And why his blue pixie racked up Airbnb fines.
There’s no shortage of free reboots and relaunches, but our imminent return to The matrix really makes sense. Even after the first film was released in 1999, the dystopian cyberpunk aesthetic that The matrix encapsulated is still a major styling touchpoint decades later. Exhibit A? The outfit that the Trinity trilogy heroine (Carrie Anne Moss) wears throughout the series – a pointed bob paired with futuristic shades of black and a leather trench coat – turned out to be eternally chic. In fact, when I reviewed all three original films before my first showing of the fourth installment of the series last week, one of my biggest takeaways was that I would literally bring everything to the screen. Is not it ? I had the same thought after watching the Matrix Resurrections, but the sleek new stage thief is Game of thrones former Jessica Henwick, who plays the audience surrogate with blue-haired Bugs (yes, like the bunny – she even says “What’s up, Doctor?” at one point).
we’re going back The matrix through its lens and, in many ways, its neo-fandom mirrors the show’s superfans who never gave up on his return. But before taking on the role of Bugs, Jessica Henwick was considering giving up acting entirely – until she got a call from director Lana Wachowski to test the Matrix resurrections role in Berlin. The call, she says in an audio sample, came after she wrapped up a 40-day hike. “It pulled me back. How can you say no
A few days after departure the Matrix resurrections, I had the chance to zoom in with Jessica Henwick and learn a bit more about her relationship to the original trilogy, her experience mastering next-level fight choreography, and why her true blue pixie racked up some Airbnb fines.
You were seven when the first movie came out – was that franchise a big part of your childhood?
I was too young to watch it when it first came out, so I was a little late for the game. I remember hearing [about it] but I didn’t know what it was until I was at a family friend’s house in Malaysia and found a copy of the movie. When I watched it I must have been about two feet from the TV. I was captivated and terrified because I was still too young to look at it and the thought that my mouth might get stitched up or things would come into my navel – I never thought of my navel as an orifice – was a bit terrifying and it was scarred at me.
Tell me about how your dance training helped you master fight choreography
Growing up in dance helped me because, from an early age, I learned to assimilate the choreography very quickly. When people ask me to do martial arts or stunts, I always say I’m not a martial artist, I’m just really good at copying. So if you want to get into comedy and want to do stunts, start with dancing.
What was it like to experience such an iconic reunion of the cast and crew?
It was such a trip. I am a huge fan of the original and I am a huge fan of Keanu. I had actually worked with Carrie Anne [before] and she’s one of the nicest actresses I’ve ever worked with. On the first day, Keanu came to the set in his costume and did the vocals. It had a line and it was something really small like “But why? ‘”
But I remember when he said his line my facial muscles started to tighten because I wanted to smile and I was trying not to interfere in the scene but it was so cool I didn’t could prevent me.
What did you learn from bringing Bugs to life?
It’s good to be a fan. She’s a huge fan and she embodies the power of fandom. No one believes that with Neo there is something left to tell about her story – everyone thinks she is crazy, but she is truly committed to this cause. She is sure there is truth out there and she doesn’t mind being mocked by others to pursue her. I hope one day I can become as cheeky as she is.
Was the character’s ultra-bulky pixie difficult to maintain?
It wasn’t the hardest thing. The hardest part was keeping the blue [colour]. Because we had to dye it so regularly, getting volume was actually easy as it made my hair drier. But no, I must have bleached it so many times and kept dyeing it blue.
I have accumulated an impressive number of fines for my Airbnbs because [the dye] goes everywhere. All of my pillows were blue and it just wouldn’t come out. You could tell who hung out with me because their hands would be blue!
What’s one resurrected style or beauty trend that you can’t get enough of?
Do you know what I want to resurrect? Amy Winehouse’s Beehive. Maybe not up to it, as it was a beehive skyscraper, but I love this style and think it’s about time.
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