Matrix 4 Director Didn’t Want New Agent Smith To Be Weaving Impression

The Matrix Resurrections director Lana Wachowski didn’t want the new Agent Smith to do an impression of Hugo Weaving, according to Jonathan Groff. Groff is mostly known for his work on Broadway, with two Tony nominations under his belt, best known for playing King George in Hamilton on Broadway and on the recorded performance for Disney+. For TV fans, he’s known for his starring roles in Looking and Mindhunter.

In The Matrix Resurrections, Groff plays the new version of Smith, an agent of the Matrix, and archnemesis of protagonist Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, reprising his role from the original trilogy. Smith was originally played by Hugo Weaving, also known for playing Elrond in The Lord of the Rings films. Weaving is not the only character recast in The Matrix Resurrections, with Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus now played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

According to Groff, in an interview with THR, Wachowski gave him free rein to find a new interpretation of the Smith character. Groff chose to study Weaving’s performance, trying to pick up on the nuances that made Weaving’s performance compelling. He goes on to talk about being handpicked by Wachowski and how the casting process was shrouded in secrecy to avoid leaks, doing dummy sides for the Analyst, a character played by Neil Patrick Harris in the finished film, for auditions. Read Groff’s full quote below:

“So I knew from the beginning of the process that this was going to be a new programming of Agent Smith. And [Lana Wachowski] told me that she didn’t want me doing the entire performance as an impression of Hugo Weaving, and at the same time, in the script, there were those fun moments where my business partner character says, ‘Billions of people just living out their lives… oblivious.’ So there were moments like that [from the original Matrix trilogy], but on the whole, she was ready and interested in seeing a new version of the Agent Smith character.”

The Matrix Resurrections saw release on December 22 and has attracted polarized reviews, receiving criticism from newcomers to The Matrix franchise for being hard to follow. Along with Groff, other newcomers to the franchise include Jessica Henwick and Christina Ricci. The Matrix Resurrections is the first film in the franchise to only be directed by Lana Wachowski, with her sister and co-director Lily giving her blessing to the film.

In an industry full of reboots and remakes, it’s becoming increasingly common for actors to be tasked with recreating an iconic role, leading to the conundrum of trying to emulate the original or to try to create something new or somewhere in between. Groff clearly had his work cut out for him, trying to continue Weaving’s work of creating one of cinema’s most memorable villains. However, his versatility on stage and screen made it clear he was more than up to the task. With The Matrix Resurrections being freshly dissected and interpreted by fans, there’s no doubt that one of sci-fi’s most defining franchises is being continued in true spirit.

Source: THR

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