Though Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of Dom Cobb in Inception is indeed iconic, he wasn’t the first choice for director Christopher Nolan. While there had been reports about Brad Pitt being considered before DiCaprio, veteran actor Will Smith recently revealed that he was also offered the role, though he ended up rejecting it.
In a recent interview with the UK-based radio station Kiss Xtra, Will Smith opened up about being offered the role by Christopher Nolan. He admitted that he rejected the film because, like many avid fans of Inception, he ‘did not get it’. The 2010 sci-fi action heist deals with themes of reality, mind control and dreams, resulting in a somewhat disorienting and bizarre viewing experience.
The film boasts a stellar cast and Will Smith would’ve had the opportunity to star alongside Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy if he had accepted the role. Reportedly, Christopher Nolan had wanted to work with Leonardo DiCaprio before and had already approached him once for Inception. Will Smith’s refusal gave them a perfect opportunity for the collaboration to finally take place.
In the interview, he mentioned that movies about alternate realities often didn’t ‘pitch well’, but that this also ‘hurt’ him.
“I don’t think I’ve ever said it publicly,”, he remarked, “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.”
Upon its release, Inception collected over $800 million USD worldwide and is hailed as one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time. It holds a rating of 8.8 on IMDb and 87% approval ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.
Other prominent roles rejected by Will Smith
Will Smith admits that Christopher Nolan’s Inception is not his only regrettable rejection. He was also offered and turned down the role of Neo in the 1999 sci-fi film The Matrix, a role which was later portrayed to perfection by Keanu Reeves. Will Smith admits that the film’s success without him still ‘hurts’.
Will Smith also gave up the role of the titular character in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, another highly respected director in Hollywood. Smith explained the grounds for his rejection as being his unwillingness to participate in ‘a slavery film about vengeance’. The role was later given to Jamie Foxx.
Despite these missed opportunities, Will Smith has established himself amongst the greatest Hollywood stars with films like The Pursuit of Happyness, Men In Black, Ali and Hitch. He also won the 2022 Best Actor Oscar for his movie King Richard.
