Line #1 Trivia/TheMatrix


1	!!Specific works:
2	[[index]]
3	* ''Trivia/TheMatrixPathOfNeo''
4	* ''Trivia/EnterTheMatrix''
5	* ''Trivia/TheMatrixReloaded''
6	* ''Trivia/TheMatrixRevolutions''
7	* ''Trivia/TheAnimatrix''
8	* ''Trivia/TheMatrixOnline''
9	* ''Trivia/TheMatrixResurrections''
10	[[/index]]
11
12	!!Listed Trivia:
13	* ActingInTheDark: The live-action cut scenes for ''VideoGame/EnterTheMatrix'' were shot simultaneously with the sequels. It got to the point where the actors didn't know whether they were shooting scenes for the movies or the video game.
14	* ActorLeavesCharacterDies: Tank is said to have died in between films due to Marcus Chong falling out with Creator/TheWachowskis.
15	* ActorShipping: Predictably, there's the usual contingent of fans who ship Creator/KeanuReeves and Creator/CarrieAnneMoss based on the strength of their chemistry as OfficialCouple Neo and Trinity and their adorable friendship in shared interviews. They ''are'' close friends and have been for years, but that's all.
16	* BabyNameTrendStarter: [[https://www.behindthename.com/name/trinity/top "Trinity"]] exploded in popularity as a girl's name after the film's release, peaking after the release of the sequels. In the US, it spent the years from 2000 through 2012 as one of the 100 most popular girl's names in the country.
17	* BeamMeUpScotty:
18	** [[MemeticMutation What if I told you]] Morpheus never actually says "What if I told you..." at any point in the Trilogy? The origin of this meme stems from a simple jab at the film's [[ItWasHisSled twist]], which featured a photo of Morpheus simply asking "What if I told you... The Matrix is all inside a computer?" Since then, people have just taken it from there.
19	** One of Agent Smith's most famous quotations is often written as "But Mr. Anderson, how can you make a phone call when you cannot speak?" or something similar. The actual line is "Tell me, Mr. Anderson, what good is a phone call if you're unable... to speak?"
20	* CaliforniaDoubling: While set in an unspecified part of America which is heavily implied to be the Wachowski's native Chicago, it was filmed in Sydney, Australia. In the scene in which Neo says "I used to eat lunch there. Good noodles", the car is clearly driving through the Chinatown end of George Street in UsefulNotes/{{Sydney}}'s CBD. Of course, you also see the Sydney Tower and the Maritime Services Board control tower on the city's skyline.
21	* CastTheRunnerUp:
22	** Creator/JadaPinkett was offered the role of Trinity, but had to decline, as she was pregnant at the time. She would play Niobe in the sequels and ''VideoGame/EnterTheMatrix''.
23	** Anthony Brandon Wong auditioned for Tank in the first film. He would later play Ghost in the sequels and ''VideoGame/EnterTheMatrix''.
24	* CreatorBacklash:
25	** An oddly specific example: armorer John Bowring hated Creator/TheWachowskis' choice of the [[HandCannon Desert Eagle]] as the weapons of the Agents, deriding it as a "wanker's gun".
26	** In an interview on the Team Deakins podcast in the summer of 2020, director of photography Bill Pope described working on ''Reloaded'' and ''Revolutions'' as a negative experience:
27	-->Everything that was good about the first experience was not good about the last two. We weren't free anymore. People were looking at you. There was a lot of pressure. In my heart, I didn't like them. I felt we should be going in another direction. There was a lot of friction and a lot of personal problems, and it showed up on screen to be honest with you. It was not my most elevated moment, nor was it anyone else's. The Wachowskis had read this damn book by Creator/StanleyKubrick that said, "Actors don't do natural performances until you wear them out". So let's go to take 90! I want to dig Stanley Kubrick up and kill him.
28	* CreatorChosenCasting: Creator/TheWachowskis cast Creator/HugoWeaving after seeing him in ''Proof''. They cast Creator/MonicaBellucci after seeing her in ''Film/{{Malena}}''.
29	* CreatorsOddball: The films have intellectual ambition to spare. This especially makes them stand out in their producer Joel Silver's catalogue, which has arguably more than its share of lowbrow action movies.
30	* DevelopmentGag: A deleted subplot reveals that Morpheus has previously believed five other people to be The One, all of whom died after attempting to fight the Agents. In ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'', [[spoiler:the Architect explains that there have been five previous versions of the Matrix before the current one, each with its own version of the One, meaning that Neo again has five predecessors.]]
31	* DiedDuringProduction: Creator/GloriaFoster (The Oracle) died before she could film anything for ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions'' or ''VideoGame/EnterTheMatrix''. The part was hastily recast with Mary Alice and an [[TheNthDoctor explanation]] was cobbled together.
32	* DyeingForYourArt: Rowan Witt's ("Spoonboy") mum was ''very'' reluctant to have his beautiful locks shaved off.
33	** To prepare for the scene in which Neo wakes up in a pod, Creator/KeanuReeves lost 15 pounds and shaved his whole body to give Neo an emaciated look. Prior to filming the scene, he shaved his head to a buzz cut in the real world scenes that take place after it.
34	** Creator/LaurenceFishburne shaved his head to play Morpheus for this film and the sequels.
35	** All the main actors involved did extensive training in martial arts to make their fight scenes look more believable and learned how to handle weapons.
36	* EditedForSyndication:
37	** Basic cable cuts of the film frequently substitute "Shucks" or "Smokes" for "Shit," and change Neo's line in the interrogation room scene to "How about I give you a flipper?", while completely cutting the actual [[FlippingTheBird middle finger]] (and, by consequence, the "You give me my phone call" part of the line). Also "Jeepers creepers (originally "Jesus Christ"), that thing’s ''real''?!"
38	** The Creator/{{AMC}} edit, in particular, changes a line in ''Reloaded'' to "I'll bring that whole cockamamie (originally "goddamn") building down."
39	* FakeAmerican: Although inside the Matrix proper, Neo and Trinity are probably supposed to be Americans, Creator/KeanuReeves and Creator/CarrieAnneMoss are in fact Canadians. Due to being filmed in Sydney, many of the supporting roles are played by Australian actors.
40	** Australians Creator/HugoWeaving and Creator/BelindaMcClory put on fake American accents as Agent Smith and Switch.
41	* HireTheCritic: For ''The Ultimate Matrix Collection'', the filmmakers included two {{Alternate DVD Commentar\|y}}ies, one by philosophers who loved the movies, and one by critics who hated them.
42	* GodNeverSaidThat: It has been said that Lily Wachowski confirmed that the series was always meant to be a trans allegory. However, [[https://www.them.us/story/lilly-wachowski-mentoring-the-matrix-interview she has clarified]] that while them being trans did have an unconcious effect on some of the creative choices she and Lana made, they only set out to make an action film first and foremost, not a trans allegory.
43	* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: ''The Matrix Awakens'', the Unreal Engine 5 TechDemoGame tie-in to ''Resurrections'', was delisted from [=PlayStation=] and Xbox stores on July 9, 2022.
44	* KillerApp: This film was the first title to sell a million copies on the UsefulNotes/{{DVD}} format, making it the dominant form of home media for the next decade.
45	* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: ''The Ultimate Matrix Collection'', which features the 3 films (at the time), ''Anime/TheAnimatrix'' and 35 hours of bonus features, interviews, documentaries, commentaries and such, all spread out over 10 [=DVDs=]. Or four [[UsefulNotes/BluRay Blu-Rays]] and two [=DVDs=].
46	* RecycledSet: Sets from ''Film/DarkCity'', including rooftops, buildings and other exterior sets, were used in this film. The rooftops that Trinity runs across at the beginning of the film are the same ones that John Murdoch runs across in ''Dark City''.
47	* MultipleLanguagesSameVoiceActor: Creator/MonicaBellucci (Persephone) and Creator/LambertWilson (The Merovingian) dubbed themselves in French.
48	* OnSetInjury: Creator/CarrieAnneMoss twisted her ankle while shooting an action scene, but decided not to tell anyone until after filming, so she wouldn't be re-cast.
49	* StarMakingRole: For Creator/CarrieAnneMoss, who was almost completely unknown before she became Trinity. Creator/HugoWeaving, meanwhile, went from decently known in Australia and semi-obscure in the US straight into the mainstream after this movie. For Creator/KeanuReeves, however, this was more of a [[TypeCasting Type-Cementing Role]].
50	* ThrowItIn:
51	** After the lobby shootout, the camera pans back showing the aftermath of the gunfight in the lobby. During this, a piece of one of the pillars falls off. This happened by coincidence during the filming and was not planned, but was left since it seemed appropriate.
52	** Neo throwing up after Morpheus explained the Matrix to him was also unplanned. Reeves had a stomach upset and just happened to throw up. They left that take in the movie.
53	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
54	** Creator/WillSmith was offered the role of Neo, but turned it down for ''Film/WildWildWest''. Smith explained his decision in 2004, in an interview with ''Wired'':
55	--->"You know, ''The Matrix'' is a difficult concept to pitch. In the pitch, I just didn't see it.[[note]]Smith would later detail in a Website/YouTube video that the Wachowskis talked more about the technology they were using for the effects rather than the story, which certainly made for an underwhelming pitch.[[/note]] I watched Keanu's performance -- and very rarely do I say this -- but I would have messed it up. I would have absolutely messed up ''The Matrix''[[note]]In the aforementioned video he also claimed it was for the best that he was not cast since it would prevent Creator/LaurenceFishburne from playing Morpheus since Creator/WarnerBros didn't want both characters to be African-American, meaning the role would have likely gone to Creator/ValKilmer.[[/note]]."
56	** The Wachowskis' first choice for Neo was Creator/JohnnyDepp, while Creator/WarnerBros wanted either Creator/BradPitt or Creator/ValKilmer. Creator/EwanMcGregor turned down the role of Neo, as he was filming ''Franchise/StarWars Episode I: Film/ThePhantomMenace''. Creator/DavidDuchovny turned down the role of Neo to make ''Film/TheXFilesFightTheFuture''. Creator/NicolasCage turned down the part of Neo because of family commitments. Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio turned it down, supposedly because he was concerned about the amount of special effects. Creator/TomCruise and Creator/LouDiamondPhillips were also considered.
57	** Creator/GaryOldman and Creator/SamuelLJackson were considered for Morpheus. Also, Creator/ChowYunFat was offered the role of Morpheus, but turned it down. Creator/RussellCrowe also turned down the role. He said: "I just didn't get it. I couldn't get past page forty-two. That world was just not interesting to me."
58	** Creator/SandraBullock turned down the role of Trinity because she couldn't see herself acting alongside the actor the studio intended to play Neo. (This was before Reeves, her co-star from the 1994 hit ''Film/{{Speed}}'', was cast.) She later regretted this decision. Music/JanetJackson was initially approached for the role of Trinity, but scheduling conflicts prevented her from accepting it. In an interview, she stated that turning down the role was difficult for her, so she later referenced the film in the "Intro" and "Outro" interludes on her tenth studio album ''Discipline''. Creator/MichelleYeoh was also considered, as was Creator/GillianAnderson and Music/{{Madonna}}, while Creator/SalmaHayek and Creator/GabrielleUnion auditioned. Madonna said in a 2021 interview that she regretted turning down the film.
59	** At the film's 20th anniversary, Yeoh revealed she was also offered ''Neo'', with the Wachowskis being willing to make the character female if it meant getting a big star.
60	** Creator/JeanReno was approached to play Agent Smith. He turned it down and took a role in ''Film/{{Godzilla\|1998}}'' (1998) instead. He was also unwilling to move to Australia.
61	** Early drafts of the original film's script contain a number of things that were arguably changed for the ''better''. One such detail is the climax having [[spoiler:Neo [[FlippingTheBird flipping off Smith]] after being revived, while Smith helplessly lets out a BigNo as Neo escapes.]]
62	** The "mental projection" of the Matrix would have been plot-relevant, with Switch (the butch blonde woman and only other woman in the crew besides Trinity) appearing female in the Matrix but [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} male in the real world]]. This concept would have particularly interesting in light of [[RealitySubtext both the Wachowskis]] coming out as transgender women many years later.
63	** The script and art book reveal that [[spoiler:Cypher's]] betrayal was originally going to be [[VillainHasAPoint a lot more understandable and morally grey]]; Morpheus has been fruitlessly searching for TheChosenOne for years and Neo is actually the SIXTH person Morpheus has pegged as "the One", making [[spoiler:Cypher's]] resentment, doubt, and desire to return to the Matrix far more reasonable. This was also meant to [[{{Foreshadowing}} foreshadow]] the reveal in the second film that [[spoiler:the prophecy’s a lie, with the implication being that Morpheus kept getting it wrong because there was never a real "One" to find.]]
64	** In a 1996 draft of the script, there's a tenth member of Morpheus's crew named Cable, who's described as "a man with a big gun." [[Comicbook/{{Cable}} Hmmm, wonder where that idea came from...]]
65	** In the original storyboards, there was a recurring motif of PunchCatch - Morpheus catches Neo's fist in the sparring program, Agent Smith catches Morpheus's fist when Morpheus performs his HeroicSacrifice, and Neo catches Agent Smith's fist in the final battle. This was changed to each of these encounters using the BringIt gesture.
66	* WordOfGod: Creator/TheWachowskis have stated that Cypher hacked into the Matrix on his own without the help of the ''Nebuchadnezzar'' crew. [[spoiler:This explains how he could have arranged a meeting with the Agents.]]
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Context Trivia / TheMatrix