Keanu Reeves gets emotional over how much ‘The Matrix’ ‘changed’ his life over the last 25 years

(CNN) — There is no shortage of iconic movies that actor Keanu Reeves has blessed the world with throughout his illustrious career, but the beloved sci-fi classic “The Matrix” truly stands out from the rest.

During an appearance on Monday’s episode of “The Late Show,” host Stephen Colbert mentioned a selection of Reeves’ most popular films, along with their anniversaries, reminding the star that “The Matrix” turns 25 this year. Colbert then asked Reeves to share his fondest memory from the movie.

“‘The Matrix’ changed my life, and then over these years, it’s changed so many other people’s lives, in really positive and great ways,” Reeves said, his voice quivering.

“As an artist, you hope for that when you get to do a film or tell a story,” he added. “And so when you say these years, the amount of people who I’ve met who have… been touched by ‘The Matrix’ in such a positive way, it’s the best.”

Reeves has appeared in four “Matrix” films total, the most recent of which was “The Matrix Resurrections” in 2021.

Starring Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving and Carrie-Anne Moss, the first “Matrix” is a dystopian sci-fi epic that follows Neo (Reeves), a computer hacker who is summoned to join a cyber-intelligence rebellion after discovering that humanity is trapped inside a simulated reality.

The film raked in over $467 million at the time and became one of the year’s most profitable theatrical releases. It went on to win four Academy Awards and has earned just under $2 billion globally throughout its 25-year lifespan.

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, the film’s studio, announced in April that a fifth installment of the “Matrix” franchise is in the works, but it’s not yet been confirmed whether Reeves will be a part of it. (Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group is a subsidiary of CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)

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