Keanu Reeves Gets Choked Up Talking About How 'The Matrix' 'Changed My Life'

All-around Hollywood good guy Keanu Reeves got visibly emotional when he reflected on the legacy of The Matrix, which is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The 59-year-old Canadian actor, known for many of his action films as well as for his philanthropy and affable persona off-camera, sat down with Stephen Colbert on his Late Show to promote his latest project, a novel written in collaboration with author China Miéville called The Book of Elsewhere.

Before delving into his recent literary accomplishment, Colbert mentioned several of the actor's other movie milestones, including Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Point Break (1991), Speed (1994), and John Wick (2014), which are currently celebrating their 35th, 33rd, and 10th anniversaries, respectively.

After the studio audience cheered Reeves for his successful cinematic contributions, Colbert put him on the spot with a lightning round for the actor to share his fondest memories from the aforementioned films.

The rapid-fire responses came to a halt when Colbert asked Reeves to share his fondest memory of working on 1999's The Matrix.

Reeves paused to collect himself, to which Colbert jokingly remarked they would be right back after a "commercial break."

The actor chuckled, took a moment to gather his thoughts, and admitted: 

“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," continued the humble actor as he appeared to get choked up.

"As an artist, you hope for that when you get to do a film or tell a story.”

He continued:

“And so when you say these years and the amount of people that I have met who have said to me they have been touched by ‘The Matrix’ in such a positive way..."

Reeves took another pause before adding:

“it’s the best.”

You can watch the entire segment here.

"The Matrix" Changed My Life - Keanu Reeves Shares Fond Memories Of His Most Iconic Filmsyoutu.be

Fans were touched by the actor's class and gracious spirit.

Fans of the popular mind-bending sci-fi franchise continued validating its place in the annals of remarkable action films.

The first anime and martial arts-inspired Matrix film was in 1999, written and directed by the Wachowskis.

Reeves played a computer programmer turned-hacker named Neo in the cyberpunk fantasy film that takes place in a dystopian future where humans are unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality known as the Matrix.

The film became an instant Hollywood phenomenon, grossing $460 million worldwide at the box office, and it has remained in the pop cultural zeitgeist ever since.

The Matrix spawned a franchise, including the sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, comic books, video games, and an animated anthology film called The Animatrix.

In 2021 a fourth film titled The Matrix Resurrections was released.