I got struck some days back about an interesting little event in the life of Will Smith. Will Smith, also known as Fresh Prince, is a wonder to this generation. Few human beings have been privileged to make indelible marks in television, music and film industries. He not only featured, but starred in all three industries. Will Smith is also a top notch nominee for any movie that bothered on needing a lead masculine role for a sci-fi movie. Will Smith has featured in Men in Black, I, robot, Wild wild west, e.t.c. Will smith turned down his admission in MIT (he says he would have studied computer engineering) for his rap career.
What struck me particularly was the fact that he was first approached for the role of Neo in Matrix. He turned it down!
He was interviewed long after the film had become a big hit, wether or not he regretted turning down Matrix down. In his response, he mentioned that he didn’t have any regrets as he feels that he would have messed up some of the scenes in comparism to how Keanu Reeves performed. What caught me the most however, was a statement I read, that read like this, “Keanu was born for that role!” Wow!
I don’t know about you, but I feel like that at times. I engage in certain activities and I feel a deep connection with myself. I feel as though, I was born for times like that.
Every human being is unique! We all have different finger prints, all 6 billion plus of us. We all have different retina scans. We exist for different reasons, we are here to meet unique needs. We are all actors in life’s daily unfolding drama, and like Neo, we all have roles we were born to act. What makes us award winning actors, the delight of the audience and the thrill of future generations, is that we play roles that match our reason for being.
Nobody can be you like you can. You are number 1 at being you, nobody can beat you at being yourself. I have read quite a number of forums discussing about what Matrix would have looked like with talented, Will Smith in it. Many can’t picture it, it looks like it won’t work. You know why? Because it’s so difficult to imagine Matrix without Keanu Reeves in it. It’s an interesting phenomenum, but it sure contains a lot of food for thoughts.
1. The Matrix, launched Keanu into limelight in one blast – Start where you are, and find an opportunity to play your part in the drama of life. Key into your passion, talent, values and activity that gives you a sense of destiny, you will soon be heard!
2. It’s difficult to imagine another person in that role – When you function as you in the role you play at work, you become irreplaceable. Imagining someone else in your office becomes a comparism with you, not with the script.
3. Keanu is not as likeable as Will – When you function in your function, it won’t matter whether you are loved or not, Will is more popular and more loved than Keanu, but 98% of his fans will not agree that he would have acted Neo better than Keanu. If you are the one, you are the one (even the oracle will tell you that)
4. The Matrix revolutionalized some aspects of film production – When you play the role you were born to play, the world pays in hard currency to see you perform.
What role are you born to play, and what effort are you making to audition for it?
12 thoughts on “You were born for that role!”
Interesting read! I found the picture captivating. I guess that’s why it’s called a caption.
Will Smith is one guy I really admire. The first time I saw him on the screens was when he starred in Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I loved him immediately. He’s cool and I guess one of the things that really keeps him cool is the fact that he knows his make up and would not screw up by delving into things he’s not good at.
I really would not imagine Will Smith acting as Neo – never! It’s not his kind of role. I’ve seen some movies in which Keanu Reeves starred and it was a washout (apologies). I guess really it’s because he hadn’t discovered himself. Oh and if you’ve seen Johnny Mnemonic, you’ll understand my point. Oh and before I leave that out, Sweet November was a great movie.
I completely agree that everyone should discover their place. What would have happened if Will actually studied Computer Engineering? Everyone’s born a star but what makes some shine more than others? It’s simply a matter of self discovery.
Deolu thanks. It’s been a while I’ve been here but I’m adding your feed to my aggregator.
That’s actually the fundamental truth but it becomes an issue to us as humans when we want to give or earn ourselves a destiny. I think we discover destiny!
When that truth sinks in, we will then discover ourselves and function in our “own way”…no more trying to please people or get into the fad.
Maybe it’s a daunting task discovering that purpose? Or maybe we have fixed our eyes…I want to be like that person when I grow up. That’s like being a second which has already brought in a limitation.
And it’s even more difficult at times because a coconut tree can’t afford to live like a mango tree.
Then we will come to appreciate each other for the addition they bring to the full picture. Take all the ingredients of fried rice and omit the salt, it aint going to be sweet at all.
We are all important and should act our own script.
this is quite insigthful as usual
I am a great fan of Big Will but I simply can’t imagine him in the role of Neo & that’s simply what life is about – doing what you were born to do. The reason why many are not successful is because they have not discovered what they were born to do.
I have been a great fan of Will Smith but never knew he had turned down the role of Neo. In an age in which most people would grasp at anything that looks good, it is refreshing to read something like this.
I also appreciate Will’s honesty: he admitted that he probably wouldn’t have played the role as good as Keanu did.
Here in Nigeria, political aspirants have a lesson to learn from that. Upwardly mobile young people too. We must learn to be good losers. We must also learn to turn down roles, contracts and what-nots that are not exactly up our alley, inspite of promising financial or material returns.
Tim, welcome!
Good insights and thanks for adding…
Will smith would probably have looked just okay in the film if we never saw Keanu play the role. He played it so well, that he has become the standard for Neo.
I think it’s essential we focus within our strenghts.
Thanks for the insights, its good to know that many of the other films Keanu did were not blockbusters.
Bolaji, – Word! We need to be acting our own scripts.
Yomi – Tell them oh, everybody wants to be the head, it’s the same philosophy that makes someone believe that the head of an ant is better than the tail of the elephant 🙂
I think knowing your role and playing it makes you live life to the fullest.
Just like boys become men and seeds become trees, playing your role make the YOU, you see now become the YOU, you were made to be.
Finding YOU is the best thing a person can ever do for him/herself. The few times I’d tried to be someone else always made me come out looking and feeling like a fraud. Most important, find YOU, develop YOU and display YOU. Let someother peeps then try and copy YOu instead of the other way round, lol. PS: Will Smith even looks funny in that pic, Keanu is more Neo.
You can only bring out your best when you are being you! True… but my opinion, if Will did the movie first, nobody will also think of Keanu doing it better… think about it, iam not saying Keanu was not the best for the part, but just think about it…
i know that when you are fufilling your purpose in life, you have no time to be envious of any one or any other person’s achievements. looking at will smith, he honestly said he would not have performed better had it been he was given the role to act but if it were some people, they would have said keanu didnt do well as a result of jealousy that they could have done netter.
one thing i know is that, when you are in your place, you will shine.
thank God for this post cos I’ve wondered timelessly on why we keep having round pegs in square holes and vice versa. alot of people assume roles knowing fully well that they are not meant for it and that the man meant for it is rigjt beside them, but because of fame, they jump up and fumble. i’d advice you” take a bow” and acknowledege that he can do it better than you do.
stop trying to define the product, the product defines you!
Will Smith is worth it men
this is very nice and inspiring…i love this article…God will continue to bless you Deolu…nice one