Neo’s original Matrix actor would have experienced a career first if he hadn’t turned down the role

Keanu Reeves wasn’t the Wachowskis’ first choice to play The MatrixThe main protagonist, and if the original actor hadn’t turned down the role, it would have provided them with a specific career opportunity. Confirmation of The Matrix 5 means Neo will be one of Reeves’ most reprized rolesso it’s clear that casting him as the protagonist of the sci-fi franchise was the right decision. Furthermore, Thomas “Neo” Anderson remains one of Keanu Reeves’ best characters, long after his debut as an iconic figure. There is no guarantee that the titular actor in the role would have provided such success to the saga.

Despite the original’s seemingly finite ending, Headquarters trilogy, the production of two legacy sequels proves how beloved the franchise still is. While Reeves wasn’t the only reason the sci-fi saga triumphed, he was a big part of what made it all happen. However, if things had gone a little differently, Reeves might never have been asked to play Neo, as The franchise’s writers/directors had a different actor in mind before Reeves.

Will Smith as Neo would have eventually starred in the same project as his wife

Will Smith turned down The Matrix in favor of 1999’s Wild Wild West

Will Smith turned down the role of Neo, opting to do the 1999 film instead Old Wild West. The film bombed at the box office and is widely considered one of Smith’s worst projects. The MatrixThe success of was achieved without the presence of Will Smithbut had he accepted the Wachowskis’ offer to play Neo, the sequel would have eventually resulted in an on-screen collaboration with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith – whom he married just two years before the first Headquarters film. Pinkett Smith debuted as Niobe in the franchise’s first sequel in 2003, The Matrix Reloaded.

Smith’s wife reprized her role the same year in The Matrix Revolutionswhich would have marked the second time the couple appeared in a film or TV show together – the first time being The Matrix Reloaded. The two actors were already established in 2003, so it is surprising that they have not yet crossed paths professionally and acted side by side, although this has happened since then. Pinkett Smith returned as Niobe in 2021 The Matrix Resurrectionsso if her husband was Neo, this would have been the third team in the franchise.

Casting Will Smith in The Matrix Would Have Made Neo’s Love Story Curious

Smith would have to go through a romantic arc with his wife on set

As long as the rest of the cast didn’t receive a reshuffle in the event that Will Smith agreed to play Neo, his character likely would have experienced the same romantic arc that Keanu Reeves ended up doing. So, Smith’s Neo would have appeared alongside Carrie-Anne Moss’s Trinity in a love story that spanned multiple films. When Pinkett Smith entered the fray as Niobe in The Matrix Reloadedthen Smith was reportedly in the middle of a romantic arc with an actress who wasn’t his wifewhile his wife was also part of the cast.

It’s not uncommon for off-screen spouses to appear together in films and TV shows, but because they live their lives in the public eye, it can often be difficult to write characters for them who aren’t lovers in the world of the project as well. . Smith and his wife playing only as allies in the Headquarters the films would have subverted this convention, and possibly to the point of breaking the illusion that it was a fictional adventure. Then, It was probably for the best that Smith chose not to play Neo.

Why Keanu Reeves Was a Better Choice for Neo Than Will Smith

Smith’s Neo would have resulted in The Matrix adopting a very different tone

Will Smith knows science fiction films well and always gives his all in every performance of the genre. As such, there’s almost no doubt that he would have strived to play Neo with the same level of commitment as he has to other sci-fi characters before and after turning down the chance to lead. The Matrix. However, there is no denying it Keanu Reeves was the perfect actor to play Neo. He brings the character to life in a way that somehow combines absolute tranquility with a certain silent fury.

Will Smith tends to be a little bigger and comical with his performances in sci-fi films, so his Neo would have been very different. The MatrixThe post-apocalyptic setting required an actor like Reeves to match the macabre tone of the story while also giving it an element of hope – and he did so perfectly. Smith himself admitted that Reeves was “perfect“for the role of Neo (through Weekly entertainment), and went on to say that he felt he would have ruined the film because of the indirect impact of being cast as The Matrixprotagonist.

Source Weekly entertainment