reveals director Christopher Nolan brought him the movie "Inception" first, but he turned it down and says movies about alternate realities don’t pitch well.
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) June 15, 2025
(🎥 Kiss Xtra) pic.twitter.com/jwcvZfiuMG
Will Smith turned down Christopher Nolan's 'Inception' because he 'didn't get it'
The actor also confirmed again that he passed on playing Neo in 'The Matrix', calling both missed opportunities “beautiful scars” that have stayed with him over the years.
Speaking with radio station Kiss Xtra, Smith candidly shared that Nolan had approached him with 'Inception' before anyone else but he didn’t grasp the vision.
“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 told the station, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
“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," the 56-year-old added.
Leonardo DiCaprio eventually starred in the cerebral blockbuster, which became one of his biggest hits and grossed more than $800 million worldwide.
Will Smith says 'it hurts too bad to talk about' turning down 'The Matrix' and 'Inception'
Will Smith also talked about missing out on playing Neo in 'The Matrix', a role that went to Keanu Reeves.
Instead, he starred in 'Wild Wild West', a box-office failure that earned several Razzie awards.
“I have two [roles] that I’m still hurt by,” Smith said. “I did turn down Neo in 'The Matrix', that was one of those ones. It’s like one of those beautiful scars.”
He added, “I’m hurt by those two... It hurts too bad to talk about."
In a 2019 YouTube video, he described the confusing pitch he received from the Wachowskis.
“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," Smith explained in the video.
"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,” the 'I Am Legend' actor recalled, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.
“So I made 'Wild Wild West' [instead],” Smith admitted, referring to the 1999 sci-fi flop.
Will Smith believes his casting in 'The Matrix' would've changed Laurence Fishburne's role
Will Smith also offered a deeper perspective on how his involvement might have altered the dynamic of 'The Matrix' in 2019.
In particular, he believed his casting could have impacted Laurence Fishburne’s role as Morpheus.
“Keanu was perfect. Laurence Fishburne was perfect. If I had done it, because I’m Black, [Fishburne’s character] Morpheus wouldn’t have been Black because they were looking at Val Kilmer [for] Morpheus,” Smith said.
“So I probably would have messed 'The Matrix' up. I would have ruined it. I did y’all a favor," Smith said at the time.
Most recently, Smith returned to theaters in 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die', the fourth installment of the 'Bad Boys' film series. It was his first major project since the 2022 Oscars, when he slapped Chris Rock the same night he won Best Actor for 'King Richard'.
