Keanu Reeves wasn’t the Wachowskis' first choice to playThe Matrix’s main protagonist, and if the original actor hadn’t turned down the role, it would have afforded them a specific career opportunity.Confirmation ofThe Matrix 5meansNeo will be one of Reeves' most-reprised roles, so it’s clear that casting him as the sci-fi franchise’s leading man was the right move. Not only that, Thomas “Neo” Anderson remains one ofKeanu Reeves' best characters, so long after his debut as the iconic figure. There’s no guarantee that the role’s first-choice actor would have afforded the saga such success.
Despite the seemingly finiteending of the originalMatrixtrilogy, the production of two legacy sequels proves how beloved the franchise still is. Although Reeves wasn’t the only reason for the sci-fi saga’s triumph, he was a big part of what made it all come together. However, if things had gone a little differently, Reeves might have never been approached to play Neo, asthe franchise’s writer/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, instead opting to make 1999’sWild Wild West. The movie bombed at the box office and is widely regarded as one of Smith’s worst projects.The Matrix’s success was achieved without Will Smith’s presence, but had he accepted the Wachowskis' offer to play Neo, then the sequel would have eventually resulted in an onscreen collaboration with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith - who he had married just two years before the firstMatrixmovie. Pinkett Smith debuted as Niobe in the franchise’s first sequel in 2003,The Matrix Reloaded.
Smith’s wife reprised her role later the same year inThe Matrix Revolutions, which would have marked the second time the couple had appeared in a movie or TV show together.
Smith’s wife reprised her role later the same year inThe Matrix Revolutions, which would have marked the second time the couple had appeared in a movie or TV show together - with the first time being inThe Matrix Reloaded. Both actors were already established in 2003, so it’s surprising that they hadn’t yet crossed professional paths and acted alongside one another, although it has happened since.Pinkett Smith returned as Niobe in 2021’sThe Matrix Resurrections, so if her husband was Neo, this would have been their third franchise team-up.
Will Smith’s Casting In The Matrix Would Have Made Neo’s Love Story Curious
Provided the rest of the cast didn’t receive a reshuffle in the event of Will Smith agreeing to play Neo, his character would presumably have gone on to experience the same romantic arc Keanu Reeves ended up doing. So, Smith’s Neo would have appeared opposite Carrie-Anne Moss’s Trinity in a love story that spanned multiple movies. When Pinkett Smith entered the fray as Niobe inThe Matrix Reloaded, thenSmith would have been in the throes of a romantic arc with an actress who wasn’t his wife, while his wife was also part of the cast.
The Matrix Movies, Ranked Worst to Best
The Matrix remains one of the most revered science fiction franchises ever made, but how do the movies rank against each other after Resurrections?
It’s not unusual for offscreen spouses to appear in movies and TV shows together, but due to them living their lives in the public eye, it can often be difficult to write characters for them that are anything other than lovers within the world of the project too. Smith and his wife playing nothing but allies in theMatrixmovies would have subverted this convention, and possibly to the point of breaking the illusion of it being a fictional adventure. So,it’s probably for the best that Smith opted 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 is no stranger to sci-fi movies, and he always gives his all to every performance in the genre. As such, there’s almost no doubt that he would have applied himself to playing Neo with the same level of commitment that he has other sci-fi characters from before and after he turned down the chance to leadThe Matrix. However, there’s no denying thatKeanu 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 quiet fury.
Will Smith tends to go a little bigger and comedic with his performances in sci-fi movies, so his Neo would have been very different.
Will Smith tends to go a little bigger and comedic with his performances in sci-fi movies, so his Neo would have been very different.The Matrix’s post-apocalyptic setting called for an actor like Reeves to match the macabre tone of the story while still giving it an element of hope - and he did it perfectly.Smith himself has admitted that Reeves was “perfect” for the role of Neo(viaEntertainment Weekly), and went on to say he felt he would have messed up the movie because of the knock-on impact of his being cast asThe Matrix’s protagonist.
The Matrix
Cast
The Matrix, released in 1999, is set in the 22nd century and follows a computer hacker, Neo, portrayed by Keanu Reeves. He joins a group of underground insurgents led by Morpheus to combat the domineering computers that control the earth, in a battle that blurs the lines between reality and illusion.
