The Matrix Stars On 'The Matrix Reloaded'


Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Jada Pinkett have all been speaking with The Sun Times about the highly aniticpated The Matrix Reloaded.

While the Chicago-born "Matrix" creators, directors Andy and Larry Wachowski, utilized groundbreaking special effects, Reeves said he had to physically push himself further than ever to make the film work. When asked how long it took to get back into shape for the second film--and the simultaneously shot "Revolutions" third installment (due out in November)--Reeves quipped, "Oh, about a day and a half," In reality, it took months of martial arts training--"often working seven to eight hours a day ... and that doesn't count the hours I spent in a bathtub soaking in ice afterward," the soft-spoken actor said with his signature chuckle.

*Co-star Laurence Fish-burne is back as Morpheus--who this time adds a messianic, religious leader aspect to his performance. Asked where he went for inspiration, Fishburne said, "A dash of Martin [Luther King], and a touch of lots of other good preachers I've heard or watched over the years."

*"Matrix Reloaded" marks Jada Pinkett Smith's first outing as an action star--further enhanced thanks to her starring role in the spinoff "Matrix" video game. Asked what hubby Will Smith thought of all this, Pinkett Smith laughed hard. "He loved it. He's a huge 'Matrix' fan. He wanted them to put him in it to play one of those agents in a black suit ... something he's had a little bit of experience wearing," his wife added, in an obvious reference to Will's "Men in Black" flicks.

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