Why Will Smith Turned Down Django Unchained
When word got out that Will Smith turned down the lead role in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, it seemed like the actor’s worst career move since he decided to do Wild Wild West in favor of The Matrix. Smith recently talked to The Hollywood Reporter and elaborated on why he rejected the part.
“It was about the creative direction of the story,” he said. “To me, it’s as perfect a story as you could ever want: a guy that learns how to kill to retrieve his wife that has been taken as a slave. That idea is perfect. And it was just that Quentin and I couldn’t see [eye to eye].”
Smith went on to say, “I wanted to make that movie so badly, but I felt the only way was, it had to be a love story, not a vengeance story. We can’t look at what happens in Paris [the terrorist attacks] and want to f— somebody up for that. Violence begets violence. I just couldn’t connect to violence being the answer. Love had to be the answer.”
The role of Django ultimately went to Jamie Foxx. Meanwhile, Smith chose to do Men in Black III, which was a critical and financial success. Of course the same thing can’t be said about After Earth, which Smith starred in the following year.