Some iconic film roles were initially offered to actors other than those that spectators discovered on screen. Brad Pitt was notably offered the lead role in a science fiction franchise that has become cult. Does he regret having refused?
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When a film, a franchise or a saga is a hit internationally, it is largely thanks to the actors and actresses of the project, coupled with a good script and concrete production. But certain emblematic roles were first offered to actors other than those who were finally chosen. It is therefore always interesting for spectators to discover the actors initially considered for the main roles of these projects which have become cult. For example, the public would have a hard time imagining an actor other than Daniel Radcliffe in the role ofHarry Potteror even Carrie-Anne Moss in the skin of Trinity in Matrix. Likewise, Keanu Reeves was not the only actor considered to play Neo in the science fiction saga! Brad Pitt was one of the candidates, and not only that!
Does Brad Pitt regret turning down the role of Neo in Matrix ?
Who else but Keanu Reeves could play Neo better in Matrix ? If today it is legitimate to ask the question, we will never really have the answer! At the time, directors Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski however, were considering Brad Pitt in Neo’s shoes. “I took the red pill”he declared in 2020 before justifying the reason for his refusal: “My upbringing means that if I don’t understand what it’s about, then it’s not for me. Brad Pitt does not particularly seem to have any regrets, because he considers “that [le rôle] was never his.” “It was someone else’s,” he added, before recalling that Matrix was one of many blockbusters he refused to star in. “If we did a show on all the great films that I passed up, we would need two evenings”he joked.
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The main role of Matrix was also proposed to Will Smith
Brad Pitt wasn’t the only actor considered by the Wachowskis. Will Smith was also in their sights. On his YouTube channel in 2019, the 55-year-old actor remembered meeting the directors, but having difficulty understanding their ideas on bullet-time or the slow-motion effect that Neo masters in the film. “So I did Wild Wild West [à la place]”he revealed, with a nod to this 1999 flop “of which he is not proud”. Will Smith, however, does not regret having refused the role of Neo because, according to him, “Keanu was perfect, Laurence Fishburne was perfect.” And to conclude jokingly: “So I did you a favor.”
Article written in collaboration with 6Medias
