Laurence Fishburne and Keanu Reeves Trained for 10 Months for ‘Matrix’ Fight Scene

Laurence Fishburne’s training for The Matrix began well before cameras started rolling.

During New York Comic Con on Oct. 12, Fishburne, 64, joined former costar Joe Pantoliano to talk about the making of the sci-fi phenomenon, agreeing that none of the actors took any “shortcuts” when it came to preparation.

While discussing the dojo training scene between Fisburne’s Morpheus and Keanu Reeves’ Neo, he noted that it took around 10 months total to perfect the fight sequence.

“We trained for six months before we got to Australia. We got to Australia. We continued practicing the fight for at least four months before we shot it,” the Emmy winner shared. “Then we shot it over like three days. And we had never done it full out. Like we had always marked it. We had never really used all of our physical energy to do it.” 

“So we shot it, I think it was on a Friday, the first time we took a shot at it. And by the end of however many takes that we did, both Keanu and I were black and blue with bruises on our forearms,” the Amateur actor explained. “‘Cause we had never made contact like that before.”

“That’s how committed we all were to doing this thing,” he added. “‘Cause we knew that they had a vision and they communicated with us very well with what they were trying to do.”

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Pantoliano likened the filming to “a ballet,” noting that it was “continuous” and there weren’t “a lot of cuts,” which changed the trajectory of filmmaking in the action sci-fi genre.

“It was like it was all in one,” he said. “This is the first time where the actors were actually doing the kung fu. And then, as a result of its success, everybody copied it — but poorly and badly with multi-cuts and, you know, tight shots. And if you look at The Matrix, it really is a symphony compared to what we see today.”

The Matrix was released in 1999. In addition to Fishburne and Reeves, the film also starred Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Gloria Foster. Following its success, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were released as sequels shortly after. Reeves and Moss also revisited their characters in the 2021 follow-up movie, The Matrix Resurrections. 

In April of this year, when promoting The Amateur on The View, Fishburne was asked if he’d consider returning to The Matrix franchise after his absence from The Matrix Resurrections.

“It depends on the circumstances — who is involved, how well the script has been written, if they offer me,” Fishburne said. “‘Cause, you know, I offered my services to the fourth Matrix, and they didn’t respond well.”

“So hey, it’s not like I didn’t say, ‘Oh, I’d like to offer my services.’ I did. And for whatever reason, that didn’t happen. Okay. But that’s the truth,” he added. “So we’ll see.”

The Matrix trilogy is available to watch on Tubi.