Will Smith has revealed he turned down the part of Neo in The Matrix because he "didn't get" the concept.

The actor said he was glad the part instead went to Keanu Reeves because he would have "ruined" the film.

"I didn't get it when I read it. It's a hard movie to pitch. You know: 'Everybody lives inside a computer.' It was only when I saw it that I really got it," said Smith.

"But every so often you see a performance you know you couldn't have given, and Keanu was brilliant as Neo. It was his role. I would have ruined the movie. I would have forced every moment."