Keanu Reeves speaks to Esquire Middle East
How do you feel that you’ve changed as a person since you made the first film?
Changes? Changes! [Sings “Changes” by David Bowie”] God, I mean, a lot of life has happened. So, me, I feel like I’m kind of the same at my core, but older. So how does tha—changes? Man, you got anything?
What’s the joy of returning to this world?
Yeah, I’m embracing what we love and what we remember. And at the same time, the excitement and the thrill of what of what happens now.
I see more hope in this film’s view of the future for this world compared to previous installments. Do you see it as an optimistic film?
I agree with you that there’s some positive opportunity, or potential. And I would also say that it’s a cautionary tale. And I would say that the way that it embraces the humans, the machines, sentient program can be hopeful, I think there’s a lens that hopeful. And I think that there’s also a healthy—In order to make that positive outcome, it’s going to take some attention, and it’s going to take some love.
When did this journey back into the Matrix begin for you?
One day I got an email from Lana, “How’s it going? I’m thinking about…” And I was like, “What!?” Then, it was a conversation—she shared with me some of what was happening with her personally, and what had brought her to a place of telling a story with “The Matrix.” And she asked me how I would feel about it. “YES.” On these films, with Lana, it’s “YES.”
What resonates with you about the Neo and Trinity relationship?
In speaking with Lana and Lilly, even while we were making the first “Matrix,” they talked about the second film. They spoke about certain sequences that they had in their minds, so I knew that that part of the story was in them even in the first film. For me as an actor, my character had a wonderful resolution in the trilogy—it was a character that bridged the real world and the Matrix, a balance between human and machine worlds… just asking for peace. What happened to Thomas Anderson felt like that part of the story was told.
Lana spoke about having another story to tell, which centered around Neo and Trinity, the love story of that, and that sounded really exciting to me. I felt like there was a perfect kind of union there. Borrowing from Thomas Anderson’s coding world, the word “binary” comes up, choices that are singular—this way, that way. Trinity and Neo to me kind of represent this union. I think they’re very complementary to each other in their thought, in their energy. I root for them. When I play the character and I work with Carrie-Anne as Trinity—it’s something beyond myself. It’s this big… whatever that is, it feels like they’re in that together.
What struck you about this script?
When I read “The Matrix Resurrections,” Morpheus was not the same Morpheus, Thomas Anderson wasn’t the same Thomas Anderson, and Trinity was Tiffany—it was another version of a wakeup call. For Morpheus, the journey that the character takes is very different, and the relationship with Neo is really different. Lana has written these very rich roles, and with actors like Yahya [Abdul-Mateen II], Jonathan [Groff]—they’re amazing at playing both the humor and the gravitas. They create these characters within these contexts, who have these inner selves that are both light and dark…it’s so cool to watch them.
How do you feel Lana has evolved as a filmmaker?
If I talk about Lana, the filmmaker that I worked with on the trilogy, to the Lana on “The Matrix Resurrections…” First of all, she’s worked with [cinematographer] John Toll, who taught her a bit about natural light. So, my experience [of the trilogy] was with her behind a monitor, now she’s in front—of course, she’ll reference the monitor. Her evolution as a filmmaker is extraordinary. So, what we have now is an artist who’s interested in natural light, who wants to be next to the camera and literally connects herself to the camera and becomes this other thing, which I’ve never seen before. You know, there’s an immediacy that’s very different. There’s still planning like before—plan, rehearse, shoot. Now, it’s “be ready in the moment… go.” As Lana likes to say, “We learn by doing,” and she knows, right?
Have you and Carrie-Anne stayed close?
Carrie-Anne and I have kept in touch. A lot has happened to that wonderful person. When I first worked with her, she didn’t have three children and a husband. We really had a routine, like, “Good morning,” “Good morning.” Then, we’d stretch, warm up and train together. She’d play her music, bring the light. We’d support each other, get to talk about life while on the mat. I’ve cherished that time that I got to share with her then and now, to meet her again… to meet her so different and, yet, so much the same, so much of the core person there. Just to see how that core has expressed itself and to meet her kids, her husband, a cool family. To act with her, to play that love. We have a couple of scenes where Tiffany and Thomas have a cup of coffee—for us, it is so emotional. It was almost like, how do we not cry?
How does the combat style here compare to John Wick, for example, in your mind?
It was really exciting to think about what the character of the martial arts for Thomas Anderson, Neo, 20 years later, would be. Obviously, it’s very different from “John Wick,” and Lana wanted to make sure that it stayed that way, you know, so we weren’t doing judo throws. We kind of organically moved from where the character was before, and it’s been really amazing. On this film, I had a chance to work again with Tiger Chen Hu; I worked with him on the trilogy. To speak with and train, it was really exciting for him—we were throwing so many different styles (LAUGHS). I also got the chance to work with Eric Brown, who trains me on “John Wick.” It was cool to have the kind of Eastern/Western approaches, and to have the benefit of their knowledge and training to help me try and do these things. So, it’s really exciting. It’s different—if I had to sum it up, it’s kind of hard/soft, a hard and soft style.