John Wick and Cyberpunk 2077 star Keanu Reeves recently took the time to reflect on the impact The Matrix had on his life.
The action movie icon got emotional when thinking about his work on the Lilly and Lana Wachowski-directed franchise during a conversation on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Though he made an appearance to speak about his and China Miéville’s new novel, The Book of Elsewhere, his segment also saw him reliving fond memories from some of his most important projects. Reeves was able to recount fond memories of acting alongside Alex Winter in the Bill and Ted series and sharing a screen with the late Patrick Swayze in Point Break, but it’s The Matrix that left him speechless.
“The Matrix changed my life, and then over these years, it’s changed so many other people’s lives in really positive and great ways,” Reeves said after gathering himself. “As an artist, you hope for that when you get to do a film or tell a story. So when you say these years, the amount of people that I have met who have said to me and been touched by The Matrix in such a positive way… It’s the best.”
The Matrix wasn't Reeves’ first film, but it is undeniably the movie that transformed his career into what it is today. Originally released in 1999, it remains one of the most important action films of all time and a project that launched moviegoers into the 2000s, black leather and all. It’s a classic that spawned two sequels – Reloaded and Revolutions – in 2003, which, while not quite as well received, still hold a place in the hearts of many. Reeves returned as Neo for all three films as well as a fourth film, The Matrix Resurrections, in 2021.
The Matrix means a lot to the John Wick actor for a variety of reasons, but it’s not much of a surprise to hear him getting emotional about the franchise. In addition to the fact that he’s appeared in every mainline movie entry, Reeves has talked about his love for the series in the past, and when asked which movie villain was his favorite to fight, he answered Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith.
For more on The Matrix, you can see where it landed in our list of the top 25 sci-fi movies of all time. You can also see where we think it lands among 15 of Reeves’ best projects.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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