Keanu Reeves says trans character was cut from ‘The Matrix’

Keanu Reeves has revealed that an openly trans character was cut from the first instalment of The Matrix.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Reeves recalled an early draft of the 1999 film’s original script, in which the character ‘Switch’ was envisioned as a transgender character who would be portrayed by both female and male actors.

Although Switch is female in The Matrix, directors Lilly and Lana Wachowski’s initial concept was a female actress (Belinda McClory) playing Switch in the Matrix, with a male actor playing the part in the real world. This storyline was reportedly removed on the instruction of Warner Bros.

“I think the studio wasn’t ready for that,” Reeves said.

Since the release of The Matrix, both siblings from the Wachowski directing duo have come out as trans women. Lilly and Lana Wachowski are the first major Hollywood directors to come out as trans.

In August last year, Lilly Wachowski confirmed the long-held fan theory that the Matrix films are an allegory for the transgender experience.  “That was the original intention but the world wasn’t quite ready,” Lilly said at the time. “I’m glad that it has gotten out.”

“The Matrix stuff was all about the desire for transformation but it was all coming from a closeted point of view,” she added. “We had the character of Switch – who was a character who would be a man in the real world and then a woman in the Matrix.”

The fourth instalment in The Matrix, The Matrix Resurrectons, will arrive in Australia on January 1st, 2022. You can watch the trailer for the film below.

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