'The Matrix Resurrections' arrives with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss
NEW YORK - The Matrix Resurrections has arrived. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are back to resurrect their roles as Neo and Trinity in this new chapter of the epic franchise.
The franchise’s first follow up in 18 years, features new characters like "Bugs," played by Jessica Henwick, She reflects on her favorite scene from the original Matrix from 1999:
"I think the shot that I really think of is Morpheus with two glasses, and the two pills in each hand. That shot was kind of mind-blowing to me, and I feel it represents so much of the film themes.
That iconic character Morpheus (originally played by Laurence Fishburne), is now being played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who is dashing with opulent suits throughout the film:
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"I did not have the input on my suit. But fortunately, we were in very good hands with the styling. I knew I was going to portray a major part… to portray Morpheus that was coming into his own. That was figuring out what it meant to be to be walking in the spirit of expression and freedom of choice, and that choice also extended to his wardrobe - how he wanted to look and how he wanted to feel."
Also starring in the film -- Priyanka Chopra, who says she was intimidated at first when taking on her pivotal role in this massive franchise!
"I had to say all my lines in the movie. In one sunset, my first shot of the movie was sitting across, standing across the entire cast and saying all my lines in the movie in one sunset and a sunset was like, what, 45 minutes to an hour? So super intimidating. But I remember when I was driving to the set, I told myself I was like, "You've done this for a very long time, and this is that moment that you've worked for…" And I still remember the feeling of my palms being so sweaty.
Chopra, who is married to Nick Jonas also touched upon the movie’s theme of fighting for who you love, and the power of two people joining together. Here’s what she said about what makes her and Jonas a strong couple:
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"We have a partnership of equals… and you don't have that unless you have a partner that’s very secure. And I think that's what we do with each other is, you know, we're each other's champions and we're each other's fans. We make sure that we create an environment where the other person thrives and feels loved and I think that's the best thing to do in our relationship."
Another new face to the franchise -- Jonathan Groff (voiced Kristoff in Frozen, Hamilton) takes on the role of the brutal Agent Smith. He squares up against Keanu Reeves in some intense fight scenes:
"I hope nobody challenges me to a fight because I only know how to fake fight… There was a lot of training involved several months. We (Groff and his trainer) talked a lot about how specifically Smith punches as opposed to how Neo fights, and they created choreography that was very based in character and based in storytelling. Once I learned the moves, it was like it was like doing a dance kind of. And it was like performing a dramatic scene, but just with your body because it was so beautifully choreographed… with great kind of nuance and great moments to play."
"The Matrix Resurrections" is in theaters now and streaming on HBO Max.