Here are some photos of Brad Pitt at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Maltin Modern Master Award thing. It was basically a Q&A session or “conversation with” event for Brad. He spoke about his career and various films he’s proud of, he joked about Fight Club and other stuff. What’s interesting is that he also talked about a film he passed on! Jennifer Lopez did this recently too and she blew my mind when she said she was offered Unfaithful and she turned it down. Now Brad says he was offered Neo in The Matrix:
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” star Brad Pitt was feted at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Wednesday for his superstar career filled with wildly successful performances. But his evening of career retrospective while receiving the Leonard Maltin Modern Master Award would not have been complete without discussing the culturally dominant film that he did NOT appear in. “The Matrix.”
During the stage interview, moderator Maltin pushed a highly reluctant Pitt to name one role he had passed on. Finally, Pitt agreed to give just one. “I did pass on ‘The Matrix,'” said Pitt, as the sold-out film festival theater audience roared. Without missing a beat he added with a smile, “I took the red pill.That’s the only one I’m naming.”
Last year, during the 20th anniversary of “The Matrix,” producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura said Pitt was one of a handful of A-list stars considered for the Neo role — including Sandra Bullock, Will Smith and Leonardo DiCaprio — before it was given to Keanu Reeves. Pitt made it clear he had the offer and was at the top of the list. “I wasn’t offered two or three. Only the first one,” he said. “Just to clarify that.”
“I come from a place, maybe it’s my upbringing, if I didn’t get it, then it wasn’t mine,” he said. “I really believe (the role) was never mine. It’s not mine. It was someone else’s and they go and make it. I really do believe in that.” Pitt added with a laugh, “If we were doing a show on the great movies I’ve passed on, we would need two nights.”
Weirdly, I believe Brad was offered the role, but I bet he wasn’t the first choice? The ‘90s were crazy, but one thing has remained the same for decades: Leo DiCaprio is generally offered every script first. It’s true. I don’t like that it’s true, but it is. Was Brad the #2 choice? Hm. Anyway, Brad would have been awful in it and I’m glad Keanu eventually got it. Another sliding door casting decision: Angelina Jolie initially passed on Mr. and Mrs. Smith, then the role went to Nicole Kidman, then Kidman left and it came back to Angelina, who finally agreed to it. So… imagine if Nicole had done that movie? I mean…
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
This isn’t Brad’s best look…what happened?
Face aged, wig didn’t. They need to thin it out slightly at the hairline, add some gray to the temples, streak some gray throughout. If he starts now, he won’t ever get to John Travolta status. But it already reads somewhat oddly to keep ageless hair.
Is that seriously a wig???
I wear wigs literally everyday. That’s not a wig. The issue is the color. It’s clear he is gray (you can even see the roots in pics from the SAG awards). This color no longer works for him. He needs to go darker.
I think there’s a plan to re-boot Harry Potter and he’s in line to play Rufus Scrimgeour. That’s the only explanation I can come up with.
I doubt it’s a wig but it is way too blond, he needs to add some gray.
@Sarah SO CRAZY i was just thinking of that!! The whole “grizzled lion” thing
He’s slowly turning into whatever happened to Pacino.
Thank heavens cause I love me some Keanu, but I strangely can see brad as an agent.
I believe him….because I even wondered that back then…especially after he did “12 Monkeys”…I’m just glad it worked out the way it did….
Neo would have been different. That’s for sure.
I also read somewhere the top casting choice for Neo was Will Smith.
Will Smith would’ve worked, but I’m glad it boosted Keanu’s career. I’ve watched it so many times lol. I’m funny about trilogies. I have to watch each one, in order and altogether.
same….we go on massive binges, especially when home sick with a cold. Just finished John Wick 2 and tonight will be John Wick 3…
I think Will has talked about turning it down too.
I could see him in the role maybe, but not really Pitt.
But it ended up going to the right person, for sure.
WS turned it down for the forgettable Wild, Wild West.
Is that his wax figure?
I thought the same thing. Waxy!
I think brad should now go for that viggo mortensen, mads mikkelsen look.
Yeah, he needs to change it up. His overly youthful hair is making the rest of him look desiccated. He would definitely look better grey. To me. Mind you, I think there’s a shared body dysmorphia among Hollywood types where they think this kind of obvious fakeness is a Good Look And Very Convincing. So I wouldn’t be surprised if he keeps it up, he’s always been one to go along to get along.
Love brad all the best!
Just give him his oscar so we don’t have to keep hearing his stuff…
And as far as blue pills go I bet her takes them now (viagara,I mean).
Boom! Sting! LOL, you aren’t wrong. . .
Deyamn ow hahaha
Did he age 10 years since the Golden Globes? I thought he looked shockingly good a few weeks back, and here he looks very different.
He mentioned that he has the flu, so that may account for it.
Right? Was it all makeup and mortician’s wax? I don’t criticize people for aging, it comes for us all, but it’s the juxtaposition from just 3 weeks ago that made me do a double take.
I’m so over this guy. His award insult about his ex nailed it for me.
He was an asshole about Jennifer Aniston back in the day as well. Now they’re best buds again. (eyeroll). It’s all for his Oscar.
But yeah, insulting your ex wife is a dick move, especially the one you left your first wife for and had children with her to boot.
I dont think Brad is a bad actor. I think he can be quite good, especially with the right material. Having said that- he would have been AWFUL in The Matrix. It’s funny all the actors who turned down the Neo role said that they basically didnt “get it”. Which for me speaks volumes – about them. Lol.
Ugh, just give him his Oscar so we don’t have to see his face.
Bro could only have been Keanu. ❤️❤️❤️
Will Smith has a great story about how he was pitched hard for the Matrix and turned it down. He even animated it.
https://ew.com/movies/2019/02/14/will-smith-the-matrix/
The Wachowski sisters have said that the reason they gave the Neo part to Keanu Reeves was because he was the first actor to understand the script. And I believe that.
Will Smith said he was supposed to be Neo and Val Kilmer would have been Morpheus. Will turned The Matrix down to do Wild Wild West LOL.
Matthew McCoughnay turned down Jack role in Titanic to work with Steven Spielberg in Amistad.
Denzel turned down Brad Pitts role in Seven.
I like reading what roles other actors passed on.
Wow, I really can’t see him in that role. It doesn’t help that Keanu is so iconically linked to Neo that it pretty much makes it impossible to imagine *anyone* but him in that role. With reference to Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Nicole Kidman, I also remember reading that Johnny Depp was attached at one point (it would have been him & Nicole) but he dropped out which is when BP came on board. Crazy how things work out sometimes.
He dropped out of Mr and Mrs Smith when Nicole Kidman couldn’t do it. Then Angelina Jolie signed up to the role and he came back.
I can’t stand this man, how everyone laughed and adored his SAG abusive speech. Glorifying his unhappiness,wife killing drug addeld drunk, was a cheap shot at Angelina’s expense. Shame on all the people who laughed and accepted the speech as if it was a great funny speech. It was offensive and abusive especially towards Angelina and her kids would have heard about it by how naive their father is acting
Because took the red pill…He said so himself.
He hates women and has just been hiding this fact his whole life. His fake wokeness is just for PR. Prior to Paul Walker, Brad also dated a 15 year old at age 24 and again a 16 year old at age 27: Shalane McCall and Juliette Lewis. Anyone without that perfect face of his would have been called a serial predator.
Yeah, I noticed that red pill comment too.
I wonder if anyone else would have the devotion to the role Keanu did. He trained for months for his “I know kung fu” moment, but shortly before starting training he had a neck operation. There are videos of him training while wearing a neck brace. I would have been scared to death of doing some serious injury to my neck.
Fun bit of trivia-he appeared on the Rosie O’Donnell show promoting something and she asked him what’s next. He said he was going off to do a little kung fu sci fi movie. Pretty big little movie it turned out.
We don’t insist on women going grey as part of aging so why is everyone so adamant he needs to ?
Schadenfreude i guess but it doesn’t bother me that he’s losing his looks.
He’s not a gentleman and doesn’t deserve the forever-pass he seems to hold with everyone.
https://disq.us/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.themarysue.com%2Fteamaniston-teamjolie-the-biases-of-feminism%2F%3ABXVxqOGrtJD1khEbpnLjAbQXFEM&cuid=5849092
His new look is I don’t have a girlfriend to morph into. Someone tell me what to do!
He would have been terrible. He destroyed both of his marriages and somehow the two women he was married to get more flack than anyone. Why is that. He is the ultimate POS AND APPARENTLY PROUD OF IT. He is a fraud and poser. I seriously want him to go back into the hole he crawled out of and leave Aniston. Jolie and his kids alone as a matter of fact. A detriment to all of them involved.
Good. I’d have hated the movies if he had.