'The Matrix' and other iconic films that Will Smith turned down.

Will Smith has been one of Hollywood's biggest stars for the last twenty years. During this time, he has participated in major and successful franchises, starred in powerful melodramatic films, demonstrated his comedic talent, and much more.

Since attention to Will Smith comes from both audiences and top Hollywood executives, the actor was offered a huge number of roles that he had to turn down for various reasons. Today, we invite you to recall 5 of the coolest roles in which we could have seen Will Smith.

The Matrix (1999)

The most famous story about Will Smith turning down a role is related to his potential participation in 'The Matrix'. The actor himself admitted that he was intrigued by the project but didn't fully understand the vision of the Wachowskis at the time, couldn't imagine how the slow-motion would work, etc.

In the end, instead of 'The Matrix', Smith starred in 'Wild Wild West', one of his biggest flops. Nevertheless, the actor notes that the Wachowskis' creation worked out just as it did, largely thanks to Keanu Reeves.

Rush Hour (1998)

It's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Jackie Chan's partner in the 1998 action comedy besides Chris Tucker, but that someone could very well have been Will Smith. Even more interesting is that the role was also offered to Martin Lawrence, Smith's buddy from 'Bad Boys'!

The success of 'Rush Hour' was largely built on the chemistry between Tucker and Chan, so we should be grateful that Smith turned down the project, especially since he had already starred in the aforementioned and equally iconic buddy movie about extravagant cops three years earlier.

K-PAX (2001)

Will Smith often looks great and natural in sci-fi films, but that can't be said for 'K-PAX' because the actor simply refused to star in it.

In a 2007 interview with MTV, Smith confirmed that he could have played the role that eventually went to Kevin Spacey. He said he was crazy about the script and wasn't afraid to try something new for himself, but in the end, the project went ahead without the popular action hero of the late '90s.

Superman Returns (2006)

It's not so hard to believe such an offer now, but in the mid-2000s, inviting Will Smith to play America's top superhero, Superman, seemed almost crazy. The actor politely declined, understanding the wave of negativity from comic book fans that could come his way.

Later, Will Smith did play the superhero Hancock and portrayed Deadshot on screen in 'Suicide Squad' (also not the blackest guy in comics, by the way), while Superman was played by Brandon Routh. It seems Smith came out ahead by turning this one down.

Django Unchained (2012)

There are so many top-tier stars in Hollywood who could have played the title role in Quentin Tarantino's high-profile project. But obviously, Will Smith was up to the task. The actor turned down the role after reading the script. It seemed to him (not without reason) that Django was not the lead character in the film, while the main part belonged to Dr. Schultz (played by Christoph Waltz). He shared this in an interview with EW.

Smith's assumptions largely proved true: Waltz won an Oscar and a slew of other awards for his role, while Jamie Foxx, who played Django, wasn't even nominated.

In which of these films do you think Will Smith would have looked best?