Will Smith passed on Neo

Will Smith was offered the role of Neo in *The Matrix*, but turned it down and chose *Wild Wild West*. In a 2019 video on his own channel, he joked that he did not understand the pitch for *The Matrix*, including its explanation of bullet time, and said the Wachowskis ultimately found the perfect Neo in Keanu Reeves. Smith called the decision a story he was not proud of, but saying simply that he “regretted” it oversimplifies his later comments: he also acknowledged that Reeves was a great fit for the role.