Will Smith as Neo?!?

shanghairay · #1 08-24-2007, 08:14 PM

A friend mentioned that Will Smith turned down playing Neo in the matrix, and it was his biggest regret as an actor.

Anyway I went onto IMDb and sure enough it's true. I then watched the matrix, kind of imagining that Will smith was the lead instead of Keanu. I just didn't see it.

Would he have been a good neo? I felt like the lifeless "acting" of Keanu, if you like it or not, was pretty good for the part, and that maybe the movie was "lucky" Will ended up turning it down.
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NT! · #2 08-24-2007, 08:18 PM

I'll be the first to say that I don't think the movie would do as well with two black male lead actors. Not in that genre and with that storyline.

Not that it wouldn't be a good movie, because even though I think Will Smith sucks he's better than Keanu Reeves, but purely because of demographic appeal and the willingness of the film's audience to accept a black guy as a Christ figure.

DonkeyKongSr · #3 08-24-2007, 08:22 PM

I think just about any actor in Hollywood could have played Neo by dumbing down their acting. Keanu is naturally dumbed down. Keanu definitely didn't make the movie the success it was.

Keanu has been good only in the Bill & Ted series and Point Break.

IggyWH · #4 08-24-2007, 08:22 PM

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I felt like the lifeless "acting" of Keanu, if you like it or not, was pretty good for the part, and that maybe the movie was "lucky" Will ended up turning it down.
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I agree completely. Not that I don't think Will Smith would do a bad job, but he's a very animated guy. Keanu's "I'm [censored] stoned out of my mind" acting style fit the role perfectly IMO.

shanghairay · #5 08-24-2007, 08:34 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I'll be the first to say that I don't think the movie would do as well with two black male lead actors. Not in that genre and with that storyline.

Not that it wouldn't be a good movie, because even though I think Will Smith sucks he's better than Keanu Reeves, but purely because of demographic appeal and the willingness of the film's audience to accept a black guy as a Christ figure.

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sad but true. however, i'm not sure a half asian is the prototypical christ figure either [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

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I think just about any actor in Hollywood could have played Neo by dumbing down their acting. Keanu is naturally dumbed down. Keanu definitely didn't make the movie the success it was.

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this isn't true. will smith "dumbed down" doesn't sound very interesting at all. what i mean is he said he turned down the movie and he regrets it, but i feel like if he played the role like keanu did, it wouldn't fit his image, and if he played it like the will smith in other movies, it would have taken away from the grandness/mystique of the role.

Klompy · #6 08-24-2007, 08:36 PM

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but i feel like if he played the role like keanu did, it wouldn't fit his image, and if he played it like the will smith in other movies, it would have taken away from the grandness/mystique of the role.

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Took the words out of my mouth.

I don't understand the half asian thing though, is keanu half asian?

amplify · #7 08-24-2007, 08:38 PM

Will Smith has played in too many smarmy wisecracking roles to pull off Neo. We'd constantly be waiting for him to be all like, "aight, agent smith 'n errything"

Though he did pull off Ali pretty well.

Daddy Warbucks · #8 08-24-2007, 08:42 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I'll be the first to say that I don't think the movie would do as well with two black male lead actors. Not in that genre and with that storyline.

Not that it wouldn't be a good movie, because even though I think Will Smith sucks he's better than Keanu Reeves, but purely because of demographic appeal and the willingness of the film's audience to accept a black guy as a Christ figure.

[/ QUOTE ]

But Jesus WAS black!

shanghairay · #9 08-24-2007, 08:44 PM

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I don't understand the half asian thing though, is keanu half asian?

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um, yes. surprised you didn't know, but i guess if you didn't, most of america doesn't either.

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Though he did pull off Ali pretty well.

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yes he did, but Ali was an outspoken charismatic person, and i was under the impression that neo is pretty much the opposite.

amplify · #10 08-24-2007, 08:44 PM

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But Jesus WAS black!

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nikka owes me $12!