Brad Pitt Reveals Why He Turned Down a Legendary Role

Brad Pitt has built a career full of unforgettable movie roles, but one part he passed on is getting people talking again. During the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the actor opened up about major roles he turned down over the years. One admission in particular has sci-fi fans buzzing: he said no to the lead role of Neo in the 1999 film The Matrix.

Pitt joked about the choice while speaking to the crowd, saying that he did pass on The Matrix and that I took the red pill. At the time, he was the studio’s first pick for Neo, but the role eventually went to Keanu Reeves, who has become completely linked to the iconic character.

Pitt made it clear he was only ever offered the original film and not any of the sequels, adding with his usual humility, if I didn’t get it, then it wasn’t mine. The reason Pitt passed on the film comes down to his own approach to acting.

He explained that he felt the role belonged to the person who ultimately played it, and he didn’t want to force it. That philosophy has guided him through a long career full of both huge hits and roles he chose to skip.

It’s easy to imagine how different The Matrix might have been if Pitt had accepted the part. The movie changed the way audiences saw science fiction, thanks to its iconic bullet-time effects and deep philosophical themes.

Instead, Pitt chose to star in Fight Club the same year, a movie that also became a cult classic and left a huge mark on late 90s cinema. Even as he approaches his mid-60s, Pitt is still working steadily.

He recently finished filming The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a $200 million Netflix sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, directed by David Fincher and written by Quentin Tarantino. He has also started filming a new drama, The Riders, in Hydra, Greece, directed by Edward Berger.

Pitt’s other recent hit, the racing film F1, performed exceptionally well after its late 2025 release and is now being considered for awards. Meanwhile, the Matrix franchise is moving forward without him. A fifth movie is in early development, with Drew Goddard attached to direct, though it’s still unknown if Keanu Reeves or Carrie-Anne Moss will return.

Brad Pitt’s choice to walk away from Neo might feel like a missed opportunity for some fans, but the actor seems at peace with the decision. It wasn’t mine, he said, showing the same grounded approach that has guided his career for decades.

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