The Dangerous Matrix Resurrections Stunt Keanu Reeves Performed Way Too Much
The upcoming film "The Matrix Resurrections" is the fourth overall film in the "Matrix" franchise that premiered in 1999. It's set 20 years after the events of "The Matrix Revolutions" and follows a resurrected Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) once again living in the Matrix, with no memory of being Neo, or of the events of the first three films. Soon, a younger Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) shows up and gives him a red pill, bringing Neo back in time to stop a plot led by Agent Smith (Jonathan Groff). It might seem strange that Neo is alive and well after apparently dying in "Revolutions," but that's already the subject of fan theories.
Many of the action sequences in "The Matrix Resurrections" use digital effects and bullet-time, like the first three "Matrix" films did. But director Lana Wachowski also used practical effects for some of the most intense moments. To create them, stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss performed many of their own stunts.
In an interview on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on December 14, 2021, Colbert asked Reeves about the craziest stunt he had to do while filming "Matrix Resurrections." Here's what he said.
Keanu Reeves really enjoyed jumping off skyscrapers
In response to Colbert's question, Reeves said "Jump off a building." In the movie, Neo and Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) grab hands and jump off a skyscraper. Reeves estimated it was a 46-story building and that he jumped off it 19 times.
Since so much of "The Matrix" series is digital, Colbert asked why the filmmakers didn't just simulate their stars jumping off a building.
"Because it's Lana Wachowski," Reeves said. "And it's the Matrix and you need natural light, and you want to do it 'real.' I mean, there's wires."
Reeves admitted that he was somewhat anxious about doing the stunts, then explained how he overcame his nerves: "To prepare for something like that [Carrie-Anne] speaks a lot about preparing mentally for it, and I was doing that too. By the time you get there, I mean my heart rate was a little raised, but then after the first time, you can't think of the possibilities, of the fear. You have to block it, not block it, but deal with it, absorb it. Just be there and 'do.' And that's what we did."
"The Matrix Resurrections" premieres December 22 in theaters and on HBO Max.