The actors who turned down ‘The Matrix’
The Matrix completely transformed the action genre upon its release in 1999. Specific techniques such as slow-motion sequences and spinning cameras became more widely used in the mainstream alongside the incorporation of fight scenes inspired by martial arts seen in Hong Kong action cinema following the massive release of the Neo-driven story.
Although Keanu Reeves had already received recognition for roles in successful films such as My Own Private Idaho, Point Break, Speed and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, he truly broke into the mainstream as the face of The Matrix. It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing computer programmer Thomas A. Anderson, who works as a secret hacker called Neo, yet, several actors almost beat him to the role.
Brad Pitt was offered the leading role and regrets turning it down. In 2020 he joked, “I took the red pill.” Although Pitt would probably have made a great Neo, he is glad that Reeves ended up nabbing the part. “I come from a place, maybe it’s my upbringing, [where] if I didn’t get it, then it wasn’t mine. I really believe [the role] was never mine. It was someone else’s,” he explained. After Pitt turned down the role, Leonardo DiCaprio accepted the role before stepping away because he felt hesitant to star in a visual-effects-laden blockbuster straight after Titanic.
Another actor who almost secured Reeves’ role was Will Smith. On his YouTube channel, the actor shared that he met with directors Lana and Lily Wachowski, but he couldn’t wrap his head around their ideas for the slow-motion and ‘bullet time’ scenes. Instead, Smith starred in Wild Wild West, a commercial failure. “So I made Wild Wild West. I’m not proud of it.” Like Pitt, Smith praised the actors chosen to star in The Matrix. “Keanu was perfect, Laurence Fishburne was perfect, so I probably would have messed The Matrix up. I would have ruined it, so I did y’all a favour.”
Nicholas Cage also turned down the role due to family obligations, and Val Kilmer, one of the producers’ top picks, turned down both the role of Neo and Fishburne’s Morpheus. Instead, he worked on the poorly received At First Sight. Interestingly, Sandra Bullock was also considered for the role, with Warner Bros. president Lorenzo di Bonaventura suggesting the screenplay be rewritten to make Neo a woman. Madonna was also contacted to star in The Matrix, although she has never confirmed which role she was offered. It is presumed that she was offered the female lead, Trinity, which was eventually given to Carrie-Anne Moss. It’s lucky that Madonna turned down the role, as Moss’ performance in The Matrix launched her into the mainstream.
In truth, the same can be said of all the actors who turned down the chance to be a part of the history of cinema. The Matrix would simply be another science-fiction action movie filled with guns, gimmicks and technology had it not been populated by the actors who took it to a new level.
