Will Smith is finally making good on the casting that never was and suiting up as Neo from “The Matrix” in a new music video with Big Sean. “Beautiful Scars” dropped Thursday, becoming the Oscar and Grammy-winning entertainer’s first single from “Based on a True Story,” his first solo album in over 20 years.
“Mr. Anderson & Mr. Smith welcome you back to the simulation 💊 ‘Beautiful Scars’ music video out now!!” Smith wrote in his caption over a video of he and Big Sean dressed in long black coats, black boots and sunglasses. Smith and Big Sean’s “Beautiful Scars” plays over the video.
The track, which dropped on Thursday, came as a surprise for fans after Smith turned heads last month with a cryptic Instagram message in which he posed the idea of him starring as Neo, a role he turned down in 1997 for “Wild Wild West.”
“In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in ‘The Matrix.’ Smith turned it down,” Smith’s video post from Jan. 6 reads. “He chose ‘Wild Wild West,’ believing it was a better fit for him at the time. But the question remains: What would ‘The Matrix’ have been like with Will Smith as Neo?”
The performer has long juggled his two crafts since his rise in Hollywood, with his beloved family sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and his slew of musical hits, including “Summertime,” “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” and “Men in Black,” all of which earned him a Grammy.
“Based on a True Story” will be available in March, and it will be the first full-length album Smith has released in more than 20 years.
Check out the music video for “Beautiful Scars” below.
