Will turned down the Django cuz his character would've been second fiddle to the bounty hunter
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KingJamal
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http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/25/showbiz/movies/will-smith-django-unchained-ew/index.html
When Quentin Tarantino's western revenge-fantasy "Django Unchained" was first announced, casting rumors pegged Will Smith as the titular slave-turned-vigilante.
But Smith, who teams with his son Jaden in this summer's sci-fi epic "After Earth," tells EW that he turned down the part because his character would've been second fiddle to the bounty hunter (played by Christoph Waltz) who teaches Django his trade.
"Django wasn't the lead, so it was like, I need to be the lead. The other character was the lead!" says the "Men in Black" star, whose departure opened the door for Jamie Foxx to play the role.
Smith says that before he left the project, he even pleaded with Tarantino to let Django have a more central role in the story.
"I was like, 'No, Quentin, please, I need to ? the bad guy!'" (Ironically, Waltz was considered a supporting actor during his Oscar-winning award season, while Jamie Foxx was promoted as the movie's lead.)
But no hard feelings: Smith was a big fan of the final product. "I thought it was brilliant," he says. "Just not for me."
When Quentin Tarantino's western revenge-fantasy "Django Unchained" was first announced, casting rumors pegged Will Smith as the titular slave-turned-vigilante.
But Smith, who teams with his son Jaden in this summer's sci-fi epic "After Earth," tells EW that he turned down the part because his character would've been second fiddle to the bounty hunter (played by Christoph Waltz) who teaches Django his trade.
"Django wasn't the lead, so it was like, I need to be the lead. The other character was the lead!" says the "Men in Black" star, whose departure opened the door for Jamie Foxx to play the role.
Smith says that before he left the project, he even pleaded with Tarantino to let Django have a more central role in the story.
"I was like, 'No, Quentin, please, I need to ? the bad guy!'" (Ironically, Waltz was considered a supporting actor during his Oscar-winning award season, while Jamie Foxx was promoted as the movie's lead.)
But no hard feelings: Smith was a big fan of the final product. "I thought it was brilliant," he says. "Just not for me."
Comments
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Damn Will telling it like it is. Big ups to Will
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... ehh will is cool.. but hes a scientologist and a safe ? ... i think that guides his choices.... he aint saying nothing.. it was better it wasnt him.. not sayin i dont like will just disagree on this tip
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Like I said in the already established, official Django Unchained thread...Django is only like the 4th most interesting character in that movie. I don't blame Will Smith. If my character's name is in the title, and i'm ? WILL SMITH...I better be the star.
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will is that dude but it woulda been odd with him in it.....everything happens for a reason
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It worked out better without Will anyway. Sam Jack and Leo was the stars to me anyway Django was the vehicle into the world.
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Like I said in the already established, official Django Unchained thread...Django is only like the 4th most interesting character in that movie. I don't blame Will Smith. If my character's name is in the title, and i'm ? WILL SMITH...I better be the star.
To you maybe, but that doesnt change the fact that the movie is about Django which makes him the star. Problem with Will is he has too much ego. More than he should have. His ego is what made him blow a milli when he was a huge rap star.
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playmaker88 wrote: »... ehh will is cool.. but hes a scientologist and a safe ? ... i think that guides his choices.... he aint saying nothing.. it was better it wasnt him.. not sayin i dont like will just disagree on this tip
Exactly. His ego plus his safe ass choices is what prevented the dude from spreading his wings a bit by taking on a more challenging role than he's accustomed to. He's just saving face. This is a ? excuse considering how many movies there are where the lead actor has less screen time than the supporting players (Goodfellas, The Godfather and Burton's Batman come to mind for example). It's about the impact the lead actor leaves throughout the picture overall not how many times we literally see them on screen.
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herbalism101 wrote: »Like I said in the already established, official Django Unchained thread...Django is only like the 4th most interesting character in that movie. I don't blame Will Smith. If my character's name is in the title, and i'm ? WILL SMITH...I better be the star.
To you maybe, but that doesnt change the fact that the movie is about Django which makes him the star. Problem with Will is he has too much ego. More than he should have. His ego is what made him blow a milli when he was a huge rap star.
You can be the "star", and still be upstaged. Anybody will tell you that Leo DiCaprio, Sam Jack and Christopher Waltz upstaged Jamie Foxx in that movie. -
How You Gonna Have A House ? Play Grizzled Bounty Hunter Out For Revenge?
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Will is the same person who turned down the role of Neo. lol
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Anti_matter wrote: »Will is the same person who turned down the role of Neo. lol
Will Smith's career >>>> Keanu Reeve's career -
Anti_matter wrote: »Will is the same person who turned down the role of Neo. lol
Will Smith's career >>>> Keanu Reeve's career
That statement is true, even if Will's career ended with Fresh Prince.
Neo is the only role in Keanu's career worth remembering, and I don't think it was because of his acting. -
ROZAYTABERNACLE wrote: »Anti_matter wrote: »Will is the same person who turned down the role of Neo. lol
Will Smith's career >>>> Keanu Reeve's career
That statement is true, even if Will's career ended with Fresh Prince.
Neo is the only role in Keanu's career worth remembering, and I don't think it was because of his acting.
Devils Advocate?
Besides that you're correct. -
playmaker88 wrote: »... ehh will is cool.. but hes a scientologist and a safe ? ... i think that guides his choices.... he aint saying nothing.. it was better it wasnt him.. not sayin i dont like will just disagree on this tip
/thread. -
there just wasn't enough will smith in the movie for Will Smith to be in the movie. thats basically what he's saying.
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wilberdmillz wrote: »ROZAYTABERNACLE wrote: »Anti_matter wrote: »Will is the same person who turned down the role of Neo. lol
Will Smith's career >>>> Keanu Reeve's career
That statement is true, even if Will's career ended with Fresh Prince.
Neo is the only role in Keanu's career worth remembering, and I don't think it was because of his acting.
Devils Advocate?
Besides that you're correct.
SPEED -
Bill and Ted
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Anti_matter wrote: »Will is the same person who turned down the role of Neo. lol
Will Smith's career >>>> Keanu Reeve's career
way to step out on a limb there -
If it had him fighting aliens he would have jumped on it
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ROZAYTABERNACLE wrote: »Anti_matter wrote: »Will is the same person who turned down the role of Neo. lol
Will Smith's career >>>> Keanu Reeve's career
That statement is true, even if Will's career ended with Fresh Prince.
Neo is the only role in Keanu's career worth remembering, and I don't think it was because of his acting.
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure? Point Break? Speed? A Scanner Darkly? Thumbsucker? My Own Private Idaho? Devils Advocate? Street Kings (ok, the film wasn't great but Keanu Reeves's performance in that is actually impressive)? As limited as his acting range is the man has done good with what he's got and the opportunities he's taken. Agreeing to be in The Matrix when everyone else turned it down being one of them.
As nice a guy as Will Smith is he could seriously deflate his ego a bit and afford to take more of a risk with his film choices. With Will Smith trying to emulate Tom Cruise in becoming a film megastar; at least Tom Cruise has taken on supporting roles or more edgier roles at the height of his power. Even Leonardo DiCaprio was smart enough to take a supporting role in Django Unchained. Maybe the sheer magnitude of Christoph Waltz's performance in the film (and he was brilliant) made it seem like he was the lead, but Django was always written and intended as the lead so I'm not buying Will Smith's excuse. -
Guess I need to watch Bill and Ted again, dont remember it that well.
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he didnt want the role because it didnt jive with his image...smith will never star in a movie deemed controversial...i aint knockin his hustle though....son is caked
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themadlionsfan wrote: »he didnt want the role because it didnt jive with his image...smith will never star in a movie deemed controversial...
True ? ..
and sometimes you just gotta be apart of something.. -
and after all that stuff, the white man still takes home the Oscar in a ? movie about slaves smh. That's why Will didnt want it.
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and after all that stuff, the white man still takes home the Oscar in a ? movie about slaves smh. That's why Will didnt want it.
Will ain't saying the REAL reason why he ain't playing as Django: cause he's a slave. Will's mental scope is far better than a ? slave. He was the lead actor in many films and since he is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, it would be pretty damn degrading to see him in chains speaking broken English.
With a Rick Ross track playing on the background.
In a slavery movie.
Where the N word is dropped more times than a rap album. By white people.
Will Smith is an inspiration to black entertainers everywhere. He and Denzel will never ? up in chains.
