Fresh Prince of Zion?

Was I the last person on earth to learn that Will Smith turned down the part of Neo in The Matrix? I guess that I should not have been surprised to learn this--he was probably offered every sci-fi/action leading male role in that era (The Matrix was released in 1999).

No surprise--I loved The Matrix. Though Smith rightly plays it humble and says that Keanu Reeves did a much better job than he could have, I can't help but think that The Matrix (and certainly its less impressive sequels) would have been just a touch better had Smith been involved. Keanu Reeves was clearly the weakest link in all three films. Thankfully, The Matrix was more story and action driven than character driven, or we wouldn't even be having this conversation.