Will Smith Reveals He Rejected Christopher Nolan's Inception: 'I Don't Think I've Ever Even Said It Publicly Before'

Will Smith has revealed wherefore helium turned down Christopher Nolan’s Inception, speaking connected the grounds astir the determination for the archetypal time.

Inception is simply a 2010 sci-fi heist movie that revolves astir mind-bending trips into dreams. The reality-shifting communicative sees a radical of characters invade a target’s subconscious successful bid to perpetrate an enactment of firm espionage. But by the end, aggregate layers down, the imagination heist turns into thing of a nightmare.

Nolan was reported to person gone to Brad Pitt for Inception’s starring relation first, past Smith, earlier yet landing connected Leonardo DiCaprio. Now, 15 years aft the movie came out, Smith has spoken for the archetypal clip astir wherefore helium rejected Nolan’s pitch.

“I don’t deliberation I’ve ever adjacent said it publically before,” Smith began successful an interrogation connected UK vigor presumption Kiss Xtra.

“Chris Nolan brought maine Inception first, and I didn’t get it. I’ve ne'er said that retired loud. Now that I deliberation astir it, it’s those movies that spell into those alternate realities, they don’t transportation well. But I’m wounded by those two.”

The “those two” remark relates to Smith’s high-profile rejection of Neo successful 1999's The Matrix, which helium has spoken astir a fig of times implicit the years. The revelation that helium besides turned down Inception due to the fact that helium “didn’t get it” present adds to the database of blockbuster films Smith regrets rejecting implicit the people of his acting career. Inception went connected to marque a immense $839 cardinal astatine the planetary container office, and is 1 of Leonardo DiCaprio’s astir iconic roles.

Inception's spinning totem apical ending is notorious for failing to clarify the quality of the movie's events (is this existent oregon a dream?), but successful 2023 Nolan insisted the eventual takeaway from the communicative is that Leonardo DiCaprio's quality Cobb, who is yet reunited with his family, doesn’t attraction either way, which is wherefore helium doesn't crook backmost to look astatine whether the spinning totem falls oregon continues spinning.

While Smith has leaned into his The Matrix rejection, adjacent utilizing it to tease what ended up being a opus with Big Sean, this is the archetypal clip he’s spoken astir skipping Inception. But portion admitting "I'm wounded by those two," Smith is nary alien to sci-fi films, having starred successful classics specified arsenic Independence Day, Men successful Black, and I Am Legend.

Photo by Pablo Cuadra/WireImage.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].