Keanu Reeves recalls shooting for 'The Matrix', says it "changed my life"

Keanu Reeves, who played the role of Neo in the 1999 sci-fi action movie 'The Matrix', recently shared his experience of shooting for the film and how it 'changed' his life, reported Variety. 'The Matrix' is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

"'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. "As an artist, you hope for that when you get to do a film or tell a story," he added.

He added that over the years he has met several people who spoke to him about the project. "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."

While Reeves had already established himself as an actor by the time 'The Matrix' came out, owing to performances in films such as 'Speed', 'Point Break', and 'My Own Private Idaho', it was the Wachowski sisters' 1999 picture that catapulted him to worldwide superstardom and immediate icon status in the action movie genre.

Reeves played Neo in "The Matrix," and he returned to the character in three sequels, "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003), "The Matrix Revolutions" (2003), and "The Matrix Resurrections" (2021).

Reeves getting the offer to return as Neo after an 18-year hiatus: "When the director asked me what I thought about doing another 'Matrix' film I said 'What? That sounds amazing but I'm dead.' She was like, 'Are you?' and I said, 'Do tell!' She wrote a beautiful story, and I love playing the character. How I am alive will all be explained," reported Variety.

'The Matrix' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis.It is the first instalment in the Matrix film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano.