Actor Kevin Costner is regarded as one of the most talented actors in the entertainment industry. He rose to prominence by appearing in movies including The Untouchables, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, JFK, The Bodyguard, and more. Over the years, Kevin Costner has portrayed various characters on screen, which has cemented his place in the industry as well as his fans’ hearts.
The actor’s portrayal of John Dutton in Paramount Network’s original drama series Yellowstone is highly lauded by the audience and critics. Costner earned a Golden Globe Award along with securing a nomination at the Screen Actors Guild Award for the role. Kevin Costner, however, was considered for the lead role in one of the biggest and most successful franchises in the world, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen.
Kevin Costner could have played Neo in The Matrix
Directed and written by the Wachowskis, the science fiction action movie The Matrix premiered in 1999. Actor Keanu Reeves starred as Neo, who uncovers the truth about humanity being unknowingly trapped inside the Matrix, which is a simulated reality created by intelligent machines to distract humans while using their bodies as an energy source.
Upon its release, the movie was a commercial and critical success with the audience, and critics especially praised the innovative visual effects, action sequences, and cinematography. Keanu Reeves’ acting was also appreciated, but it would be surprising to know that the actor was not the first choice to play the iconic character.
According to Yahoo! Movies, Will Smith, who was one of the successful actors in the ’90s, was approached for the part, but he passed it on to work on Wild Wild West. Nicolas Cage also turned down starring as Neo, and in his interview with MTV, he said,
“There was a couple of movies that I was offered, but I had good reasons, so I couldn’t do it. One was The Matrix, and the other was The Lord of the Rings. Both are great movies, but they were shot in New Zealand for great quantities of time. I mean years. Well, Australia was The Matrix. But I had family obligations, so I’m glad I stayed and had those experiences with my family.”
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, during an interview with The Wrap, confessed that they were getting desperate to cast Neo, which is why they went to so many people that they don’t even remember. He shared that Brad Pitt, who was doing Seven Years in Tibet, was reportedly too exhausted at the time to take up Neo, and Leonardo DiCaprio, who had just finished Titanic, was not willing to work on another visual effects movie.
Other names that came up were Johnny Depp, Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, David Duchovny, and Brandon Lee, who were all in the mix. But in the end, it was indeed Keanu Reeves who accepted the role and took it from paper to beyond the big screens.
Keanu Reeves thanks Will Smith for turning down Neo
In an interview with Esquire, Reeves took the opportunity to thank Will Smith and every actor who had passed on playing Neo. He said that it changed his life, and working on the movie was a wonderful creative experience, so playing Neo in The Matrix trilogy has impacted his life personally and creatively.
However, Will Smith wasn’t quite happy with his decision at the time, as he shared via video;
“The Wachowkis came in and made a pitch for The Matrix. As it turns out, they’re geniuses. But there’s a fine line in a pitch meeting between genius and what I experienced in the meeting.”
He noted that the Wachowkis pitched the story to him like he was in a fight; he jumped, but he had to imagine if he could stop jumping in the middle of the jump. But then the people around him could see around 360 while he stopped jumping. Smith stated that they told him that they were going to invent these cameras so that people could see the whole jump when he stopped in the middle. Smith said he went on to star in Wild Wild West, and he is not proud of it.
Brad Pitt, who was also one of the top choices for Neo, revealed while receiving the Leonard Maltin Modern Master Award (via USA Today) that he did pass on The Matrix, adding that he took the red pill, and that’s the only one he’s naming. But with Keanu Reeves’ portrayal of Neo, it seems that the character was only meant to be played by him, and the audience loves him.
The Matrix is streaming on HBO Max and Peacock TV.
