Keanu Reeves Didn't Know 'Matrix' Was a Trans Allegory

Earlier this month, The Matrix co-creator Lilly Wachowski confirmed that a trans allegorical experience was the "original intention" of the series. And now Keanu Reeves, the actor who played the pivotal role of Neo in the hit trilogy, says that while he didn't know of this before, that's totally fine with him.

"I think The Matrix films are profound, and I think that allegorically, a lot of people in different versions of the film can speak to that," Reeves told Yahoo Entertainment. "And for Lilly to come out and share that with us, I think is cool." Always great to have support!

Earlier this year, the 55-year-old actor was working on a fourth installment of the franchise when production was halted in February due to the global pandemic. And while there's some uncertainty about when that will get back in progress, he's currently plugging the relaunch of the Bill & Ted franchise with Bill & Ted Face the Music, which is due for release August 28.

The Matrix creators Lana and Lilly Wachowski both famously transitioned in the years after the original film hit theaters and blew away audiences with its dystopian world of enforced suffering and oppression. All told the installments -- The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, and The Matrix Revolutions -- hasvegrossed more than $1.6 billion globally, and the original just celebrated its 22nd anniversary.

"I don't know how present my transness was in the background of my brain as we were writing it," Lilly told the Netflix Film Club, "but it all came from the same sort of fire that I'm talking about. Especially for me and Lana, we were existing in this space where the words didn't exist, so we were always living in a world of imagination.

"I'm glad people are talking about The Matrix movies with a trans narrative," Lilly continued. "I love how meaningful those films are to trans people and the way that they come up to me say, 'Those movies saved my life.'"

Reeves has appeared in a number of highly successful films including My Own Private Idaho, Speed, and The Devil's Advocate, as well as The Matrix and Bill & Ted series of movies. When asked about whether the upcoming Matrix 4 will have a similar allegorical message, Reeves chuckled.

"I don't know," Reeves observed. "I think it'll be open to interpretation."

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