roles that black actors turn down or rejected

[Megadeus]

None of them were as good as the matrix and none of his characters as good as neo...He turned down The Matrix to do Wild Wild West

It could have gone a number of ways though... If im not mistaken, Russel Crowe turned down the role of Morpheus. He might have taken that role if Will Smith said yes to Neo. Their on screen chemistry might not have been the same as Keanu & Lawrence, and the Matrix might not have had that cult-like reception with all these A-list actors in it.

Besides could you imagine Will Smith rapping the Matrix soundtrack?

 

[Miggs]

It could have gone a number of ways though... If im not mistaken, Russel Crowe turned down the role of Morpheus. He might have taken that role if Will Smith said yes. Their on screen chemistry might not have been the same as Keanu & Lawrence, and the Matrix might not have had that cult-like reception with all these A-list actors in it.

Besides could you imagine Will Smith rapping the Matrix soundtrack?

But Russel did thr Gladiator a year later and redeemed himself,meanwhile Will lowkey has been trying to duplicate that Neo role ever since he turned it down with all his following failures (I Robot,Legend,Hancock)

Only thing hes done that was remotely as good was pursuit of happyness and that wasnt on that same superhero tip that he was trying to copy...

He made alot so you cant knock him too much but his movies and roles for over basically 2 decades been ass for the most part...

 

[lamont614]

That was the equalizer

 

[jackson35]

denzel turn down the role in the movie seven which he regrets

 

[OmegaK2099]

Marlon wayans was turned down by the studio for batman returns, technically he was cast by burton and got paid but wasnt in the movie because warner didnt want him for the part at all, same with billie dee williams both got paid for doing nothing

 

[jackson35]

wesley snipes turn down do the right thing. he said that movie was for white people

 

[kingdarius]

this man is legit one of my favorite human beings ....i thought he was talking bout virtuosity for a second tho

more trivia= 1 Whoopi Goldberg turn down the role of the mermaid in splash. 2 queen latifah turn down monster ball. 3 davechapelle turn the role of bubba in forest gump. 4 Cuba Gooding turn down Amistad 5 angellabasset turn down the storm role in x men

crazy cuz ppl always complain about halle being "too lighskin" or whatever the fukk but the perfect woman to play her turned it down

 

[Megadeus]

But Russel did thr Gladiator a year later and redeemed himself,meanwhile Will lowkey has been trying to duplicate that Neo role ever since he turned it down with all his following failures (I Robot,Legend,Hancock)

Only thing hes done that was remotely as good was pursuit of happyness and that wasnt on that same superhero tip that he was trying to copy...

He made alot so you cant knock him too much but his movies and roles for over basically 2 decades been ass for the most part...

But im sayin tho, if IRobot, Legend, Hancock were ass then how you know the Matrix wouldn't have been ass if he did it? I mean you have to understand that he was fresh off of MiB and Independence day. At the time he only knew how to do action comedy flicks, he might not have been able to handle an intense flick like the Matrix way back then.

 

[jackson35]

will said the script was too complex

 

[Pinyapplesuckas]

@Bryan Danielson

10 Movies That Almost Starred Will Smith

After rapping about parents just not understanding and extolling the virtues of summertime with DJ Jazzy Jeff, Will Smith achieved TV stardom as the titular Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (where poor Jeff usually got acquainted with the ground, on the order of Judge Philip Banks). Soon enough, Smith was starring in blockbusters like Independence Day (1996) and I, Robot (2004), crowd-pleasing franchises like the Men in Black and Bad Boys films, and romantic comedies like Hitch (2005), plus earning critical praise (and Oscar nominations) for his work in the dramas Ali (2001) and The Pursuit of Happyness (2006).

As Oscar buzz continues to build around Smith's performance in Concussion, in which he plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, a pathologist who discovers the horrific after-effects of playing professional football, here's a look back at some of the could-have-beens in Smith's career.

1. SNAKE EYES (1998)
Smith was set to co-star with Nicolas Cage in the Brian De Palma-directed film. He would have played the role of Commander Dunne, which eventually went to Gary Sinise. Smith passed on account of not being offered enough money.

2. THE MATRIX (1999)
Johnny Depp was the Wachowskis’ original choice to play Neo in The Matrix, but Will Smith was offered the part at some point in the casting process. In 2004, he told WIRED that he had no regrets about saying no to the film, explaining that, “The Matrix is a difficult concept to pitch. In the pitch, I just didn't see it. I watched Keanu [Reeves'] performance—and very rarely do I say this—but I would have messed it up. I would have absolutely messed up The Matrix. At that point I wasn't smart enough as an actor to let the movie be. Whereas Keanu was smart enough to just let it be. Let the movie and the director tell the story, and don't try and perform every moment.”

3. K-PAX (2001)
“I loved, loved, loved [the script for] K-PAX”, Smith admitted to MTV. “But it never really jelled in my mind. I always wanted to make that movie.” Kevin Spacey, who was originally offered the role of the psychiatrist (later played by Jeff Bridges), stepped in and played Prot instead.

4. OSMOSIS JONES (2001)
The live action/animation hybrid was planned to have featured Smith as the voice of the titular character. After script issues and conflicting schedules forced Smith to leave the project, Chris Rock took the role.

5. PHONE BOOTH (2002)
Colin Farrell ended up playing Stu Shepard in Joel Schumacher's claustrophobic thriller. Smith claimed he “loved” the script, but passed because the “bad guy’s story wasn’t clear enough.”

6. THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE (2002)
In Jonathan Demme’s remake of Charade (1963), Mark Wahlberg portrayed Lewis Bartholomew/Joshua Peters, a role originally played by Cary Grant. Smith was offered the part, but declined in order to star in Michael Mann's Ali (2001) instead. Which was a smart move, as Smith was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, whereas Charlie was ignored by awards shows and audiences alike.

7. MR. AND MRS. SMITH (2005)
Originally the title roles were to go to Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman. Kidman had to leave the project when The Stepford Wives (2004) went over schedule. When Kidman left, Pitt also dropped out, leading director Doug Liman to consider pairing Will Smith and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Then Johnny Depp and Cate Blanchett. When Pitt stepped back in, it was going to co-star his ex-fiancée, Gwyneth Paltrow. Then Angelina Jolie came along.

8. SUPERMAN RETURNS (2006)
Brandon Routh played the one superhero Hollywood has seemed to have trouble finding success with since Christopher Reeve retired the cape because Smith turned the role down. Smith's explanation: “I had already done Jim West [of Wild Wild West (1999)], and you can’t be messing up white people’s heroes in Hollywood! You mess up white people’s heroes in Hollywood, you’ll never work in this town again!”

9. DJANGO UNCHAINED (2012)
In 2013, Smith claimed that he turned down the titular role in Quentin Tarantino's slave-turned-vigilante epic because he believed that the bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) was the real star in the film. In 2015, he said he wanted to make the movie more romantic—“I wanted to make the greatest love story that African-Americans had ever seen.” Despite not seeing eye-to-eye with the writer-director, he said he thought the movie was “brilliant.”

10. INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE (2016)
Earlier this year, writer-director Roland Emmerich insisted that Smith was “excited” to reprise the role of fighter pilot Captain Steven Hiller in next year's Independence Day sequel, with Vivica A. Fox set to come back as his wife Jasmine and a young actor cast as their son. But then After Earth (2013) bombed at the box office and Smith changed his mind. “In the very beginning, I wanted to work with him and he was excited to be in it but then after a while he was tired of sequels, and he did another science fiction film, which was his father-son story, so he opted out,” Emmerich explained.

 

[Bryan Danielson]

@Bryan Danielson

10 Movies That Almost Starred Will Smith

After rapping about parents just not understanding and extolling the virtues of summertime with DJ Jazzy Jeff, Will Smith achieved TV stardom as the titular Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (where poor Jeff usually got acquainted with the ground, on the order of Judge Philip Banks). Soon enough, Smith was starring in blockbusters like Independence Day (1996) and I, Robot (2004), crowd-pleasing franchises like the Men in Black and Bad Boys films, and romantic comedies like Hitch (2005), plus earning critical praise (and Oscar nominations) for his work in the dramas Ali (2001) and The Pursuit of Happyness (2006).

As Oscar buzz continues to build around Smith's performance in Concussion, in which he plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, a pathologist who discovers the horrific after-effects of playing professional football, here's a look back at some of the could-have-beens in Smith's career.

1. SNAKE EYES (1998)
Smith was set to co-star with Nicolas Cage in the Brian De Palma-directed film. He would have played the role of Commander Dunne, which eventually went to Gary Sinise. Smith passed on account of not being offered enough money.

2. THE MATRIX (1999)
Johnny Depp was the Wachowskis’ original choice to play Neo in The Matrix, but Will Smith was offered the part at some point in the casting process. In 2004, he told WIRED that he had no regrets about saying no to the film, explaining that, “The Matrix is a difficult concept to pitch. In the pitch, I just didn't see it. I watched Keanu [Reeves'] performance—and very rarely do I say this—but I would have messed it up. I would have absolutely messed up The Matrix. At that point I wasn't smart enough as an actor to let the movie be. Whereas Keanu was smart enough to just let it be. Let the movie and the director tell the story, and don't try and perform every moment.”

3. K-PAX (2001)
“I loved, loved, loved [the script for] K-PAX”, Smith admitted to MTV. “But it never really jelled in my mind. I always wanted to make that movie.” Kevin Spacey, who was originally offered the role of the psychiatrist (later played by Jeff Bridges), stepped in and played Prot instead.

4. OSMOSIS JONES (2001)
The live action/animation hybrid was planned to have featured Smith as the voice of the titular character. After script issues and conflicting schedules forced Smith to leave the project, Chris Rock took the role.

5. PHONE BOOTH (2002)
Colin Farrell ended up playing Stu Shepard in Joel Schumacher's claustrophobic thriller. Smith claimed he “loved” the script, but passed because the “bad guy’s story wasn’t clear enough.”

6. THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE (2002)
In Jonathan Demme’s remake of Charade (1963), Mark Wahlberg portrayed Lewis Bartholomew/Joshua Peters, a role originally played by Cary Grant. Smith was offered the part, but declined in order to star in Michael Mann's Ali (2001) instead. Which was a smart move, as Smith was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, whereas Charlie was ignored by awards shows and audiences alike.

7. MR. AND MRS. SMITH (2005)
Originally the title roles were to go to Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman. Kidman had to leave the project when The Stepford Wives (2004) went over schedule. When Kidman left, Pitt also dropped out, leading director Doug Liman to consider pairing Will Smith and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Then Johnny Depp and Cate Blanchett. When Pitt stepped back in, it was going to co-star his ex-fiancée, Gwyneth Paltrow. Then Angelina Jolie came along.

8. SUPERMAN RETURNS (2006)
Brandon Routh played the one superhero Hollywood has seemed to have trouble finding success with since Christopher Reeve retired the cape because Smith turned the role down. Smith's explanation: “I had already done Jim West [of Wild Wild West (1999)], and you can’t be messing up white people’s heroes in Hollywood! You mess up white people’s heroes in Hollywood, you’ll never work in this town again!”

9. DJANGO UNCHAINED (2012)
In 2013, Smith claimed that he turned down the titular role in Quentin Tarantino's slave-turned-vigilante epic because he believed that the bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) was the real star in the film. In 2015, he said he wanted to make the movie more romantic—“I wanted to make the greatest love story that African-Americans had ever seen.” Despite not seeing eye-to-eye with the writer-director, he said he thought the movie was “brilliant.”

10. INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE (2016)
Earlier this year, writer-director Roland Emmerich insisted that Smith was “excited” to reprise the role of fighter pilot Captain Steven Hiller in next year's Independence Day sequel, with Vivica A. Fox set to come back as his wife Jasmine and a young actor cast as their son. But then After Earth (2013) bombed at the box office and Smith changed his mind. “In the very beginning, I wanted to work with him and he was excited to be in it but then after a while he was tired of sequels, and he did another science fiction film, which was his father-son story, so he opted out,” Emmerich explained.

You an a$$hole for that!

 

[nieman]

But Russel did thr Gladiator a year later and redeemed himself,meanwhile Will lowkey has been trying to duplicate that Neo role ever since he turned it down with all his following failures (I Robot,Legend,Hancock)

Only thing hes done that was remotely as good was pursuit of happyness and that wasnt on that same superhero tip that he was trying to copy...

He made alot so you cant knock him too much but his movies and roles for over basically 2 decades been ass for the most part...

All of those movies were enjoyable...all easily better tham Reloaded and Revolutions

 

[SunZoo]

would've been dope to see him in that. Maybe it was too PG for him at the time? Kind of ironic. It's still a dark type movie to me, both were.

I heard him turning down Ghostbusters was just a rumor but if it is true, it was because of Beverly Hill's cop.

Bill Murray and Eddie on the same screen would have been too much Nobody else woulda got screen time

 

[SunZoo]

All of those movies were enjoyable...all easily better tham Reloaded and Revolutions

Nah.

 

[Originalman]

This what I want posters to put down. Roles that black actors turned down because the role was stereotypical.