Hugo Weaving was almost replaced by Jean Reno in the role of Agent Smith in The Matrix

Hugo Weaving first became the popular villain of modern cinema through his role as Agent Smith in The Matrix films. Initially, Jean Reno was offered the villain role, which he declined due to the film’s location in Australia. Weaving was excited for the role but a very unfortunate reason almost cost him one of his most iconic roles. Before filming, Weaving found a polyp in his leg which required a surgical removal at the time.
Hugo Weaving played the villain Agent Smith in The Matrix films
Lucky for Weaving, the film’s protagonist played by Keanu Reeves also had to undergo major surgery. Both Weaving and Reeves postponed their crucial fight scenes towards the end of the production to perform them in their full health.

Hugo Weaving Almost Lost His Iconic Agent Smith Role Due To Injury

Hugo Weaving almost lost his The Matrix role due to an injury
Several other actors sustained injuries while filming The Matrix, especially from the new wire-fu style of action choreography. However, Hugo Weaving discovered just when production began that he had a polyp in his leg (via IMDbPro). The Captain America: The First Avenger actor had to undergo surgery for the condition and he almost feared being outed from the film.

The filmmakers entered into discussions about replacing him with Jean Reno, who was initially approached for the role. However, it was eventually decided that Weaving’s action sequences would be moved towards the end of the film, allowing him time to recover from the surgery. Things worked out great for the actor only because Keanu Reeves also faced a similar situation.

Before the pre-production work for The Matrix began, Reeves too underwent surgery for a condition. He had to receive a two-level fusion of his cervical spine due to spinal cord compression from a herniated disc (via Rolling Stone). While Reeves’ injury also contributed to Weaving not getting fired from the movie, one person was very unhappy about the situation.

The directors of the film, the Wachowskis, wanted the film to include some inspiration from Hong Kong action cinema. They hired Chinese martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping, who was optimistic about the film’s stunt work initially. However, once he saw the fitness levels of the actors appearing in the movie, he realized that he had a big concerning challenge ahead of him (via The Matrix Revisited – documentary).

The Matrix Had To Work Around Hugo Weaving And Keanu Reeves’ Surgeries

Keanu Reeves and Hugo Weaving in the subway tunnel fight scene in The Matrix
The famous subway tunnel fight scene between Neo and Agent Smith was filmed towards the end of filming to accommodate both Keanu Reeves and Hugo Weaving in their full health. Since the actors were recovering from their surgeries, Yeun Woo-ping planned a custom training plan for each of his actors focused on their body style.

In the documentary, The Matrix Revisited, he revealed how he built on Reeves’s diligence and Weaving’s precision for the action scenes. While Reeves was still recovering, Yeun let him practice a few punches upon the actor’s insistence. The surgery still made Reeves unable to kick mostly in the film. But Hugo Weaving did some pretty good stunts after recovering from his surgery.

During the training process, Weaving would once again suffer another injury. He underwent hip surgery for the injury (via Screened.com). The immense sacrifices of the hero and the villain paid off as the film became a global success, grossing $467.2 million (via Box Office Mojo).