Will Smith has given several hits throughout his career and has played several iconic characters. However, he has also turned down multiple iconic roles. The role of Django Freeman in Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar-winning 2012 film is also one such part that was later portrayed by Jamie Foxx. The King Richard star later revealed the real reason he rejected the offer for the movie, as he stated that he did not want to star in a slavery film about vengeance.
Will Smith Rejected The Offer For Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 film Django Unchained follows a black slave who is freed and then trained by a German bounty hunter to rescue his wife from a charming but cruel plantation owner. Starring Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, and Kerry Washington, the movie was highly praised and won two Oscars at the 85th Academy Awards.
Foxx portrayed the role of Django in the movie, which was originally offered to the Oscar-winning actor Will Smith. Initially, it was reported that the actor rejected the offer due to scheduling conflicts with the third installment in the Men in Black movie series.
However, the actor later revealed in an interview with GQ, that he denied the offer as he “didn’t want to make a slavery film about vengeance.” He claimed that he avoided making movies that revolved around the painful and historical context of slavery.
“In the early part of my career… I didn’t want to show Black people in that light,” he said. Smith also shared that he wanted to play the character on par with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, like Tom Cruise, to “depict Black excellence” in Hollywood. However, it was not the only reason behind his decision.
Will Smith Had Creative Differences With Quentin Tarantino
During his appearance on The Hollywood Reporter’s Annual Actor Roundtable, Will Smith revealed that he and the renowned filmmakers had creative differences while discussing the 2012 movie Django Unchained.
“It was about the creative direction of the story,” he said before adding, “Quentin and I couldn’t see [eye to eye].” He shared that he loved the script and had hours-long discussions about it. But the Men in Black star wanted to approach it as a love story rather than a vengeance story.
He also believed that the lead character in the movie was Christoph Waltz’s Dr King Schultz. “Django wasn’t the lead, so it was like, I need to be the lead. The other character was the lead!” he told Entertainment Weekly in an interview. He also suggested the filmmaker alter the ending and wanted to “kill the bad guy!”
He left the project after things did not go accordingly. Jamie Foxx was cast as Django Freeman and was promoted as the movie’s lead. Smith, however, has shared that he believed that the movie was brilliant, but unfortunately, the role wasn’t for him.
Django Unchained is available on Apple TV+.
