The Matrix stays a groundbreaking film, with CGI slo-mo motion that lives and dodges bullets in our heads rent-free many years later. Not solely was the motion film a standout for being among the finest movies of the ‘90s, however it gave audiences one in every of Keanu Reeves’ finest performances of that decade. If you happen to can imagine it, Will Smith was virtually forged as Neo in The Matrix, and his current anecdote explaining why he turned it down really made his resolution extra comprehensible to me.
It’s onerous to imagine why anybody would flip down the possibility to affix The Matrix, at the very least with the hindsight of getting seen it. Getting to participate in kickass combat scenes in a digital world of limitless potentialities sounds too good to go up. Nonetheless, Will Smith ended up turning down The Matrix again within the ‘90s after the Wachowskis tried to pitch it to him, and he acquired actual with Sway’s Universe with a logical motivation behind turning it down.
I didn’t get it. After they pitched me The Matrix, I didn’t get it. [The Wachowskis] they pitched — that is what they stated to me. ‘Bro, so we’re gonna invent these cameras, proper? And what’s gonna occur is you’ll, like, be capable of soar however, like, freeze. After which the digicam goes round when you’re leaping, frozen. And then you definitely’ll transfer once more. It’s gonna be loopy.’ I used to be like, ‘I’m making Wild Wild West.’
That hilarious rationalization actually does make lots of sense. The Wachowskis in all probability felt that glorifying the particular results and stunts and preaching their distinctive imaginative and prescient would have offered their film to a star who helped flip different sci-fi motion pictures like Independence Day and Males in Black into mega-blockbusters. Nonetheless, their makes an attempt fell flat on Smith’s ears.
In fact The Matrix does have an advanced plot of aliens inserting a practical, digital world into the minds of unsuspecting people, all whereas utilizing them as an power supply. And that technically has nothing to do with the bullet-time cinematography. So possibly if there was concern of the plot going over the heads of potential decisions, the particular results might win them over. Understand that within the ‘90s, CGI was nonetheless growing and never widespread to have a complete film be so computer-generated heavy like at the moment.
I can perceive Wild Wild West being a simple selection for Will Smith to make in comparison with The Matrix. He’d be reuniting along with his Males in Black director, Barry Sonnefeld, and never have to fret about CGI motion sequences in a gun-slinging flick. Nonetheless, the previous sitcom actor’s sincere tackle the field workplace flop Western was selecting that flick in hopes of changing into “the largest film star” in comparison with believing within the venture. Happily, the King Richard actor has loads of wonderful performances in his profession that make any business failures insignificant.
It’s onerous to visualise a particular results heavy film with out seeing the completed manufacturing. After Will Smith acquired the possibility to see The Matrix, he admitted he lastly understood The Wachowskis’ pitch from years in the past:
After which I noticed it, I used to be like, ‘You soar and also you freeze!’ I used to be like, ‘That was the suitable pitch!’ It was horrible… Pay attention, I choose good more often than not, however I missed that one onerous.
Again in 2022, Will Smith stated that if he had been to time journey to his time in Wild Wild West, he’d inform his youthful self he shouldn’t have turned down The Matrix. On the similar time, the Contemporary Prince of Bel-Air actor additionally got here to the conclusion that all the things was meant to be the best way it performed out. Because it was initially going to be him as Neo and Val Kilmer as Morpheus, Smith acknowledged that it might have been a distinct film and that “it’s good the best way it’s.”
It appears like The Matrix was the massive film that acquired away from Will Smith. However with a mind-rattling pitch that makes it onerous to image your self within the sci-fi flick, who might blame him? However, at the very least Smith would finally star in I, Robotic 5 years later, which was one other unnerving film about the way forward for A.I. So, all the things actually is supposed to be.