this post was submitted on 26 May 2024

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TIL Madonna turned down a role in The Matrix, one of the biggest regrets of her career (www.billboard.com)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 75 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Maybe we don't live in the worst possible universe. Madonna and Will Smith in the Matrix, everybody using the Hulk Hogan Grill, Stallone as Axel Foley, OJ as the Terminator. I guess I'm ok with where we are now.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

We'd probably be talking about different awesome movies with actors we've currently never heard of!

[–] [email protected] 61 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I have no particular hate for Madonna, but even as someone who watched the movies she did do when they were new, I am doubtful that Madonna would have made the Matrix better.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I was going to say, "much to the regret of no one else."

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

I regret it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Who was she supposed to play here? Trinity?

Edit: read the article, yes, Trinity.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Will Smith passed on playing Neo in The Matrix to do... Wild Wild West. He had previously said it was his biggest regret in acting.

[+] [email protected] -21 points 5 months ago (5 children)

Nah, I'm glad he did WWW instead. I'm just not seeing him in The Matrix, but as someone who grew up watching WWW, Will nailed James West, and I thank him for that.

Unpopular Opinion Time: WWW is a better movie than The Matrix, because it doesn't try to be more than it is - a goofy, silly, wild west meets new technology time... Just like the TV show was. The Matrix tried too hard, took itself too seriously and instead delivered tropes as if they were messages from beyond. I cringed when I saw it. The action was fun, but oof, that story. At least WWW could laugh at itself.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Most definitely an unpopular opinion. When the Matrix originally released it was a technical marvel, that moment Neo is dodging the bullets in slow motion was incredible. I think as the years have gone on the story has lost some of its charm because the wachowskis have been butchering the franchise to try and protect it in some strange way. As a standalone movie The Matrix story and technical implementation were phenomenal, as soon as they made sequels, and other movies started to copycat, it began to lose that magic

[–] [email protected] 24 points 5 months ago

I walked into it totally blind, to a an almost empty theater on a weekday afternoon. I had no idea about the plot, but I was bored, and liked Johnny Mnemonic, and sci-fi in general, so.. fuck it, let's watch a movie.

One on the most enjoyable and pleasant surprises of my life.

[+] [email protected] -25 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Technically it was a marvel. Visually stunning.

I saw it with some coworkers who were 15 years younger than me, and one of our managers who was 25 years older than me.

He and I looked at each other in the first 15 minutes and just shook our heads. Our younger coworkers were awed.

It was a lame conflation of a bunch of myths that I'd read in books written in the 50's and 60's, and some stuff taken from different religions.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

He and I looked at each other in the first 15 minutes and just shook our heads.

That never happened. You're either just trolling or just severely revising history. My bet is trolling.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Yesh, the first 15 mins is all action and then suspense as Neo gets the message about following the rabbit. Other than stylish execution, standard action movie stuff.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago

I have some bad news for you. The books written in the 50s and 60s were inspired by prior books and included stuff taken from different religions.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 5 months ago

The Matrix didn't take itself too seriously in my opinion. You didn't see the Wachowski's flaunting their film as if it were some auteur bullshit like you might see Zack Snyder do today. They did something new and they did it well. So well that it permanently left a mark on the genre.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If you watch the matrix now after so many copy cats it loses its magic, but at the time it was thought provoking.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Eh, only if you hadn't read any sci fi before in your life.

As someone who grew up steeped in the Big Three, it was nothing mindblowing

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

It was for movie goers who may not read sci-fi. I remember many colleages and some family members freaking out a bit "Like what if we are just in a simulation/hologram existance?" a bit of existential dread/anxiety from it.