Do you know Will Smith 'turned down' 'Django Unchained'? Here's why

Willard Smith Jr., commonly known as Will Smith, is one of the most celebrated American actors and rappers. Will Smith has won four Grammy Awards and has been acknowledged as "the most powerful actor in Hollywood" by Newsweek. Will Smith movies like Ali, The Pursuit of Happyness, and more, have proved the actor’s versatility in the industry. Fans will be surprised to know that the actor was originally offered Django Unchained, but he turned it down. It was then when Django Unchained makers cast Jamie Foxx as the lead character. Read further ahead to know about why Will Smith turned down the offer and more.

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Will Smith was offered Django Unchained?

According to reports from The Guardian, Will Smith had revealed that he turned down the critically acclaimed director, Quentin Tarantino's thriller drama Django Unchained because Will Smith felt that the actor was not being asked to play the "lead role". Even though he was rumoured to be in this movie initially, Jamie Foxx ultimately played the character of Django. In fact, there were even hints in the press that Will Smith was very uncomfortable with the movie's combination of "anti-slavery polemic and blood-soaked violence". Now, the actor has mentioned that he felt that the character of the dentist-turned-bounty hunter Dr King Schultz was actually the real main character of Django Unchanged. In the film, it is the character of Schultz (played by an Oscar-winning Christoph Waltz) who finally takes out Leonardo DiCaprio's sneering Francophile plantation owner, Calvin Candie.

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According to reports from Entertainment Weekly, while promoting Smith's new science fiction film After Earth, Will Smith had said that Django wasn't the lead and he needs to be the lead. He said that the other character was the lead and he said, "No, Quentin, please, I need to kill the bad guy". Will Smith also added that he enjoyed the movie, for which Christoph Waltz won the Oscar Award for the Best Supporting Actor. Will Smith thought it was brilliant, but just not for him.

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Django Unchained turned out to be Quentin Tarantino's biggest ever box office hit. According to reports from The Guardian, the movie grossed a hugely impressive $413m (£271m) worldwide. The movie was nominated for five Oscars and the moviemaker also took home the prize for best original screenplay.

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