Editing The Matrix (section)

== Cast ==
{{See also|List of Matrix series characters}}
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*[[Keanu Reeves]] as [[Neo (The Matrix)|Neo]]: A computer programmer, born Thomas A. Anderson, who secretly operates as a hacker named Neo. Reeves described his character as someone who felt that something was wrong, and was searching for Morpheus and the truth to break free.<ref name="Screenplay">{{Cite AV media |title=[[The Matrix Revisited]] |date=November 20, 2001 |last=Oreck, Josh (Director); Wachowski, Larry; Matthies, Eric (Producers) |publisher=[[Warner Bros. Pictures]] |place=United States |section=Screenplay |medium=DVD}}</ref> [[Will Smith]] turned down the role of Neo to make ''[[Wild Wild West]]'', because of skepticism over the film's ambitious bullet time special effects.<ref name="empire will smith">{{Cite magazine |last=Lawrence |first=Will |date=February 2007 |title=The Empire Interview: In conversation with Will Smith |magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |publisher=[[Emap]] |issue=212 |page=109 |quote=Honestly, I didn't think they could do it, it was too ambitious. I saw ''Bound'' and I loved it. ''The Matrix'' is exactly what they pitched, but they were designing those cameras to get those freeze-frames, and I was like, "If that doesn't work, the movie looks ridiculous." I didn't feel comfortable with the level of importance placed on that effect working properly.&nbsp;... That's probably the only one that I turned down that I shouldn't have, but when you see somebody do it like Keanu you think, "Thank God." I don't think I was mature enough as an actor at that point to get out of the way and just let it be and allow the directors to make the movie. I would have been trying to make jokes. Now I would have loved to take a shot and see what I would have done with it and I know now I could absolutely have been mature enough to get out the way. But back then I don't think I was.}}</ref> He later stated he was "not mature enough as an actor" at that time,<ref name="empire will smith"/> and that if given the role, he "would have messed it up".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hillner |first=Jennifer |date=July 2004 |title=I, Robocop |url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.07/smith_pr.html |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=March 11, 2017 |archive-date=March 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320180752/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.07/smith_pr.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Riggs |first=Ransom |date=October 20, 2008 |title=5 million-dollar mistakes by movie stars |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/10/20/mf.rejected.movies/index.html?iref=mpstoryview |access-date=January 4, 2013 |publisher=CNN |archive-date=December 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223155323/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/10/20/mf.rejected.movies/index.html?iref=mpstoryview |url-status=live }}</ref> Smith praised Reeves for his portrayal.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/will-smith-reveals-he-turned-down-the-matrix-and-h/1100-6465037/ |title=Will Smith Reveals He Turned Down the Matrix, and Here's Why |work=Gamespot |last=Makuch |first=Eddie |date=February 14, 2019 |access-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411033642/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/will-smith-reveals-he-turned-down-the-matrix-and-h/1100-6465037/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Nicolas Cage]] also turned down the part because of "family obligations".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carroll |first=Larry |date=December 7, 2007 |title=Will Smith Snagged 'I Am Legend' From Schwarzenegger, But Can You Imagine Nicolas Cage In 'The Matrix'? |publisher=MTV |url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1576048/20071207/story.jhtml |access-date=December 8, 2007 |archive-date=December 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211004920/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1576048/20071207/story.jhtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> Warner Bros. sought [[Brad Pitt]] or [[Val Kilmer]] for the role.<ref name="Davis-interview"/> When both declined, [[Leonardo DiCaprio]] initially accepted the role, but ultimately turned it down because he did not want to do a visual effects film directly after ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]''.<ref name="Cast-Bullock-DiCaprio"/> The studio pushed for Reeves, who won the role over [[Johnny Depp]], the Wachowskis' first choice.<ref name="Davis-interview">{{cite web |last=Redpill |date=July 2000 |title=Don Davis – Composer |url=http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/cmp/rl_interview_don_davis.html |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040422173208fw_/http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/cmp/rl_interview_don_davis.html |archive-date=April 22, 2004 |access-date=September 9, 2021 |website=whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com |quote=As far as casting goes, Keanu Reeves wasn't Larry and Andy's first choice, Johnny Depp was their first choice for Neo. Warner Bros. was going for this thing where they didn't want Johnny Depp, they wanted Brad Pitt or Val Kilmer. They told Larry and Andy if Brad Pitt would do the picture, they'd green light it right then. After Kilmer and Brad Pitt said no, Warner Bros. was willing to consider Johnny Depp, so it sort of came down to between Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves, who Warner Bros. was pushing. Keanu was always really tuned in to the concept and that made a big difference for Larry and Andy. I think it was a brilliant choice. Gary Oldman was considered as Morpheus at one point, and Samuel Jackson as well. For Trinity, I think they were generally looking at lesser known names for that character.}}</ref> [[Lorenzo di Bonaventura]] stated that the screenplay was also sent to [[Sandra Bullock]], with the suggestion of rewriting Neo as a female.<ref name="Cast-Bullock-DiCaprio">{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/the-matrix-filmmakers-wanted-sandra-bullock-as-neo-before-keanu-reeves-took-the-role/|title='The Matrix' Wanted Sandra Bullock as Neo Before Keanu Reeves Took the Role|last=Williams|first=Trey|date=March 26, 2019|accessdate=September 9, 2021|website=[[TheWrap]]|quote="We went to Sandy Bullock and said 'We'll change Neo to a girl.' [Producer] Joel Silver and I worked with Sandy on 'Demolition Man' and she was and continues to be a very good friend of mine. It was pretty simple. We sent her the script to see if she was interested in it. And if she was interested in it we would try to make the change."..."The first movie star who says yes is Brad Pitt, he’s doing 'Seven Years in Tibet' and then he’s coming out of it and he’s like 'I'm way too exhausted to take this on,' so he's gone," di Bonaventura said. "Then we go to Leonardo [DiCaprio]. He says yes, we have meetings with him and then he goes, 'You know, I can't go do another visual effects movie having just finished 'Titanic,' and he drops out. Then Will Smith joins it and he drops out."|archive-date=August 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819005711/https://www.thewrap.com/the-matrix-filmmakers-wanted-sandra-bullock-as-neo-before-keanu-reeves-took-the-role/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Laurence Fishburne]] as [[Morpheus (The Matrix)|Morpheus]]: A human freed from the Matrix and captain of the ''Nebuchadnezzar''. Fishburne stated that once he read the script, he did not understand why other people found it confusing. However, he doubted if the movie would ever be made, because it was "so smart".<ref name="Screenplay"/> The Wachowskis instructed Fishburne to base his performance on the character [[Dream (comics)|Morpheus]] in [[Neil Gaiman]]'s ''[[The Sandman (comic book)|Sandman]]'' comics.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gaiman |first=Neil |author-link=Neil Gaiman |date=June 10, 2003 |title=Neil Gaiman's Journal: You must be this tall to ride this website... |url=http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2003/06/you-must-be-this-tall-to-ride-this.asp |access-date=December 30, 2012 |website=neilgaiman.com |archive-date=December 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213152958/http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2003/06/you-must-be-this-tall-to-ride-this.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> 
*[[Carrie-Anne Moss]] as [[Trinity (The Matrix)|Trinity]]: A human freed by Morpheus, a crewmember of the ''Nebuchadnezzar'', and later Neo's romantic interest. After reading the script, Moss stated that at first, she did not believe she had to do the extreme acrobatic actions as described in the script. She also doubted how the Wachowskis would get to direct a movie with a budget so large, but after spending an hour with them going through the storyboard, she understood why some people would trust them.<ref name="Screenplay"/> Moss mentioned that she underwent a three-hour physical test during casting, so she knew what to expect subsequently.<ref name="Training">{{Cite AV media |title=[[The Matrix Revisited]] |date=November 20, 2001 |last=Oreck, Josh (Director); Wachowski, Larry; Matthies, Eric (Producers) |publisher=[[Warner Bros. Pictures]] |place=United States |section=Training |medium=DVD}}</ref> The role made Moss, who later said, "I had no career before. None."<ref name="Influence EW2"/> [[Janet Jackson]] was initially approached for the role but scheduling conflicts prevented her from accepting it.<ref name="janet">Wonderland Magazine, February 2010, page 148</ref><ref name="janet2">{{cite web |date=February 2, 2010 |title=Janet Jackson: 'I was in Matrix talks' |website=[[Digital Spy]] |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/celebrity/news/a200856/janet-jackson-i-was-in-matrix-talks.html |access-date=September 20, 2013 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923230443/http://www.digitalspy.com/celebrity/news/a200856/janet-jackson-i-was-in-matrix-talks.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In an interview, she stated that turning down the role was difficult for her, so she later referenced ''The Matrix'' in the 'Intro' and 'Outro' interludes on her tenth studio album ''[[Discipline (Janet Jackson album)|Discipline]]''.<ref name="janet1">{{cite web |date=February 28, 2008 |title=The Janet Jackson Interview – The Daily Voice |url=http://thedailyvoice.com/voice/2008/02/the-janet-jackson-interview-000258.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516041454/http://thedailyvoice.com/voice/2008/02/the-janet-jackson-interview-000258.php |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |access-date=September 20, 2013}}</ref> [[Sandra Bullock]], who was previously approached for the role of Neo, was also offered the role of Trinity, but she turned it down.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/america-asks-sandra-bullock-answers-wbna29125424|title=America asks, Sandra Bullock answers|date=February 10, 2009 |access-date=January 14, 2022|archive-date=January 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114165020/https://www.today.com/popculture/america-asks-sandra-bullock-answers-wbna29125424|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Rosie Perez]], [[Salma Hayek]] and [[Jada Pinkett Smith]] (who would later play [[Niobe (The Matrix)|Niobe]] in the sequels) auditioned for the role.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Nolfi |first1=Joey |last2=Lenker |first2=Maureen Lee |title=Salma Hayek recalls bombing her athletic audition for 'The Matrix': 'I'm lazy!' |url=https://ew.com/movies/salma-hayek-recalls-bombing-matrix-audition/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=October 17, 2021 |date=June 22, 2021 |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028081132/https://ew.com/movies/salma-hayek-recalls-bombing-matrix-audition/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/story/the-matrix-legacy-book-excerpt/ |title=How The Matrix Built a Bullet-Proof Legacy |magazine=Wired |date=March 29, 2019 |access-date=December 6, 2022 |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312024920/https://www.wired.com/story/the-matrix-legacy-book-excerpt/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/rosie-perez-spike-lee-matrix-audition-1235566016/ | title=Rosie Perez on Making Peace with Spike Lee, Bombing Her 'Matrix' Audition and Why Hollywood's Latino Representation Still 'Sucks' | date=March 29, 2023 | access-date=March 31, 2023 | archive-date=March 31, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331125542/https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/rosie-perez-spike-lee-matrix-audition-1235566016/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Hugo Weaving]] as [[Agent Smith]]: A sentient "Agent" program of the Matrix whose purpose is to destroy Zion and stop humans from getting out of the Matrix. Unlike other Agents, he has ambitions to free himself from his duties. Weaving stated that he found the character amusing and enjoyable to play. He developed a neutral accent but with more specific character for the role. He wanted Smith to sound neither robotic nor human, and also said that the Wachowskis' voices had influenced his voice in the film. When filming began, Weaving mentioned that he was excited to be a part of something that would extend him.<ref name="Interrogation Room">{{Cite AV media |title=[[The Matrix Revisited]] |date=November 20, 2001 |last=Oreck, Josh (Director); Wachowski, Larry; Matthies, Eric (Producers) |publisher=[[Warner Bros. Pictures]] |place=United States |section=Interrogation Room |medium=DVD}}</ref> [[Jean Reno]] was offered the role, but declined, unwilling to move to [[Australia]] for the production.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=WENN |date=May 12, 2006 |title=Reno Said No To ''The Matrix'' |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news-article/reno-said-no-to-the-matrix_12_05_2006 |magazine=[[Contactmusic.com]] |access-date=August 15, 2013 |archive-date=December 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214051123/http://www.contactmusic.com/news-article/reno-said-no-to-the-matrix_12_05_2006 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Gloria Foster]] as [[The Oracle (The Matrix)|The Oracle]]: A prophet who still resides in the Matrix, helping the freed humans with her foresight and wisdom.
*[[Joe Pantoliano]] as Cypher: Another human freed by Morpheus, and a crewmember of the ''Nebuchadnezzar'', but one who regrets taking the red pill and seeks to be returned to the Matrix, later betraying the rebels to Agent Smith. Pantoliano had worked with the Wachowskis prior to appearing in ''The Matrix'', starring in their 1996 film ''[[Bound (1996 film)|Bound]]''.
*[[Marcus Chong]] as Tank: The "operator" of the ''Nebuchadnezzar'' and Dozer's brother; they are both "natural" (as opposed to bred) humans, born outside of the Matrix.
*[[Paul Goddard (actor)|Paul Goddard]] as Agent Brown: One of two sentient "Agent" programs in the Matrix, who works with Agent Smith to destroy Zion and stop humans from escaping the system.
*[[Robert Taylor (Australian actor)|Robert Taylor]] as Agent Jones: One of two sentient "Agent" programs in the Matrix who works with Agent Smith to destroy Zion and stop humans from escaping the system.

*[[Julian Arahanga]] as Apoc: A freed human and a crew member on the ''Nebuchadnezzar''.
*[[Matt Doran]] as Mouse: A freed human and a programmer on the ''Nebuchadnezzar''.
*[[Belinda McClory]] as Switch: A human freed by Morpheus, and a crew member of the ''Nebuchadnezzar''.
*[[Anthony Ray Parker]] as Dozer: Pilot of the ''Nebuchadnezzar''. He is Tank's brother, and like him was born outside of the Matrix.
*[[Rowan Witt]] as The Spoon Boy, a young prophet who has learnt how to manipulate the world of the Matrix. Seemingly wise beyond his years, he teaches Neo how to develop his powers and provides him with wisdom and motivation across the films and graphic novels.
*[[Ada Nicodemou]] as DuJour: A reference to the [[White Rabbit]] in ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''.