Over a year ago, when Quentin Tarantino was still in pre-production on his blaxploitation/spaghetti western riff, Django Unchained, he initially had his heart set on Will Smith signing on as his leading man rather than Jamie Foxx.
Of course, the role ultimately went to Foxx and the controversial film’s theatrical run has since come and gone, but Smith opened up the books on Django Unchained one last time to talk about why he chose to turn the project down.
Speaking with EW about his upcoming picture, the M. Night Shyamalan sci-fi thriller After Earth, Smith revealed that he declined the chance to work with Tarantino because of the eponymous character’s position in the film. It turns out that for Smith, Django actually read like a sidekick to Christoph Waltz’s charming bounty hunter – rather than the central character.
Of course, the role ultimately went to Foxx and the controversial film’s theatrical run has since come and gone, but Smith opened up the books on Django Unchained one last time to talk about why he chose to turn the project down.
Speaking with EW about his upcoming picture, the M. Night Shyamalan sci-fi thriller After Earth, Smith revealed that he declined the chance to work with Tarantino because of the eponymous character’s position in the film. It turns out that for Smith, Django actually read like a sidekick to Christoph Waltz’s charming bounty hunter – rather than the central character.