After appearing in Netflix's Disclosure documentary about transgender representation in media, filmmaker Lilly Wachowski has spoken with the platform again, discussing her and Lana Wachowski's The Matrix film franchise, and how the movies served as early representations of their "closeted" trans identities.
Looking back on the decades-old films, Wachowski confirmed that the series was "all about the desire for transformation." This is a theory that fans and academics have held onto for years, especially following Lana and Lilly's transitions in the early 2000s and 2016, respectively.
"I'm glad that it has gotten out," Lilly Wachowski says in the clip. "That was the original intention, but the corporate world wasn't ready for it. There's a critical eye being cast back on Lana and I's work through the lens of our transness. This is a cool thing because it's an excellent reminder that art is never static."
She adds: "And while the ideas of identity and transformation are critical components in our work, the bedrock that all ideas rest upon is love."
In the interview, Wachowski also shared that the film's character, Switch, was originally meant to appear as a man in the "real world" and a woman in the matrix. Lilly's 2015 series, Sense8, also prominently featured a trans character played by trans actress Jamie Clayton. Clayton, alongside Wachowski, Laverne Cox, Yance Ford, Mj Rodriguez, Hustlers star Trace Lysette, and others, were interviewed for Disclosure.
While Lilly has stepped down from her involvement in the fourth instalment of The Matrix, Lana Wachowski is on board to direct The Matrix 4. The film is scheduled to arrive in April 2022, following several delays due to COVID-19.
The Matrix 4 will still see the return of Keanu Reeves as Neo, Carrie-Anne Moss reprising her role as Trinity and Jada Pinkett Smith playing Niobe. As previously reported, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will be joining the cast for the fourth instalment, alongside Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick and Neil Patrick Harris.
Watch Wachowski's interview below.
Looking back on the decades-old films, Wachowski confirmed that the series was "all about the desire for transformation." This is a theory that fans and academics have held onto for years, especially following Lana and Lilly's transitions in the early 2000s and 2016, respectively.
"I'm glad that it has gotten out," Lilly Wachowski says in the clip. "That was the original intention, but the corporate world wasn't ready for it. There's a critical eye being cast back on Lana and I's work through the lens of our transness. This is a cool thing because it's an excellent reminder that art is never static."
She adds: "And while the ideas of identity and transformation are critical components in our work, the bedrock that all ideas rest upon is love."
In the interview, Wachowski also shared that the film's character, Switch, was originally meant to appear as a man in the "real world" and a woman in the matrix. Lilly's 2015 series, Sense8, also prominently featured a trans character played by trans actress Jamie Clayton. Clayton, alongside Wachowski, Laverne Cox, Yance Ford, Mj Rodriguez, Hustlers star Trace Lysette, and others, were interviewed for Disclosure.
While Lilly has stepped down from her involvement in the fourth instalment of The Matrix, Lana Wachowski is on board to direct The Matrix 4. The film is scheduled to arrive in April 2022, following several delays due to COVID-19.
The Matrix 4 will still see the return of Keanu Reeves as Neo, Carrie-Anne Moss reprising her role as Trinity and Jada Pinkett Smith playing Niobe. As previously reported, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will be joining the cast for the fourth instalment, alongside Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick and Neil Patrick Harris.
Watch Wachowski's interview below.