Will Smith reveals massive Christopher Nolan film he refused, which became a beloved blockbuster: ‘It hurts too bad’
Christopher Nolan's sci-fi Inception went on to become one of the director's most acclaimed works. It featured Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role.
Leonardo DiCaprio brought the world of Christopher Nolan‘s Inception alive, going on to make it a global success. But do you know Will Smith was first approached for the lead role, and he declined it because he didn’t ‘get’ it. Also read: Christopher Nolan probably teases Inception 2 with this
Will looks back at Inception offer
During an interview with UK radio station Kiss, the Oscar-winning actor revealed that filmmaker Christopher Nolan initially approached him to star in Inception. The 2010 sci-fi blockbuster that would go on to become one of the director's most acclaimed works.
He confessed when the host asked if he turned down Matrix, following which Will laughed and said, “That was one of my beautiful scars”.
“I don’t think I’ve ever said it publicly, but I am going to say it because we are opening up to one another. Chris Nolan brought me Inception first and I didn’t get it. I’ve never said that out loud. Now that I think about it, it’s those movies that go into those alternate realities… they don’t pitch well. But I am hurt by those, too,” he added.
Not just Will Smith, according to Hollywood Report, Nolan also offered the script to Brad Pitt and “requested a response within 48 hours”. When the star didn’t commit, Nolan moved on to Will Smith. When things didn’t fall in place, the filmmaker moved on to Leonardo DiCaprio.
During the radio interview, Will Smith admitted that he regrets passing on the films, which have become iconic, saying, “It hurts too bad to talk about.”
More about Will Smith’s career decisions
Back in 2019, Will Smith posted a video on YouTube revealing why he turned down The Matrix. He shared that the main reason was that he didn’t connect to the Wachowski siblings’ pitch, which he said was more about their intended directing style and not about the actual story. Will Smith also turned down Django Unchained. Quentin Tarantino offered to him before ultimately going with Jamie Foxx in the title role. Smith told GQ magazine that he “didn’t want to make a slavery film about vengeance,” so he turned Tarantino down.
About Inception
The 2010 film is considered one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made. The film featured Leonardo DiCaprio as Dominic Cobb, a professional thief who steals information by infiltrating the subconscious, or dreams, of a person. It also features Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Elliot Page.
Starring Leonardo as Cobb, who entered people’s minds by synthesising dreams, the film also included Tom Hardy, Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon Levitt as member of his expert team. They would enter their subjects’ dreams to either extract information or plant the seeds of a new idea in their mind. To achieve this, they would often travel between multiple levels of dreams, risking being left behind in a limbo forever.
