Jet Li Landed ‘The Matrix’ Role After an Iconic A-Lister Rejected Seraph

When directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski were casting The Matrix sequel The Matrix Reloaded, they had a vision for the actor they wanted to portray Seraph. However, their first choice turned them down, leaving them searching for a new star with the skills to play the part. They thought they had found the perfect person for the job in Jet Li. But it was more complicated than they realized. It turned out that two actors wouldn’t be enough.

Jet Li turned down the role of Seraph in ‘The Matrix Reloaded’

Jet Li: The Matrix — Jet Li attends the premiere Of Disney’s ‘Mulan’ on Mar. 9, 2020, in Hollywood, California | Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic

The first Matrix movie was a huge success, so fans were thrilled to hear sequels to follow. The first follow-up was The Matrix Reloaded, and it included someone new: Seraph. This character was to be a protector of the Oracle.

According to IndieWire, the Wachowskis initially envisioned Seraph as a woman, and they already had in mind an actor. They offered the role to Michele Yeoh, but she had to decline due to scheduling conflicts. It left the siblings to rethink their original plan. So they changed the character’s gender to male and considered other actors.

The Wachowskis settled on Li, a logical choice to portray a protector, given his extensive martial arts skills. But after a long period of negotiation, Li, too, turned them down. His reason was the same thing that made him a logical choice for the job: his martial arts moves.

Why did Jet Li say no to ‘The Matrix Reloaded’?

The decision to reject The Matrix Reloaded part wasn’t easy for Jet Li. However, although he found the role intriguing, something else meant much more to him.

“It was a commercial struggle for me,” he told Abacus. “I realized the Americans wanted me to film for three months but be with the crew for nine. And for six months, they wanted to record and copy all my moves into a digital library. By the end of the recording, the right to these moves would go to them.”

Li realized that, at this point, the studio could use his martial arts moves without his input. It was too big a sacrifice to make.

“I was thinking: I’ve been training my entire life. And we martial artists could only grow older,” he said. “Yet they could own [my moves] as an intellectual property forever. So I said I couldn’t do that.”

Although The Matrix was already a huge success, and Li could have been a part of multiple movies in the franchise, he rejected the role.

Who played Seraph?

After Li rejected the role, the studio had to find yet another actor. According to TV Over Mind, the Wachowskis decided on Collin Chou, who was born in Taiwan but has worked for years in Hollywood.

Chou has been working as an actor since he was young. He landed his first job as a stunt double when he was only 12. His longtime stunt experience and background in martial arts made him an excellent choice to play Seraph.

Despite being difficult to interpret at times, The Matrix franchise continues to enjoy popularity. The challenges the directors faced when casting Seraph worked out in the end. It doesn’t seem Jet Li regrets turning down the role, and Chou probably isn’t sorry about that either.