About three decades ago, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the lead role in The Matrix. While he ultimately passed on it, the Golden Globe Award winner is bringing a fresh take to Neo, albeit on his own terms.
On Sunday (Jan. 26), Smith shared a teaser for his upcoming single and video, “Beautiful Scars,” inspired by the groundbreaking sci-fi film. With Big Sean — who’s featured on the record — taking on the role of Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus, the two artists reenacted the classic red or blue pill dilemma.
“Look, you’ve made some awesome career choices your whole life. There’s only one you truly regret. Well, maybe two, but we’re not going to focus on that one,” Sean explained, presumably referencing Smith’s infamous Oscar Awards slap in 2022. “That’s messed up,” the actor responded.
The Detroit rapper continued, “So, I’m gonna give you a choice. Blue pill: Everything remains the same, and you get to move on with your life. Red pill: You get to go back and star in that movie that got away. The choice is yours.” Though Keanu Reeves ended up going with the latter option in 1999’s The Matrix, Smith humorously decided to have his cake and eat it too.
“Here’s the thing. I really like my life right now,” Smith said before snatching both pills out of Sean’s hands and swallowing them. “Woah, s**t,” the Dark Sky Paradise artist responded. “[That] wasn’t even an option.” The video concluded with the release date for “Beautiful Scars,” slated to debut on Thursday (Jan. 30).
The forthcoming track will likely appear on Smith’s next album. He’s been teasing the project with singles like “TANTRUM” with Joyner Lucas and “WORK OF ART” featuring Russ and his youngest son, Jaden. Sean, on the other hand, released his critically acclaimed Better Me Than You in August 2024.