Will Smith has added another “what if” to the long list of major roles he’s publicly admitted passing on. In a June 2025 interview with U.K. radio station Kiss Xtra, Smith said Christopher Nolan brought him Inception before the part ultimately went to Leonardo DiCaprio—but Smith walked away because the story didn’t click for him at the time.
“I didn’t get it,” Smith said, noting it’s not something he’d said publicly before. He framed it as a common problem with high-concept films that bend reality: they can be intense to explain in a pitch meeting, even when they later become cultural landmarks.
A Nolan “moving train” offer that kept rolling
Smith’s comments also revived a widely reported behind-the-scenes detail about how Nolan assembled his cast. A 2010 Hollywood Reporter piece described Nolan’s approach as fast-moving: the director reportedly offered the script to Brad Pitt first, wanted an answer quickly, and when that didn’t lock, moved to Smith—then to DiCaprio.
That kind of tight timeline is unusual for megastars who can typically take their time weighing projects. In the same reporting, industry sources suggested top actors aren’t always used to “boarding a moving train” on a decision, especially for something as unconventional (and hard to summarize) as Inception.
Why Smith says movies like Inception are tough to “pitch”
Smith didn’t claim the script was bad—his point was simpler and more human: he didn’t understand it in the moment. He also connected the experience to another famous near-miss: he’s previously said he turned down The Matrix after not vibing with the Wachowskis’ pitch, later choosing to do Wild Wild West instead.
In the Kiss Xtra conversation, Smith essentially bundled Inception and The Matrix into the same category: alternate-reality, brain-twisting ideas that can sound messy out loud, even if they’re brilliant on screen. He said he’s still “hurt” about passing on both.
The role that got away—and the film it became
The part Smith passed on was the lead role (Dom Cobb), which DiCaprio played in Nolan’s 2010 sci-fi heist thriller. What followed is the kind of outcome that makes “I didn’t get it” sting: Inception became a major box-office success and a perennial pop-culture reference point for dream logic, reality checks, and endings designed to keep audiences arguing.
Box Office Mojo lists Inception at about $828 million worldwide. Awards-wise, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences records the film as earning 8 Oscar nominations and 4 wins.
Not a career derailment—just a fascinating alternate timeline
It’s tempting to treat stories like this as career-defining mistakes. Realistically, Smith’s career didn’t collapse because he missed Inception—he’s had decades of global hits. But the confession is revealing for a different reason: even an A-list actor can misread a project when it’s still an idea in a room, before the casting, the edit, the score, and Nolan’s full execution make the vision feel inevitable.
And it underscores something Nolan’s own casting process hints at: Inception wasn’t a “safe yes.” If Pitt and Smith both hesitated, that’s not proof the film was unclear—it’s proof the film was risky, strange, and demanding at the commitment stage.
