What went on to become one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s biggest roles was initially pitched to another Hollywood heavyweight.

Will Smith has revealed in a recent interview with radio station Kiss Xtra, that he was initially approached by writer-director Christopher Nolan for the lead role in the 2010 Action/ Sci-Fi film Inception.

But the Men In Black star turned the role down revealing that he wasn’t sold on the film’s plot.

Watch the video above.

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”I don’t think I’ve ever even said it publicly before and I’m going to say it know because we’re opening up to one another: Chris Nolan brought me Inception first [before DiCaprio] and I didn’t get it,” he told the interviewer.

“I’ve never said that out loud.”

Just over a decade earlier, Smith also turned down a role in the iconic 1999 Sci-Fi film The Matrix.

Reflecting on passing on both of those roles, Smith added, “Now that I think about it, it’s those movies that go into those alternate realities – they don’t pitch well.”

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But in hindsight, Smith has some regrets.

“But I am hurt by [passing on] those two,” Smith said.

“It hurts too bad,” he revealed earlier in the chat when asked to reflect on the roles he’s turned down.

Inception went on to star DiCaprio as the subconscious-infiltrating thief Dom Cobb. He starred alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Elliot Page and Tom Hardy, among others, in the mind-bending film.

The film went on to become a global success earning over US$839 million at the box office and becoming one of Nolan’s most celebrated works.

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DiCaprio’s role in the film is widely known as one of his biggest alongside The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013), William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Titanic (1997).

According to a 2010 Hollywood Reporter article, DiCaprio’s Inception role was initially offered to Brad Pitt. He was reportedly given 48 hours to respond with an answer.

When Pitt didn’t jump on board, the role was offered to Smith before eventually moving on to DiCaprio.

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