Will Smith admitted in a recent interview that he turned down the lead role in Christopher Nolan’s Inception because he couldn’t grasp the plot. Leonardo DiCaprio eventually accepted the role, turning it into one of the biggest box office hits, which saw it earn $839 million worldwide.
“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 in an interview with Kiss Xtra. “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. But I am hurt by those, too.”
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Although Smith admitted this in the interview, his potential casting in Inception was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter several months after the film’s theatrical release.
According to sources, Christopher Nolan initially approached Brad Pitt for the lead role, but Pitt chose not to move forward with the project. Smith was the next option, but he turned it down, and the role eventually went to Leonardo DiCaprio, who went on to star in one of the biggest hits of his career.
More Rejections
Will Smith considers passing on The Matrix a painful regret. The role of Neo went to Keanu Reeves, launching one of the most iconic sci-fi franchises in film history. Reflecting on that decision, Smith said, “It hurts too bad to talk about.”
Inception and The Matrix are among the list of high-profile films Smith passed on. He also rejected the lead role in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, which eventually went to Jamie Foxx.
On Django, Smith said that the “…idea is perfect. And it was just that Quentin and I couldn’t see [eye to eye].”
Despite turning down some of the iconic films, Will Smith remains one of the highest-grossing movie stars in Hollywood with over six billion US dollars worldwide box office aggregate.
