Keanu Reeves on ‘The Matrix’: “It was Nietzsche, it was Buddha, it was Christ”
The action genre might be the first form of cinema that comes to mind when thinking of Keanu Reeves based on his status as the star of several classics spanning decades, but science fiction has always been the form of storytelling closest to his heart.
That much has been made clear through a filmography that includes the Bill & Ted trilogy, Johnny Mnemonic, Chain Reaction, A Scanner Darkly, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Replicas, to name just a few. Not all of them were successful – or even good, for that matter – but Reeves’ fondness for the material nonetheless shines through on each occasion.
His love of sci-fi extended through to his contributions to Cyberpunk 2077, which saw him explain his lifelong adoration of all things dystopian and futuristic to the BBC: “I just feel the motifs that occur in this kind of storytelling is oftentimes examining the world that we live in,” he said. “For me, there was something aspirational or supportive in participating in these stories that gave me escapism, but also helped me define my world view and interpret the world.”
Of course, the most notable sci-fi property in Reeves’ life has been The Matrix, with the star playing John Anderson four times in 22 years. The 1999 original remains one of the most influential, game-changing and trailblazing blockbusters ever made, so much so that even its leading man came close to running out of superlatives.
At an American Film Institute ceremony honouring creators the Wachowskis, Reeves detailed his first meeting with the sibling filmmakers: “I was excited to speak with them, they had written something that I had never seen, but in a way something that I’d always hoped for as an actor, as a fan of science fiction.”
Subsequently, he launched into a glowing appraisal that still barely covers the breadth of The Matrix‘s many influences: “The script they wrote, it had [William] Gibson, it had [Jules] Verne, [Philip] K. Dick, Frank Miller, anime, [Akira] Kurosawa, [Sam] Peckinpah,” he continued. “It was Nietzsche, it was Buddha, it was Christ. It was themes and levels. It was dualities, modalities, realities, dreams, will, destiny, slavery of the mind, of the body. Identity, sexuality, viruses, and love. It was mythology, philosophy, technology, and truth.”
That’s just one of the many reasons why Reeves was the ideal frontman for The Matrix saga because Will Smith’s recollections of meeting the Wachowskis weren’t quite as enthusiastic. He was the first choice for the role but simply couldn’t wrap his head around what the pair wanted to achieve, although he did admit he probably would have ruined the movie anyway.
Reeves, on the other hand, fully understood the assignment and grasped the myriad of inspirations that would combine to create something so striking and unique.
