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Will Smith is well-regarded as one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and now the famous actor has just revealed a major role he passed on that could have changed the course of his career. Smith won his first Oscar in 2022 for his work as Richard Williams in King Richard, and although a certain slap had some questioning if he was deserving to win the award, the strength of his performance in the film is undeniable. However, when you work as long and on as many projects as Will Smith has, there are bound to be a few passes and misreads that might be looked upon with some regret. During a recent interview with on the radio station Kiss Extra that was first reported by Huff Post, Smith revealed he turned down the lead role in Inception, and even explains why:
“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.”
While it may be easy to look back now and think Smith is a mad man for turning down a movie like Inception, his point of view makes sense. Nolan was still regarded as a top-tier filmmaker at this time, but he had yet to cap off his Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises, and he was still a few years away from establishing himself as a sci-fi savant with Interstellar. Smith was fresh off the heels of The Pursuit of Happiness, I Am Legend, and Hancock at the time, three of the most famous movies in his filmography, so it’s understandable if he was a bit guarded. Leonardo DiCaprio ultimately took on the lead role and the film won four Oscars, so neither side of the deal struggled after it fell through.
Source: Huffington Post
This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.