Will Smith was originally set to star in Django Unchained as the character Jamie Foxx would ultimately play, and now the actor is opening up about why he left the project.
It had previously been reported that Smith turned the movie down because Django wasn't the lead. But in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor said that he and director Quentin Tarantino couldn't agree on the direction of the story, as Smith wanted it to be more about love than vengeance. He also had an issue with the level of violence in the film.
"I just couldn't connect to violence being the answer," Smith explained. "Love had to be the answer."
Smith called to mind the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, saying that we can't respond to acts like this with brutality because "violence begets violence." He apparently talked about the film with Tarantino for hours, but the two couldn't come to an agreement, and so ultimately he had to leave the project.
Django Unchained went on to make $425 million at the box office, also winning Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor. Will Smith's new movie Concussion opens on December 25 against Tarantino's The Hateful Eight.