[GUEST ACCESS MODE: Data is scrambled or limited to provide examples. Make requests using your API key to unlock full data. Check https://lunarcrush.ai/auth for authentication information.]  CineSummary [@cinesummary](/creator/twitter/cinesummary) on x XX followers Created: 2025-07-23 16:08:03 UTC Will Smith Reveals He Turned Down Inception: “I Didn’t Get It” In a surprising revelation more than a decade after the release of Inception, Will Smith has opened up about why he passed on Christopher Nolan’s now-iconic 2010 sci-fi thriller. Speaking in a recent interview on UK radio station Kiss Xtra, Smith confessed, “Chris Nolan brought me Inception first, and I didn’t get it. I’ve never said that out loud.” Smith, best known for sci-fi blockbusters like Independence Day, Men in Black, and I Am Legend, added, “Now that I think about it, it’s those movies that go into those alternate realities, they don’t pitch well. But I’m hurt by those two.” The second film he’s referring to? The Matrix, another high-profile project he infamously turned down — a role that eventually went to Keanu Reeves and defined a generation of genre cinema. Before Inception landed Leonardo DiCaprio as its lead Dom Cobb, both Brad Pitt and Will Smith were reportedly approached. DiCaprio’s portrayal of the dream thief seeking redemption through subconscious espionage ultimately helped propel the film to $XXX million at the global box office and earned it a place as one of the most iconic sci-fi thrillers of the 21st century. Even XX years after release, the film’s final scene — with Cobb’s spinning totem top — remains a pop culture Rorschach test. In 2023, Nolan clarified that the core of Inception’s ending wasn’t about whether Cobb is in a dream or not: “He doesn’t care. That’s the point.” Smith’s admission adds Inception to a growing list of major films he passed on and now regrets — though he’s always been candid about these moments. He once poked fun at skipping The Matrix in a humorous video, even rapping about it alongside Big Sean. Still, hearing that Inception was another near miss sheds new light on how even the biggest stars sometimes struggle to spot a classic in the making. Whether it was too complex a pitch or just poor timing, Smith’s honesty underscores something every actor faces: not every “no” is easy to live with.  XX engagements  **Related Topics** [will smith](/topic/will-smith) [Post Link](https://x.com/cinesummary/status/1948052497358033307)
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CineSummary @cinesummary on x XX followers
Created: 2025-07-23 16:08:03 UTC
Will Smith Reveals He Turned Down Inception: “I Didn’t Get It”
In a surprising revelation more than a decade after the release of Inception, Will Smith has opened up about why he passed on Christopher Nolan’s now-iconic 2010 sci-fi thriller. Speaking in a recent interview on UK radio station Kiss Xtra, Smith confessed, “Chris Nolan brought me Inception first, and I didn’t get it. I’ve never said that out loud.”
Smith, best known for sci-fi blockbusters like Independence Day, Men in Black, and I Am Legend, added, “Now that I think about it, it’s those movies that go into those alternate realities, they don’t pitch well. But I’m hurt by those two.” The second film he’s referring to? The Matrix, another high-profile project he infamously turned down — a role that eventually went to Keanu Reeves and defined a generation of genre cinema.
Before Inception landed Leonardo DiCaprio as its lead Dom Cobb, both Brad Pitt and Will Smith were reportedly approached. DiCaprio’s portrayal of the dream thief seeking redemption through subconscious espionage ultimately helped propel the film to $XXX million at the global box office and earned it a place as one of the most iconic sci-fi thrillers of the 21st century.
Even XX years after release, the film’s final scene — with Cobb’s spinning totem top — remains a pop culture Rorschach test. In 2023, Nolan clarified that the core of Inception’s ending wasn’t about whether Cobb is in a dream or not: “He doesn’t care. That’s the point.”
Smith’s admission adds Inception to a growing list of major films he passed on and now regrets — though he’s always been candid about these moments. He once poked fun at skipping The Matrix in a humorous video, even rapping about it alongside Big Sean. Still, hearing that Inception was another near miss sheds new light on how even the biggest stars sometimes struggle to spot a classic in the making.
Whether it was too complex a pitch or just poor timing, Smith’s honesty underscores something every actor faces: not every “no” is easy to live with.
XX engagements
Related Topics will smith