Brad Pitt had a lot of iconic movie roles ever since he soared to stardom in the late ‘90s. As a famed A-lister, he gets to choose projects he would like to work on, as well as offers he wants to turn down. Interestingly, he also rejected a lot of big franchises and major roles that ended up becoming huge successes.
It’s hard to imagine that Pitt almost played Jason Bourne from The Bourne Identity or Neo from The Matrix, but lo and behold, these were actually offered to him, and he had to say no. Why would Pitt want to miss out on these roles?
Brad Pitt Took The Red Pill And Turned Down The Matrix
During a talk at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, actor Brad Pitt revealed why he passed on the 1999 movie The Matrix (via People):
“I’ll give you one, only one, because I really believe it was never mine. It’s not mine. It’s someone else’s, and they go and make it. I really do believe in that. I really do. But I did pass on the Matrix. I took the red pill.”
Keanu Reeves ended up landing the role of Neo, a computer hacker who finally realized that the world is not what it seems. He went on to star in three more feature films, namely The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, and The Matrix Resurrections. When asked what attracted him to the role, he told Empire Online:
“It was the script, the writing first of all. The way that the characters speak and what they say. I loved the dialogue and the ideas in the piece. I was really struck by the storytelling. They [screenwriters-directors, the Wachowski siblings] found a way in a kind of linear journey to tell a non-linear story.”
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Reeves earned $10 million from the first Matrix installment, but its blockbuster success gave him a $35 million total salary. He was paid $15 million for the next two sequels, but he also brought in $120 million for the bonuses.
The last movie only gave Reeves a $12-14 million salary, perhaps because of continued backend deals. It’s worth noting as well that the film was released during the pandemic period, a time when the movie theater business was still suffering.
Brad Pitt Lost Jason Bourne Role To Matt Damon
Apart from The Matrix, Brad Pitt also had to turn down playing Jason Bourne, a role that went to Matt Damon. The World War Z star was actually interested in the part that he even spoke with the studio about bringing a new action franchise if the first installment would perform well.
In the end, Pitt had to pass on the project because of scheduling conflicts. At the time, he was attached to Tony Scott’s Spy Game movie. There was nothing he could do as he was caught up in a contractual obligation, with the movie only making a moderate success.
Damon ultimately landed the role, and he went on to star in four more installments. The Bourne films generated over $1 billion in revenue, which also cemented the lead star’s legacy in Hollywood.
