Nearly two decades after the last film in the series, Lana Wachowski is back with a new story for the cinematic universe she helped create in 1999; It’s about “Matrix: Resurrections” (2021), which has the participation of Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the main roles, but also with a new cast, among them the young actress Jessica Henwick (England, 1992) ), who became famous after playing ” Nymeria Arena” in the series “Game of Thrones” (HBO), “Colleen Wing” in the series “Iron Fist” (Netflix) and “Jessika Pava” in “Star Wars: The Force Rises ”(2015).

In the interview, The British-born actress reviews how she landed the role (“Bugs”, skilled warrior with blue hair) in the fourth installment of the saga starring Keanu Reeves, hitting theaters this week in parallel to the platform flow HBO Max.

—What does it mean to you to be involved in the world of the film “The Matrix”?

“Well, funny because I haven’t fully processed it yet.” I don’t know if it’s a conscious thing, that maybe my philosophy has changed a bit as a result of my excitement about getting the role, but that’s… good. I see myself as a hard working actress and that’s why I feel it’s great and I’m excited about it, but maybe because I’m hoping for something good and fateful to happen. It might have happened during the premiere, but now… I can barely process it, I think.

“How did you come to this project?” Or did the project come to you?

“I got an email – it was, I think, a week before my birthday – and I was on a field trip.” It was a long journey that would last an entire month, so I hadn’t checked my email yet, and I turned on my phone just to let everyone know I was alive. Then I saw the email and I ignored it, because I couldn’t record anything. I was in Spain, in the middle of nowhere. It was right in the middle of a long drive and there was no Wi-Fi there either. So I said to myself, no way, I don’t know if I can answer that but in reality I refuse. I finished the vacation and went home until September, and I thought the matter would be forgotten. Then I got a new email from my agent saying they haven’t found anyone for the role and that Lana Wachowski still wants me to send her a video. So I filmed myself and didn’t think much of it. You know, I’ve been working on this for a few years and you get used to doing things and leaving all hope behind. Otherwise, you’ll only get hurt if you get your hopes up.

So I forgot about that and a week or two later they called me to say, “Could you fly to Los Angeles and do some reading practice with the actor who might play ‘Morpheus’?” And Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is one of them. So I traveled, read with him and two days later, waiting for Uber, they called me from an unknown number. I answered and it was Lana Wachowski saying, “Hello? I’m Lana Wachowski”, I replied in shock and simply replied, “Would you like to be in my film?” And that’s the story.

“Since you mentioned Lana, can you tell us a little bit about what it was like to work with her?”

-Come see, he lives and breathes the “Matrix”. Extraordinary. He’s been living in this universe since the first movie came out, back in 1999, and I think the Wachowskis came up with the idea 10 years before that, so it’s been a long time coming. He knew this world better than anyone; and very precise about it. I remember we did camera tests for hairstyles and clothes, I would walk in and he would say, “No, come back. Come in again. No not like that. Darker. Relieve. Short.” So he cuts and transforms even the smallest details. It’s very accurate.

—Your character has a very specific relationship with “Thomas Anderson” / “Neo”, can you tell us a bit about that?

—I have described my character (“Bugs”) as a true believer in “Neo” and the legend of the “Matrix”. This is something very ‘meta’. The “matrix” itself is something the “Bugs” are aware of as well as humans, and it marks its own history. In a world full of fake news, people almost think, “Does this man really exist and do as they say?” But “Bugs” are people who believe and believe that “Neo” is still alive, and are dedicated to finding him.

“How about working with Keanu Reeves?”

-Very pleasant. He is very friendly. He is shy and quiet, a generous man. Working with him was what was to be expected, as he had a reputation for being a nice guy, and rightly so. We had a very interesting conversation. We were sitting next to each other on the set, and I remember him saying to me, “What do you think is at the bottom of the ocean?” And we could talk about history, art or politics… He was someone who was very, very intelligent.

“Other than all the fantastic elements that make up this story, this is an action film… What kind of preparation do you have for the fight scenes?”

“Actually, I need to get back in shape.” Kind of annoying because I’ve done action scenes in the past. And the training was painful at first. I always say to myself, “Oh, I want to stay in shape. I will continue to exercise when the film ends, or when the television series ends. And suddenly, cut short, I hit the end and “I’m never going back to the gym.” I remember when we finished shooting this film, I thought, “I want my next job to be like ‘Downton Abbey.’ I want to sit in a chair in every take, polishing the cutlery. I don’t want to run, or even walk. I want to sit in every scene.” So, The hardest thing is getting into shape.

“What do you expect audiences to experience when they sit in the dark in the theater watching this film?”

“I hope you feel the same nostalgic punch as I did.” It is a journey through memory. Every time Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss appear on screen, it’s something… you just say, “Oh my gosh.” Because I hope that fan They love nostalgia but also discover something new. Hopefully it can give a lot of consideration. Like the first part, this is a complicated film, of course. I thought it would demand that I be seen with an open mind.

—Finally, we know what “Bugs” is going to do, but you, Jessica, the blue pill or the red pill?

“Well, always the truth.” I want to know. I’m blown away by the idea of ​​discovering that we’ve been in the “Matrix” all along. Maybe we. That’s the question, you never know. Maybe we were there.