When Carrie-Anne Moss was offered a chance to return to “The Matrix,” she couldn’t believe it was real.
The actress, who stars as the heroic hacker Trinity in the science-fiction films, thought she had closed that chapter in her career after her character met her demise in the franchise’s previous movie.
But when director Lana Wachowski came up with a way to give new life to the series with “The Matrix Resurrections,” Moss was quickly on board.
“There was no part of me that ever saw this coming,” Moss told the Daily News. “People would say to me, ‘Oh, they’re gonna make another one.’ I was like, ‘Oh, no, no, no. Never. Not that I’m going to be in.’”
“I was completely shocked and thrilled,” Moss said. “Even just the thought, when Lana called me and told me this is her plan, until you’re on set, sometimes I don’t really believe it. Just the idea of it, it’s almost like a whole new world exploded in front of my mind and my heart.”
The action-packed new film, coming out Wednesday in theaters and on HBO Max, is the fourth installment in a “Matrix” franchise that began in 1999 and introduced a world where humans are unknowingly trapped by highly advanced machines in a simulated reality known as the Matrix.
“The Matrix Resurrections” is the first new addition to the series since 2003, and presents a world that’s even more dangerous than in past films.
“It’s got great action ... and great characters,” Moss, 54, said. “The story makes you think and makes you laugh. I think it’s just a really fun ride. I hope that people love it. I can’t wait to talk to people about it.”
The film reunites Moss with her longtime co-star Keanu Reeves, who returns as Trinity’s humanity-saving partner and love interest, Neo. Trinity and Neo don’t recognize each other at the start of the film as secrets about the Matrix begin to unfold.
Teaming up with Reeves again for their first “Matrix” movie in nearly two decades was a “total joy,” Moss said.
“I really have such a love for him as a person and as an artist and as a partner in this movie, his Neo to my Trinity, and his Keanu to my Carrie-Anne,” Moss told The News. “We’re really good friends and we have a lot of fun. He really inspires me. His work ethic and his wanting to be better in all the action, it’s inspiring to be around that.”
They lead a star-studded cast that also features big-name newcomers in Neil Patrick Harris, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff and Priyanka Chopra.
Moss is proud to be part of a film franchise that opens the minds of viewers.
“It has offered us a context and a questioning of what’s going on in our world, so that we can kind of look at what’s happening through the lens of this movie and see the parallels to our own personal experiences,” Moss said.
“There’s many layers to what that is all about, but the questioning of reality and what is the Matrix, and these constructs that can be physical constructs that imprison people or these mental constructs that imprison people, and breaking free of those constructs.”
Making the “Matrix” movies has been a career highlight for Moss.
“I love that I’m part of a movie that people talk about in culture,” she said. “What is the Matrix? And all of that. That’s fun, and I’m asking all those questions, too. The movie makes me ask the questions even deeper. It’s not like I’ve figured it out or I know the secrets.”
———
