Will Smith's Question To His Younger Self Has To Do With Turning Down An Epic Role

BY Erika Marie 4.5K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Will Smith
One regrettable decision.

In the action-packed film Gemini Man, Will Smith's character is confronted by a younger, cloned version of himself. The premise has gotten fans thinking about what they would tell, or ask, their younger selves, and on the red carpet premiere of Gemini Man, Fox Chicago reporter Jake Hamilton wanted to know what question the actor would have for 20-something-year-old Will Smith.

"Oooh," Will said as he thought about his answer. "Probably Wild Wild West," he said as the movie set he would go back and visit. "I’d go back to the Wild Wild West [set] and I would say, 'Asshole, why didn’t you do The Matrix?" He then laughed at his own joke, but for those that didn't know, back in 1999, Will was approached by the Wachowskis, who only had one film to their name at the time, to star as Neo. The actor wasn't too impressed with the Wachowski's pitch, so he opted to film Wild Wild West over The Matrix

"It turns out they are geniuses," Will stated earlier this year when he talked about turning down the epic role. "Keanu was perfect, Laurence Fishburne was perfect," he added. "So I probably would have messed The Matrix up. I would have ruined it, so I did y’all a favor."


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.