Keanu Reeves Owns The Coolest Prop From The Matrix Franchise
Keanu Reeves still has the red pill from the first Matrix movie.
Keanu Reeves still has the red pill from the 1999 Matrix film. The actor made the revelation during a Reddit Ask Me Anything session when asked if he ever stole anything from a set. But the iconic prop wasn’t swiped. It was given to him by directors Lilly and Lana Wachowski. He also owns a few items from other popular movies.
“Not stolen…” the 58-year-old said before divulging the mementos he owns. “The watch and wedding ring from John Wick, a sword from 47 Ronin, and the first red pill that the Wachowskis ever gave me,” Keanu Reeves explained. When asked to share which film’s action scenes he preferred, the actor couldn’t pick a clear favorite.
“Nothing can ever compare to the kung fu training from The Matrix because it was so unique and my first time,” Keanu Reeves said. “But the jiu-jitsu in John Wick being integrated with judo and gunfights can never be touched in its own way.” The actor was also unable to name the best movie from his extensive catalog of work.
“I’ve been very fortunate to work on a few films that have changed my life,” Keanu Reeves said. “I can’t pick just one.” However, the 58-year-old did name a few random projects, including River’s Edge, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the Matrix trilogy, A Scanner Darkly, My Own Private Idaho, Point Break, John Wick, and The Devil’s Advocate.
Released in 1999, the first movie in the Matrix franchise was groundbreaking in its concept of reality and introduction of “bullet time.” Led by Keanu Reeves, the story is set in a dystopian future where humans are trapped inside a simulated reality called the Matrix. Intelligent machines created it to distract people while using their bodies as a source of energy.
When a computer programmer named Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) uncovers the truth, he rebels against the machines under the hacker alias Neo. He is joined by others who have been freed from the Matrix. The film was a massive box office and critical success and was followed by The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.
A fourth film, The Matrix Resurrections, was released in 2021, with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprising their roles as Neo and Trinity. Set 20 years after its predecessor, the story finds Neo living an ordinary life as Thomas A. Anderson. However, he sees a therapist who prescribes him blue pills. Morpheus eventually offers him the red pill, reopening his mind to the world of the Matrix.
Keanu Reeves is also returning for a fourth John Wick installment, which he describes as the most brutal action movie he’s ever filmed. Speaking to Total Film, the actor said he had to train for 12 weeks. “It’s new levels of action,” he told the publication. “[The] nunchucks were challenging,” he added, explaining that everyone on the team is highly committed.
Directed by Chad Stahelski from a script by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch, John Wick: Chapter 4 stars Keanu Reeves as the titular character. The story follows the former hitman who finds a way to defeat the High Table. But before he is free, Wick has to face a new foe with powerful allies across the globe.
John Wick: Chapter 4, starring Keanu Reeves, is set for release on March 24th.
