Will Smith could have been The Matrix‘s star. Smith is a renowned Hollywood star, having become a dominant star through his show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Initially, Smith was viewed as a comic, constrained to comedy alone. Quickly, however, he proved that he also had the potential to be an action star. He wet his feet with the action-comedy Bad Boys (1995), then appeared in the full-scale action feature, Independence Day (1996). He even appeared in Men in Black (1997) as a leading man. There was one sci-fi action movie, however, that he turned down: The Matrix (1999).

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