What Sandra Bullock Would Have Looked Like As The Matrix's Neo
Hollywood is riddled with what if casting scenarios that imagine what some actors' careers would look like had they not passed on major film roles. When it comes to starring in The Matrix, there seem to be a plethora of stories about those who chose the red pill, opting not to star in the mega hit sci-fi film. Will Smith famously turned down the dystopian machine-dominated future and in turn traveled to the Wild Wild West. Brad Pitt told USA Today he took the red pill in order to star in Fight Club. The list goes on as actors including Leonardo DiCaprio, Val Kilmer, and Johnny Depp all passed on the film that grossed over $460 million worldwide and turned Keanu Reeves into a beloved international star.
But not all hypothetical Neos are made with a Y chromosome. Fans may not realize that Sandra Bullock, who previously starred alongside Reeves in Speed, was also offered the lead role in the Wachowski sisters magnum opus, but turned it down (via The Wrap). In celebration of this fun piece of Matrix history, one artist is giving us a glimpse into what it would have looked like if the actress had taken the role that Reeves made famous.
Digital Artist, apexform, who often posts what-if renderings on Instagram of actors dressed in roles they never actually took, imagined what Bullock's look would have been had she been cast as Neo.
Why Sandra Bullock passed on The Matrix
The images have her clad in leather, stopping bullets, and engaged in a shootout all under the green tint that is now synonymous with The Matrix films. And Instagram users are reacting positively, some writing that the fan art is "simply incredible" and that Bullock's casting "would've been epic!"
So why did Bullock pass on the role?
In a 2009 Q&A from InStyle and posted on Today, Bullock said the one movie in her career she wishes she had done was The Matrix. "At the time [I was approached about it], it wasn't cast with Keanu [Reeves], and I didn't see myself with the person they wanted [in it]," Bullock said. She said she would later see the movie and "loved it" and that what made it "sexy and great" were its two leads, Carrie-Anne Moss and Reeves.
But fate seems to work its magic in Hollywood as Bullock landed her breakout role in Speed because Halle Berry said when she read the script for the movie she was offered the "parking lot version."
Here's hoping there's room in The Matrix 4 for both Berry and Bullock so they can team up with Reeves once again.