The “most incredible experience” of Keanu Reeves’ career
Looking back on Keanu Reeves‘ incredible career as a movie star, it’s clear that he must have had one hell of a time making some of the most memorable films of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. After all, most of Reeves’ movies seem to scream fun and enjoyment, not only from an audience’s perspective but also from his own.
A breakthrough effort in the science-fiction comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure saw Reeves establish his stoner credentials, while drama was also ticked off the list with My Own Private Idaho. Since then, Reeves has been a consistent go-to actor in the action movie genre, with the likes of Point Break, Speed, John Wick and 47 Ronin proving his martial arts, gun-toting worth.
Of course, one cannot think of Reeves and not immediately conjure his stunning and eternally iconic effort in the Wachowskis’ science fiction action franchise The Matrix, which kicked off back in 1999. In playing Thomas Anderson/Neo, Reeves delivered one of modern cinema’s most notorious characters and also contributed to one of the greatest works of sci-fi ever made.
Not only does The Matrix tap heavily into philosophical concepts like consciousness and the ethics of technology, but it also features some of the best action set pieces ever committed to film and Reeves once admitted in an interview with the BBC that the Matrix movies were “the most incredible experience of my career.”
“First of all, it’s an incredible role, and I got to work with really great writers,” he said. “Participating in a film that I specifically loved so much, on the page, and in the creating of it, and even with the amount of time it took to make it.” The first three Matrix movies arrived between 1999 and 2003, with the first film earning the most acclaim. Since then, there has also been a brilliant animated movie set in the Matrix universe and an unnecessary fourth entry into the franchise.
Still, at the time of the original trilogy, Reeves was blown away by how he felt being involved in such a production. He said, “Sometimes when you make a film, you go away for a few months, and you make a movie, and you come back to your life. But this experience was my life for so long. So, it struck a deep chord in me and trying to speak about it in an objective way… well, I don’t have that ability yet.”
It’s easy to see why playing Neo would have had such an impact on Reeves personal and professional lives. The Matrix was fully part of the early 21st century zeitgeist and still has a huge cultural relevance today. In addition, Reeves learned countless new skills and facets of knowledge, including a more adeptness with kung-fu and information about science, technology and philosophy as a result of studying for the role.
Sure, the two original sequel movies did not quite hit the heights of the 1999 original, but they still comprise important pieces of the wider story (even if the same cannot be said for the disastrous effort of 2021). For those who were around to witness the release of The Matrix at the turn of the new millennium, Keanu Reeves will always be that plucky hacker turned saviour of humanity, a role that he seems to cherish the most.
