THE MATRIX SEQUELS: INTERVIEW WITH CARRIE ANNE

FROM THE JANUARY 2004 ISSUE OF STARLOG.

As she looked around the soundstages of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions each and every day, Carrie-Anne Moss soaked it all in. She studied the Wachowskis as they conferred with each other. She checked out the massive sets. She marveled at what $300 million could buy. And as she did that, she under- stood that in the blink of an eye, it would all be gone, just a memory, a thing of the past, a job and role once upon a time.

"Because I had had such an amazing time doing The Matrix and a really hard time let- ting go after it was done, when I came back to do Reloaded and Revolutions I wanted to be as present as I could be for everything about it," Moss explains. "I wanted to enjoy and appreciate every moment, because I knew that it would eventually be over and I would never do anything like it again. It was an extraordinary opportunity, and because I was so present for the experience, when it did come to an end, I felt that I had completed something special. It was a very bitter- sweet feeling. I was proud of what we all had accomplished, but I was also ready to move on with my life because I had given these films everything."

Acts of Love

Moss spent six years enmeshed in the Matrix Universe. The films transformed her from an unknown Canadian actress into a movie star. They turned her into an action icon and a female role model. All of that, to various' degrees, will continue on into the future. But with Revolutions, the Matrix saga and the adventures of Trinity (Moss), Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) concluded. It was, Moss notes, a most fitting denouement. "I was blown away by Revolutions," she enthuses. "I thought it was incredible. The thing I was most moved by and attracted to was the incredible heart of the film.

I was touched by so many characters. All the ideas came together. All the concepts came together The battle scenes were awesome. And, at the same time, within all the ideas and action, there were these heartfelt performances by the actors. I. Just thought it was brilliant.

"I would say that Revolutions is about love conquering all. It's one man's journey from fighting his own demons to ultimately surrendering to the light of life. And there's a hell of a bunch of battles and fights in between. That fight with Smith [Hugo Weaving] was great. I loved the way that the brothers incorporated subtle [CGI] animation into that last conflict between Neo and Smith. In the second film, the animation in the 'Burly Brawl' was kind of jarring for people, because they hadn't seen it used in that fashion before. I almost feel like the brothers did that intentionally. Reloaded showed us what they were going for, and they got it in the third film. It was a beautiful scene." 

Another spectacular scene in Revolutions is the Club Hell sequence, in which Morpheus and Trinity reacquaint themselves' with the Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) and Persephone (Monica Bellucci). The heroes first break into the S&M dance club, and then went their way through the crowd, finally confronting the smug Merovingian. After a few moments of snarky chit-chat, Trinity leaps into take-no-prisoners action mode.

"The beginning of the Club Hell sequence was very reminiscent of the government lobby sequence from the first film, says Moss (who discussed the initial two movies in STARLOG #262 & #312). "When they were shooting it, I was reminded of filming all that stuff with Keanu in The Matrix. the explosions and pyrotechnics were similar. When we did that scene for the first movie, it was so stressful. It's difficult when you're dealing with pyrotechnics; they call it 'hot set.' You can't even use your cell phone because you might make the explosives go off. That's scary. "Then you're asked to do stunts that youu've been practicing for months but without anything exploding around you. And then you actually do it on the set, you only et a couple of takes because whole walls re being blown away and they only have like three of them ready to use. Everybody's timing has to be right-mine, the wire team's, the camera, the pyrotechnic guys', the stuntmen's. That sequence was pretty awesome. I had to run along the wall and do a cartwheel, and I did that in one take. That was exciting. And that was only getting into Club Hell. Then there's the sequence in Club Hell, with the Merovingian. That was great, too-and hard.

It's difficult to hold a gun for the length of time I had to hold it to that guy's head. It got really heavy. But I have that great line when I call the Merovingian 'Merv.' I loved that. That wasn't ad-libbed. There was no ad-libbing in the Matrix movies. The brothers are very specific about how they want things done. I loved that line and also when I say, 'I don't have time for this shit.'"

Leaps of Faith

Trinity, for all her butt-kicking prowess and ways with a retort, represents much more than that in the big picture of The Matrix. She's one with the One. "I think she represents heart and faith," Moss opines. "To me, she has always stood as the central point between Neo and Morpheus. She's like the trinity in the idea of a trinity. But it's hard to say what she represents. So many characters in the Matrix movies signify heart and soul and faith." True, but only Trinity of the three major characters dies for the cause. "Oh, it was incredible," the actress says of her death scene. "That was actually my last day of work. It was a very generous thing for the brothers to give an actor-and smart, too. It's no acting required, you know? But it was a heavy day for everybody. Not only was it my last day, but it was Trinity's, too. I'm really proud of that scene. I love and respect Trinity so much. I wanted to give her the sendoff she deserved."

OK, so we know Trinity's fate. But what's the deal with Neo? He saves Zion by cutting a deal with the Oz-like visage representing the Machines, defeats Smith in their "Super Burly Brawl" and then floats out of view-on a Machine transport-into a future unknown, though the little girl and the Oracle seem to agree that Neo will one day appreciate the gorgeous sky that the girl has whipped up behind her.

"I'm not sure what happens to Neo," Moss admits with a laugh. "You would have to ask Keanu. l'm sure he has an idea about that. It's left to be interpreted in many different ways. I saw it as the light taking over and Neo surrendering to that. Where he goes, I don't know." Moss goes on to praise Reeves to high heavens. She describes him as her dance partner throughout the making of the Matrix films. "We were instrumental in each other's experiences," she says. "He's a great guy and such a pleasure to work with. I had such a good time working with Keanu. He really gave me so much as a friend and an actor. And he's such a kind person. We both adore our characters, each other's character, the movies and the directors, so we truly gave it our all. Most of my scenes, especially in Revolutions, were with Keanu. What an opportunity-to be able to act with somebody you know really well because you've spent so much time with them. Especially on the second and third films, where there was none of that not-knowing-the-other-person kind of thing."

Hearts of Power

Revolutions appears to have restored the Matrix mojo. Whatever the final box office tally, the general consensus seems to be that Revolutions is everything Reloaded should Have been: a film of action and heart, with strong acting and awe-inspiring special FX. There are plenty of stunt sequences, but they don't run on and on. Likewise, there's lots of speechifying, but the monologues are better, mercifully concise and answer more questions than they pose. However, Moss points out that there could not have been a Revolutions without the much-maligned Reloaded. "I only know the reactions of the media and reviewers, which were a bit harsh," she says. "I always saw Reloaded as part one of a two-part film. I believe people will understand and appreciate Reloaded more now that they've seen Revolutions. I don't think making Reloaded and Revolutions one picture would have worked. And that wasn't what the brothers were looking to do. They couldn't have fit all of the story in there. 

"The brothers are so not about manipulating people:' Moss argues. "And what they've done, no one has ever done before. But you can't make everybody happy. The first Matrix film was so successful, I don't think that there was any way the second one could have lived up to it. Some people I've talked to really loved Reloaded. They got so much out of it. But it depends on who you are and what you were expecting. Many fans didn't like the Burly Brawl or thought it went on too long or didn't understand why Neo didn't just flyaway. A friend of mine had such a great take on it, which is that it represents when we continue to fight the same fight over and over again when we could just walk away. So that, to her, was part of Neo's struggle, part of his journey. She told this to [special FX guru] John S Gaeta, and John said, 'Oh my God, you totally got it.' There are so many layers. I've heard what people have said, but with everything the brothers do, you have to go deeper. I think that's why people like the whole idea of the Matrix so much." 

But Moss' time in that cyber universe is over. Now, it's on with the rest of her life, career and playing mommy to her infant son.  "I had a great idea of what parenting would be like, but my heart has been so opened by this whole experience," Moss says excitedly. 'I'm loving it. But I'm choosing not to talk about him, out of respect for his privacy." Moss does go into further detail about her other current endeavor, the upcoming thriller Suspect Zero. "I play an FBI agent," )he explains. "It also stars Aaron Eckhart and Sir Ben Kingsley. It's about a serial killer murdering serial killers. Aaron and I are ex-partners who come together to work on this very complicated case that's throwing everybody for a loop. Aaron plays a really tortured guy who's having a hard time, and we have a past together. Ben is an ex- FBI agent. There's a whole element of remote viewing in the movie, and that was why I was attracted to it. I wrapped Reloaded and Revolutions and went straight into Suspect Zero. I didn't plan on that, but the script was good. I had seen reports about remote viewing on television, and it really sparked something in me."

Moss must bid farewell in a moment in order to tend to her son. Before she does so, however, she offers a final thought about parting ways with The Matrix and Trinity. 

"I don't think I'll miss her too much," Moss says. "I really completed her. I played Trinity from beginning to end. She died and I buried her. I feel that there's nothing left of her to play, so there won't be this longing like I had after the first movie. After the original Matrix, I really missed her. Now, I've done everything with her. I've given six years of my life to these films, and I was  really excited about the Revolutions premiere because I wanted to celebrate with my friends who put everything they had into this trilogy. "But no, I don't think I'll miss Trinity," Carrie-Anne Moss says. "I've done it." ..~

  Source: Club-Keanu