Sandra Bullock’s Costly Rejections: Two Films She Passed Up
Sandra Bullock’s career is full of smart choices, but she’s turned down roles that could have changed everything. Discover which two films she said no to—and why one still haunts her.
Sandra Bullock has built a reputation for picking roles that suit her style, but even the most seasoned actors have moments they look back on with a bit of regret. With a string of hits under her belt, including The Proposal, Speed, and The Blind Side, she’s hardly short on success. Still, there are a couple of projects she knocked back that might have sent her career in a different direction—and one in particular she wishes she’d taken on.
Turning Down The Matrix
It’s hard to picture anyone but Keanu Reeves as Neo, but before he landed the part, the casting team was open to all sorts of options. After Bullock’s breakout in Speed, she caught the eye of the producers, who were so keen they even considered flipping Neo’s gender for her. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who worked on Demolition Man with Bullock, admitted they were running out of ideas and reached out to her, offering to rewrite the lead as a woman.
They sent her the script, hoping she’d be interested, but it didn’t grab her at the time. She later admitted she didn’t see herself in the role with the cast they had in mind. Looking back, she said,
There haven’t been any roles that I wanted that I didn’t get, but there was a movie I wish I had done: The Matrix. At the time [I was approached about it], it wasn’t cast with Keanu, and I didn’t see myself with the person they wanted. Later, I saw the movie and loved it. It was sexy and great because of Carrie-Anne and Keanu.
The Matrix went on to become a massive hit, both with critics and at the box office. The franchise raked in nearly $1.8 billion worldwide, and Reeves pocketed millions—$35 million for the first film alone, plus hefty bonuses for the sequels. It’s no wonder Bullock sometimes wonders what might have been.
The Mystery Superhero Film
In 2021, Bullock popped up on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to chat about her latest project, The Unforgivable. During the interview, she revealed she’d been offered a role in a superhero flick, but her son Louis talked her out of it. She made it clear it wasn’t a Marvel or DC production, saying, “
I was approached for something that wasn’t Marvel, but my son said not to do it
.”
Bullock went on to say it wasn’t a DC film either, and that her son’s instincts were spot on. She explained,
It was kind of in the place that Louis felt I shouldn’t be… and he was actually right. I saw it when it came out and I was like, ‘Ooo! That’s unfortunate.’
She also mentioned she’d never been approached by Marvel, joking, “I don’t think I’m Marvel material.”
What Could Have Been
Bullock didn’t spill which superhero film she turned down, only hinting that her son was between four and eight years old at the time. That doesn’t narrow it down much, but it’s clear she trusts his judgement. As for The Matrix, it’s one of those rare roles she admits she’d have liked to try, even if things worked out just fine for her in the end.