Brad Pitt has revealed that he passed up on the chance to play Neo in The Matrix in a new interview.

The actor, who was honoured with the Maltin Modern Master Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival yesterday (January 22), opened up in an interview when asked what roles he remembers passing on: “I’ll give you one, only one, because I really believe it was never mine.”

Pitt continued: “I did pass on The Matrix. I took the red pill. That’s the only one I’m naming… I wasn’t offered two or three. Only the first one. Just to clarify that. I come from a place, maybe it’s my upbringing, if I didn’t get it, then it wasn’t mine. I really believe (the role) was never mine. It’s not mine. It was someone else’s and they go and make it. I really do believe in that.”

He added: “If we were doing a show on the great movies I’ve passed on, we would need two nights.”

The fourth installment of The Matrix is arriving in cinemas on May 21, 2021, with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity, respectively. Also involved are actors Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen.

“Many of the ideas Lilly and I explored 20 years ago about our reality are even more relevant now,” Lana Wachowski said in a statement. “I’m very happy to have these characters back in my life and grateful for another chance to work with my brilliant friends.”