Editing The Matrix (section)

=== Pre-production ===
The cast were required to be able to understand and explain ''The Matrix''.<ref name="Influence Screened"/> French philosopher [[Jean Baudrillard]]'s ''[[Simulacra and Simulation]]'' was required reading for most of the principal cast and crew.<ref name="Simulacra">{{Cite news |last=Rothstein, Edward |date=May 24, 2003 |title=Philosophers Draw on a Film Drawing on Philosophers |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/24/movies/philosophers-draw-on-a-film-drawing-on-philosophers.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 5, 2012 |archive-date=April 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407104440/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/24/movies/philosophers-draw-on-a-film-drawing-on-philosophers.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In early 1997, the Wachowskis had Reeves and Moss read ''Simulacra and Simulation'', [[Kevin Kelly (editor)|Kevin Kelly]]'s ''[[Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World]]'', and [[Dylan Evans]]'s ideas on [[evolutionary psychology]] even before they opened up the script.<ref name="Screenplay"/> Eventually, Reeves was able to explain all the philosophical nuances involved.<ref name="Influence Screened"/> Moss commented that she had difficulty with this process.<ref name="Screenplay"/>

The directors had long been admirers of [[Hong Kong action cinema]], so they decided to hire the Chinese [[fight choreography|martial arts choreographer]] and film director [[Yuen Woo-ping]] to work on fight scenes. To prepare for the [[wire fu]], the actors had to train hard for several months.<ref name="Influence Screened"/> The Wachowskis first scheduled four months for training, beginning in October 1997.<ref>{{Cite news|title=The Mind-Bending Story of How 'The Matrix' Came to Be|language=en-us|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/story/the-matrix-legacy-book-excerpt/|access-date=March 15, 2021|issn=1059-1028|archive-date=March 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302053828/https://www.wired.com/story/the-matrix-legacy-book-excerpt/|url-status=live}}</ref> Yuen was optimistic but then began to worry when he realized how unfit the actors were.<ref name="Training"/>

Yuen let their body style develop and then worked with each actor's strength. He built on Reeves's diligence, Fishburne's resilience, Weaving's precision and Moss's grace.<ref name="Training"/> Yuen designed Moss's moves to suit her deftness and lightness.<ref name="Trinity">{{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=Trinity |medium=DVD}}</ref> Prior to the pre-production, Reeves underwent a two-level fusion of his cervical (neck) spine due to spinal cord compression from a herniated disc ("I was falling over in the shower in the morning").<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Heath |first=Chris |date=August 31, 2000 |title=The Quiet Man: The Riddle of Keanu Reeves |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> He was still recovering by the time of pre-production, but he insisted on training, so Yuen let him practice punches and lighter moves. Reeves trained hard and even requested training on days off. However, the surgery still made him unable to kick for two out of four months of training. As a result, Reeves did not kick much in the film.<ref name="Training"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sploid.gizmodo.com/keanu-reeves-couldnt-kick-in-the-matrix-and-six-other-1681941448|title=Keanu Reeves couldn't kick in The Matrix--and six other factoids|work=Sploid |date=February 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212175210/https://sploid.gizmodo.com/keanu-reeves-couldnt-kick-in-the-matrix-and-six-other-1681941448 |archive-date=February 12, 2017 |last1=Chan |first1=Casey }}</ref> Weaving had to undergo [[Hip replacement|hip surgery]] after he sustained an injury during the training process.<ref name="Influence Screened"/>