Singer and pop sensation Madonna has revealed that she was once offered a role in The Matrix but now regrets turning it down. Rising to international stardom off the back of her 1983 debut solo album Madonna, she has since become the best-selling female recording artist of all time and boasts a veritable treasure trove of awards accumulated over her record-breaking career. In addition to her work as a musician, Madonna also has over 25 film credits to her name including 1996’s Evita, which won her a Golden Globe for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Shortly after Madonna’s turn in the role of Eva Peron in Evita, Lana and Lilly Wachowski had begun work on what would become one of the most successful and influential sci-fi movies of all time. Originally pitching Keanu Reeve’s role of Neo to Will Smith, with the idea of having Morpheus played by Val Kilmer, Smith later admitted he did not quite understand the film’s concept and turned it down in favor of starring in Wild Wild West instead. Similarly, another key role, that of Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith, was previously offered to French actor Jean Reno, but he refused as he did not wish to relocate to Australia for filming.
With fans already well aware of many of the infamous casting stories behind the original Matrix film, it probably comes as little surprise that there is one more actress who almost would have starred in the cult movie. Speaking with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show (via Comicbook.com), Madonna was first asked about another movie role she had turned down, that of Catwoman in 1992’s Batman Returns. While the singer admitted she too regretted that decision, she confessed that the choice not to star in The Matrix is what really haunts her to this day. Check out her comments below:
I regret that I turned down Catwoman. That was pretty fierce… I also turned down the role in The Matrix - can you believe that? I wanted to kill myself. That's like one of the best movies ever made. A teeny tiny part of me regrets just that one moment in my life.
While it is not clear which role Madonna was offered, the most logical assumption would be the role of Trinity that was ultimately played to perfection by Carrie-Anne Moss. Ironically, earlier this year Eternals star Salma Hayek also admitted to auditioning for the same role but claims she lost the role due to “being lazy.” This latest casting revelation by the "Material Girl" herself, just adds to the growing legend of The Matrix’s amazing pre-production journey and hints at what might have been a very different film.
Ultimately, however, the stars seemed to have aligned for the Wachowskis, and despite many of their original casting choices turning down the now-iconic roles, they most definitely ended up with the right actors. With Reeves and Moss now set to return to the franchise in this year’s The Matrix: Resurrections, fans of the series would find it hard to envision anyone else playing Neo and Trinity. Had the Wachowskis managed to secure Smith, Kilmer, Reno and Madonna instead, as it seems was their original plan, the question is would The Matrix have been anywhere near as successful?
Source: The Tonight Show (via Comicbook.com)
