Will Smith, the name is not unknown to the masses. Over the years, we have witnessed the Men In Black star establish himself as one of the most successful actors in the industry. And throughout his career, Smith has given innumerable hit films and starred in a plethora of popular shows. However, while the actor has a lot of memorable performances under his belt, Smith has also rejected some iconic roles. And it might surprise you to know, but Smith was even offered the role of Superman before Henry Cavill.

When we talk about iconic performances in Hollywood, one cannot forget Henry Cavill as Superman. Even after all these years, Cavill’s performance as Superman is still fresh in the audience’s minds. However, long before Cavill joined DC as the Man Of Steel, Smith was given the option of playing the character. He revealed how the franchise offered him the script of Superman Returns. The actor spoke in an interview with MTV in 2008, “There is no way I am playing Superman.” However, Smith chose not to star in the film and the role went on to Brandon Routh. Meanwhile, the reason why the Men In Black actor refused to play Superman is rather interesting.

As Smith spoke about the Superman script and how the offer came up to him, he added that his experience in Wild Wild West was one reason why he refused the script. The actor claimed, “You mess up white people’s heroes in Hollywood, and you’ll never work in this town again.” As we all know, Smith starred as Jim West in the 1999 action film and it was a major setback in his career. The film was a huge commercial failure. Despite the enormous costs involved in the making of the film, Wild Wild West had a very poor box office collection.

Will Smith rejected another popular role to play Jim West in Wild Wild West

Wild Wild West was one of the rare films that did not work out for Will Smith. Surprising as it sounds, Smith rejected the iconic role of Neo from the film Matrix. We are no strangers to the fact that the Matrix made Keanu Reeves the huge star he is today. However, back then, the actor felt that playing Jim West was a better option for him, but in the end, it did not go as the actor planned.

Previously, while speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, the actor even revealed how turning down Matrix for Wild Wild West “haunts him” to this day. Furthermore, the I Am Legend actor added how all the efforts he put in for Wild Wild West went in vain.

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