Out of 'The Matrix,' Carrie-Anne Moss plans her next move
August 22, 2004
By Cindy Pearlman 

LOS ANGELES -- Is there life after "The Matrix"? One woman thinks she might be stuck in that void forever.
Carrie-Anne Moss is shocked that in the first few minutes of this interview she hasn't had to say the "M" word even once.

The brunet beauty played Trinity in the three mega-hit "Matrix" movies. Today, in a silver glittery shirt and white pants with her brown hair falling in loose curls around her shoulders, she remarks, "It's weird that I'm not sitting here talking about 'The Matrix.' I almost feel like I should be promoting that movie for the rest of my life."

So what was it like to work with Keanu Reeves? What is the freaking Matrix?

"No, no, no, no, no!" she screams in mock disgust.

Moss is determined not to be defined by her sci-fi past, and to that end, she has two very different projects coming up. She will star as the female lead opposite Tom Cruise in the upcoming "Mission: Impossible 3." She also stars with Ben Kingsley and Aaron Eckhart in "Suspect Zero," opening Friday, as a female FBI agent named Fran who is tracking a serial killer through rather strange methods.

Her partner (Eckhart) has been trained in remote viewing, which means he can mentally see where the killer has been and re-enact the crime scene correctly in his mind. The premise is that anyone can train their mind to see in this way.

"I took this movie because I had heard of remote viewing, which is a real thing," Moss says. "I love that it's psychic and spiritual. I really dig that kind of stuff. It's not that I'm saying I'm psychic, but it's that feeling we all have. Haven't you ever thought about someone and then two seconds later they're calling you on the phone?"

Some people might call that intuition.

"But remote viewing is taking intuition to another level. It's exercising your mind," she says. "I would imagine that the brain is like any other muscle. It needs to be exercised to develop in certain areas."

A psychic experience
Moss had a bit of an experience when it came to getting the role. "In fact, I had seen an episode of Oprah about it, and then days later, I received this script. That seemed a little weird, but I took it as a sign."

The role consists of another strong woman for Moss, who specializes in the type after the world-saving, butt-kicking Trinity.

"Look at me," says the tall, able Moss. "I'm probably not the kind of woman you're going to hire to play someone who's weak and frail. I'm 5 feet 9 inches tall. I can get the job done."

Named after the Hollies' 1967 song "Carrie-Anne," Moss, 37, was raised in Vancouver, B.C., as the youngest of two children. By age 20, she left home to begin a career as a model in Europe. She began her career on TV in the series "Matrix" (1993), "Models Inc" (1994) and "F/X: The Series" (1996). She then starred in "The Matrix" (1999), "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003) and "The Matrix Revolutions" (2003).

Is she glad she's rid of the franchise now? "I would never use the word 'glad to be rid of' 'The Matrix.' Truly, I loved doing it," Moss says. "But it's absolutely wonderful to have a chapter complete."

A 'Matrix' boost

Moss doesn't get upset about the poor reviews for the last two "Matrix" films.

"I believe we completed the three movies in an honorable, gorgeous, graceful way," she says. "Now the whole world is my oyster," she says. "For a long time, I couldn't do any other jobs because I'm doing that movie. But I loved it. I feel really lucky.

"'The Matrix' is the only reason I'm here."

The actress is living in Los Angeles these days, but her heart is elsewhere. "California is a beautiful place, but I've lived her for 10 years now. Wait, it's 13 years. I guess I'm a little bit in denial. When it comes to living here, I'm a little over it. I'd love to be close to my family, but the work is here."

Married to actor Steve Roy, Moss welcomed a son last September. "I don't even want to go out anymore because my son is so much fun," she says. "It's changed my whole life, and I love it, thank God."

She stammers, "I mean, I had a great life before, but my life is just so much more fun now."

Motherhood took her by surprise. "I'm someone who loves to have breakthroughs about life. I've had those life breakthroughs in my acting, but motherhood is different."

Between work and babyland, she's often a little bit tired. "To me, the dream life is getting to watch 'Oprah' and 'Dr. Phil' while the baby sleeps. If I'm out of the country on action, I have to TiVo those shows. I love to TiVo. It keeps me in touch with life."

Someday her son might TiVo all those "Matrix" movies. Moss doesn't freak out at that possibility. "I love the cast. I saw Laurence [Fishburne] last week and talked to Keanu a few days ago. I talked to those Chicago brothers ["Matrix" directors Andy and Larry Wachowski] the other day. They're like the family."

Someday her son will go to school with his very cool mom who played Trinity.

"That will be the one situation where I'll wish I wasn't an actor," she says. "I just want to be like any of the other moms."

Distributed by Big Picture News

Source: The Moss Pit