‘I didn’t tell anyone’: what Keanu Reeves had to hide to get the role of Neo in The Matrix

Currently showing John Wick 4 (in theaters March 22), Keanu Reeves is best known for playing the character of Neo in the Matrix saga, which was launched in 1999 by the Wachowskis.

A particularly demanding role from the physical point of view, which required the actor to undergo intensive sports training and four months of training.

But this colossal challenge was compounded by a major complication that only Keanu Reeves knew existed on set. Indeed, as he recently revealed on the podcast mic The art of actionBefore he started preparing for the role, the actor faced serious health problems in his back.

“I had a neck problem that was getting worse”he confided.

“I’ve been struggling with it for a few years and I’ve been feeling the pinch. I made a movie called ‘Chain Reaction.’ in Chicago and had several epidurals, spinal injections. I had a disc A bulge and a second fracture and I was starting to lose feeling and balance.”

Despite his health, with the role of Neo likely to derail his career, Keanu Reeves agreed to take the red pill and join the adventure, all the while keeping his spinal problems a secret to avoid being disqualified:

“So I said yes to the matric and four months of training, but I was really unwell so I went to a specialist doctor and I also had spinal stenosis.”he said, still at the microphone The art of action.

“Basically, I had a sprained spine, so I had to have a two-level spinal fusion before training and they put a plate on my neck, but I didn’t tell anyone, I didn’t want to tell anyone that I could. He did not make a film.

It was good that back then the recovery path after spinal surgery was different. They put a plate around my neck and told me to start moving immediately. I have to train with a neck brace for Matrix.”

These surprising revelations about the pre-production of The Matrix give even more credit to Keanu Reeves’ role in the film.

(Re)discover all the hidden details of ‘The Matrix’…