Superstar Will Smith, who was once tipped for Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained", said he had turned down the offer because it was not the lead role.
The 44-year-old also said that he passed on the part because of a scheduling conflict, said the Hollywood Reporter.
"Django wasn't the lead, so it was like, I need to be the lead. The other character was the lead! I was like, 'No, Quentin, please, I need to kill the bad guy!'
"I came really close, it was one of the most amazing screenplays I had ever ever seen. I was in the middle of 'Men In Black 3' and (Tarantino) was ready to go, and I just couldn't sit with him and get through the issues, so I didn't want to hold him up. That thing's going to be ridiculous. It is a genius screenplay," Smith said.
"Django Unchained" won the original screenplay at the 85th Academy Awards.
