The 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' admits to rejecting Neo role, joining the big stars like Will Smith, Nicolas Cage, Val Kilmer, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Johnny Depp.
- Jan 24, 2020
AceShowbiz - Brad Pitt has joined the stars who turned down Keanu Reeves' role in "The Matrix".
The "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" actor reflected on the parts he passed over while accepting the Maltin Modern Master Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in California on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, and confessed he was up for the character of Neo in the 1999 blockbuster.
"I really believe it (part) was never mine," Pitt shared. "It's someone else's and they go and make it. I really do believe in that... but I did pass on The Matrix."
Will Smith, Nicolas Cage, Val Kilmer, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Johnny Depp were also in talks to star in the film, which spawned two sequels, and last year 2019, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura told The Wrap that even Reeves' "Speed" co-star Sandra Bullock was approached to front the film.
"We went out to so many people... We were getting desperate," Bonaventura told the website. "We went to Sandy Bullock and said 'We'll change Neo to a girl.' We sent her the script to see if she was interested in it. And if she was interested in it we would try to make the change. It just wasn't something for her at the time. So really it didn't go anywhere."
Reeves and his old "The Matrix" castmates, Carrie-Anne Moss and Jada Pinkett Smith, are currently circling the start date for a third sequel.
