Actor Will Smith revealed he was offered the lead role in director Quentin Tarantino's recent Oscar-winning film "Django Unchained", but turned it down because it was not the lead.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Smith told the magazine that, "Django wasn't the lead."
Smith felt the character of Dr. King Schultz, who was portrayed by actor Christoph Waltz, who won the Academy Award for his performance in the supporting actor category, was the lead.
Django teams up with Dr. Schultz to find his wife, who has been purchased by a plantation owner.
"So, it was like, I need to be the lead," Smith said. "The other character was the lead."
Smith said he requested that Tarantino make Django more involved.
"I was like, 'No, Quentin, please, I need to kill the bad guy," he said.
Smith previously claimed he couldn't take the role due to a scheduling conflict.
"I came really close. It was one of the most amazing screenplays I had ever seen," he told Empire magazine last year. "I was in the middle of 'Men In Black 3' and [Tarantino] was ready to go, and I just couldn't sit with him and get through the issues, so I didn't want to hold him up. That thing's going to be ridiculous. It is a genius screenplay."
Despite not taking the role, Smith said he was a huge fan of the film.
"I thought it was brilliant. Just not for me."
The role of Django went to Jamie Foxx. The film went on to receive multiple Academy Award nominations, including one for best picture, with wins for Tarantino for his screenplay and Waltz for his performance of Schultz.
Smith is starring in the upcoming film "After Earth" with his son Jaden. The film tells the story of a father and son who are trapped on Earth a thousand years after most of humanity has left the planet. Smith's recent films include "Men In Black 3" where he reprised his role in the popular franchise as Agent J.
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