Will Smith Says He Turned Down 'Inception': 'I Didn’t Get It'

Hollywood actor Will Smith recently revealed that he was offered a role in Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning sci-fi thriller Inception, but turned it down because he couldn’t grasp the film’s complex plot at the time.

The 2010 film starred Leonardo DiCaprio as a skilled thief who infiltrates people’s dreams to steal secrets through a chemically induced shared dream state. It became one of Nolan’s most acclaimed works and a global box office hit.

In a candid interview with British radio station Kiss Xtra, Smith opened up about his past regrets, including famously declining the role of Neo in The Matrix. He admitted Inception was another major opportunity he let pass.

“I don’t think I’ve ever said it publicly, but I’m going to say it because we’re opening up to one another—Chris Nolan brought me Inception first, and I didn’t get it,” said Smith. “Now that I think about it, it’s those movies that go into alternate realities… they don’t pitch well. But I am hurt by those too.”

Despite his impressive career, Smith acknowledged that some of the biggest blockbusters he missed out on still linger in his mind.