Will Smith almost portrayed Neo in The Matrix, but he ended up taking a different job instead. The Matrix is a well-loved sci-fi adventure, and it's such an important movie for so many people that it's hard to imagine it being any different than it is. Keanu Reeves gives a wonderful performance as Neo, so it's hard to believe that anyone else could play the role. Nevertheless, it is interesting to think about other possibilities for the iconic story. If Smith hadn't been busy with something else, he might have been the one to play Neo. And that's definitely an intriguing option to ponder for those who've seen the movie. Though Smith undoubtedly had his reasons for refusing the role, they might be hard for hardcore sci-fi fans to understand.

The role of Neo in The Matrix might have been an interesting one for Smith to take on definitely. Imagine the plot of the movie being the same but featuring Smith in the main role. That being said, the movie is great as it is and is definitely well-received in its current state. So perhaps it's better if The Matrix stays as it is now, forever. Fans certainly wouldn't mind leaving the classic sci-fi story the same. In fact, some of the movie's hardcore fans would probably argue that it shouldn't be touched at all, as it is such a classic. And perhaps they are right. The movie is good as it is.

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In a video on his Youtube channel, as reported by EW,  Smith discusses the role of Neo in The Matrix and explains why he turned it down. Part of his reasoning is that he didn't want to be typecast, playing the same type of role over and over. Smith also portrayed Captain Steven Hiller in Independence Day, a movie about aliens released in 1996, and he didn't want to become known as someone who only did sci-fi movies. Because of this, he initially turned down Men In Black as well, before eventually accepting the part. According to Smith himself, he didn't want to be known as "the alien movie guy." Though The Matrix is not about aliens, it's easy to understand what Smith means by his statement. Actors like to be sort of spread out creatively, not just portraying one kind of character in one kind of story.

In his video, Smith also describes a meeting with The Wachowskis, the creative minds behind The Matrix. Their pitch for The Matrix did not particularly excite him, unfortunately. In Smith's defense, at the time, The Wachowskis only had one movie under their belt. This means that the general public did not truly know their creativity and striking ability to write a good story. Smith describes their out-of-the-box pitch of a particular scene, the one where Neo jumps and stops in the air as the cameras rotate around him. So instead of starring in The Matrix, what did Smith do? He made a strange Western movie called Wild Wild West, a move he feels the need to somewhat apologize for. 

Though Smith might somewhat regret his decision not to take the role of Neo in The Matrix, he also agrees that the movie is good as it is. In his words, "Keanu [Reeves] was perfect. Laurence Fishburne was perfect." Fishburne certainly gives a good performance as Morpheus, and according to Smith himself, if he was cast as Neo, Val Kilmer might have portrayed Morpheus.

Smith in the main role might have been interesting, definitely. Yet it's hard to imagine a better Morpheus than Fishburne since he brought such charisma to the part. And Reeves made a great Neo, even Smith must admit. Though a team-up of Smith and Fishburne might've been interesting, it probably wouldn't have been probable at the time.  Still, it's interesting to speculate what an alternate Matrix would've been like. There might have been some upsides to it if Smith had taken the role of Neo.

Since the movie became such a big one, it most likely would have been beneficial to his career. And who knows what it could have done for diversity in science fiction in general. Having a black man portray Neo would've added an extra layer to an already amazing story, and if audiences reacted to his performance the way they did Reeves', it would have done a good thing.

There's no way to know which version of The Matrix would've been more revolutionary for science fiction as a whole.  Both versions would have their contributions to the genre; of course, that's undeniable. Yet if one of the biggest sci-fi movies had starred a black man and still done extremely well, it might have led to a lot more diversity a lot faster. And having more movies represent the diversity of the human experience is definitely positive in many cases.

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