Here's What The Cast Of The Matrix Trilogy Looks Like Today

In 1999, the Wachowskis' adrenaline-coursing shoot-em-up sci-fi thriller The Matrix first graced the silver screen. Some twenty years and two sequels later, fans still regard the original as one of the best action movies of all time. Equipped with edge-of-your-seat fight sequences, some truly groundbreaking special effects, and a compelling plot dense with philosophy and metaphor, the Matrix trilogy went on to gross over $1 billion worldwide at the box office. Despite all of the success, one of the series' finest assets still gets overlooked all too often: the cast.

The Wachowskis' dystopian world introduced audiences to unforgettable characters, and without top-notch acting, it's hard to imagine anyone buying in to the series' outlandish ideas. Fortunately, the filmmakers knocked it out of the park, stacking the cast with actors who truly brought their roles to life. For some of these performers, The Matrix launched their career to unexpected heights, opening doors to more prominent roles. For others, it remains the high point. To find out what your favorite freedom fighters and computer programs have been up to for the past two decades, follow us down the rabbit hole and see what the cast of the Matrix trilogy looks like today.

Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus is an iconic character in pop culture history. A man so strong in his faith that he is literally willing to die for his beliefs, the loyal captain of the Nebuchadnezzar blesses the Matrix trilogy with badass hand-to-hand combat sequences and classic one-liners like "Stop trying to hit me and hit me!" Although he had appeared in films like Boyz n the Hood and Bad Company long before he was cast by the Wachowskis, Fishburne will undoubtedly always be most remembered for his time playing Morpheus, and he's mostly cool with that.

Since hanging up his character's now-iconic sunglasses, Fishburne has enjoyed a successful, well-balanced career. He has tackled comedies (such as Kevin Hart's Ride Along), starred in prestigious TV shows (including CSI, Black-ish, and Hannibal), and even lent his voice to popular characters like Thrax in Osmosis Jones and the Silver Surfer in Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer. He is also one of the few actors to have crossed the "comic book aisle," appearing in both DC's Man of Steel and Marvel's Ant Man and the Wasp.

Most recently, Fishburne reunited with Keanu Reeves for John Wick: Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 — Parabellum. It's good to know that Neo and Morpheus are still kicking butt together.

The Matrix without Agent Smith would be like Avengers: Endgame without Thanos. Hugo Weaving's sneering poise and emotionless delivery is perfect for the nefarious computer program designed to hunt down and terminate human rebels — the Antichrist to Neo's Messiah. When speaking with FILMINK, the Australian actor discussed what made Agent Smith such a fun role to play. "The heroes don't have the ability to dip into humor. They're trying to save the world," he explained. "I have much more scope with my character to be funny. You could see it in the writing — it attracted me to that character."

Although it was certainly a big break for Weaving, the role of Agent Smith was only the beginning of his rise to popularity in pop culture. Weaving has played pivotal parts in multiple multi-million dollar franchises, from Lord of the Rings' Elrond to Marvel's Red Skull. He's even been a part of the Transformers universe, having lent his distinctive voice to uber-villain Megatron in the first two Michael Bay-helmed movies. Since unplugging from The Matrix, he's reteamed twice with the Wachowskis, playing V in V for Vendetta and six different characters in Cloud Atlas. His most recent on-screen appearance was in 2018's Mortal Engines, in which he played the main villain, Thaddeus Valentine. If your movie needs a solid antagonist, Weaving is at the top of the list.

In The Matrix Reloaded, Neo is tasked with finding the Keymaker, a computer program that can gain quick access to various destinations within the Matrix. This particularly useful character, played by Korean American actor Randall Duk Kim, is the only one who can help Neo reach the source of the Matrix in order to meet the Architect. In an interview on the set with Novidades Cinema, Kim expressed how honored he was to be a part of The Matrix. "I never dreamed that in my latter years I would be doing something like this," he said. "I'm like a little kid having a big, big, huge adventure."

Although playing the Keymaker was probably the most prominent performance of his career, Kim hasn't completely disappeared from the public eye in the years since, with roles in Dreamworks' animated Kung Fu Panda franchise and 2009's live-action Dragonball Evolution. Most recently, Kim has been sharing the screen again with Matrix co-star Keanu Reeves, playing the dedicated Continental Hotel doctor in the John Wick movies.

Although it's hard to picture anyone but Carrie-Anne Moss in the role of Trinity, Jada Pinkett Smith allegedly came pretty darn close (her famous husband, Will Smith, was also being considered for the role of Neo at the same time). She wasn't destined to become Trinity, but the Wachowskis were so impressed with Pinkett Smith that they wrote the role of Niobe in The Matrix Reloaded specifically for her. When speaking on The Howard Stern Show, she expressed no sour grapes over losing the bigger part. "I do wish, but I look at Carrie-Anne and I just go, 'She's freaking amazing.' There's no way in the world I would have brought that."

As it turns out, the post-Matrix years have been extremely good to Pinkett Smith. In 2012, Forbes ranked Jada and Will among the world's highest-paid celebrity couples, with Jada alone bringing in $10 million that year.  Her vocal work as Gloria the hippo in the Madagascar franchise has been a real cash cow, and her portrayal of crime boss Fish Mooney on Gotham was hard to forget. Her most recent movie, 2017's Girls Trip, was a surprise mega-hit, racking up over $100 million at the box office. With a part in 2019's action flick Angel Has Fallen, expect Pinkett Smith to keep bringing in the big dough.

In The Matrix Reloaded, Neo finally meets the Architect, the chief overseer and creator of the Matrix itself. The character, played by German-born actor Helmut Bakaitis, plays a critical role in helping Neo understand his destiny. Although he has appeared in other films, this role was undoubtedly Bakaitis' most relevant claim to fame.

Since saying farewell to the world of the Matrix, Bakaitis' most prominent job has been his current role of Thornton Finch on the Guy Pearce-led Australian drama Jack Irish. He also made a very brief appearance in Mel Gibson's 2016 Oscar-winning war film Hacksaw Ridge, in which he played a minister.

Although he may not have been stacking up acting credits, Bakaitis has remained very much embedded in the art of performance. He worked as the Head of Directing at Australia's prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art. He held this position until 2007, when he became a directing teacher at the Australian Academy of Dramatic Art.