Do you question the nature of your reality? Do you ever feel like the life your living isn't really your own? Do you really feel free enough to find your own purpose? These, of course, are just a few of the central questions asked in The Matrix and its two sequels.

This 1999 operatic action and science fiction film has gone down as one of the greatest films of its genre, and of all time. This singular film revolutionized Hollywood in more way than one. Not only did it make Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Lawrence Fishburne household names, but it set a standard for blockbusters everywhere. It reminded studios that smart, sophisticated, original-concept action pictures could be made and they could make a ludicrous amount of money. The movie was also one of the first blockbusters to feature a female-led opening action sequence. It also led to an incredible number of philosophical debates still taking place today. For all these reasons and more, fans and movie-fanatics alike are fascinated with how the film was created in the first place.

This list will delve into some of the behind-the-scenes details of the making of this near-perfect first film. More information has been released on the behind-the-scenes of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions than of the Wachowskis' original masterpiece. This means that even the most dedicated Matrix fans may be quite surprised by some of the strange filmmaking antics that went on to bring this masterpiece to life.

Without further ado, here are 20 Crazy Details Behind The Making Of The Matrix.

"Bullet Time" Was Created For The Matrix

The Wachowskis were fans of Japanese anime which undoubtedly influenced the creation of "Bullet Time", a filmmaking style created for The Matrix. "Bullet Time" was a way for the filmmakers to show that the characters were in a constructed reality but slowing things down and giving the audience a way of seeing 360 degrees of the action. Most famously, it was used for when Neo dodges the bullets on the rooftop, but it was also used in a number of other scenes, included when he comes face-to-face with Agent Smith in the subway.

To pull this slow-motion 360 spin-off, they started with a simulation. Then they positioned 120 cameras and 2 film cameras to capture the actors from all angles in front of a green screen. The cameras would then be triggered to mimic to capture the movement of the simulation.

The Unknown City Is Sydney, Australia

Although a large chunk of The Matrix takes place aboard the Nebuchadnezzar and in the highly unappealing real world, the rest occurs within an unnamed city. Not only does Morpheus take Neo into simulations that mimic the world as we know it, but the city where they go to find the Oracle seems familiar as well. However, it's never mentioned what city or country this actually is. That's kind of the point; the Wachowskis wanted us to think it could be anywhere. However, in reality, the city seen in the film was actually Sydney, Australia.

The cast spent five months shooting on locations there.

Most of the film was photographed on constructed sets in warehouses. The rest was out on the streets of downtown Sydney.

The Matrix Code Was A Japanese Recipe

As the film opens, we are treated to raining strands of green code that ended up being a signature of sorts for the franchise. These strands of code were designed by Simon Whiteley, who also did the opening credit sequence for Babe as well as was a production designer for Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and The Lego Ninjago Movie.

In 2017, when rumors started to circulate about Warner Bros. possibly doing another Matrix sequel, spin-off, or prequel, Whiteley finally itted what the codes actually meant. Although people have taken guesses at it, none of them knew that it was actually a bunch of his wife's Japanese recipes. He claimed that without these sushi and noodle recipes, there would be no Matrix.

Carrie-Anne Hid An Injury

Without a doubt, Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity is one of the best action heroes to date. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, Moss portrayed Trinity with an equal amount of grace and sensitivity to balance out her full-throttle brutality. The other reason is that Moss did most of her own stunt, so it was easier to believe the character. Like the other three lead actors, Moss took part in extensive training with Wo Ping to master the sheer amount of fight-training, weapons training, and stunt work required for the film.

While she was doing the preliminary shooting for the film, Moss severely injured her ankle.

In order not to be recast, Moss hid her injury until well after the shooting of the film had wrapped and her ankle had healed.

 Will Smith was the first choice for Neo

Every actor makes poor career choices now and again. Not every movie will be a hit, and not every hit will be a quality film. Half of the battle is picking the right project. Unfortunately for legendary actor, Will Smith, not choosing The Matrix was one of the biggest mistakes of his career.

That's right, Will Smith was offered the leading role of Neo. He was a force to be reckoned with in the 1990s. However, Smith didn't show enthusiasm for the script and opted to shoot Wild, Wild West instead; a film that got panned by critics as well as flopped at the box-office. Although Smith would have been great in The Matrix, it now seems impossible to imagine anyone other than Keanu Reeves playing Neo.

Keanu Was Hired In A Parking Lot

After Will Smith ed on the role of Neo, the Wachowskis were in need of a replacement. According to Keanu Reeves, they decided to reach out to his agent and requested a meeting. After agreeing, the filmmakers sent the script to him, which he was floored by. At the meeting, the Wachowskis showed Keanu some of the artwork that they had done for the comic-book, as well as an early simulation of what "bullet time" was going to look like. They ended up hanging out in the parking lot outside of the offices where Keanu met them.

While there, the Wachowskis decided to hire him on the spot.

They simply shook his hand and told him that they needed him to train for 4 months prior to shooting.

Lawrence And Hugo Had Troubles Shooting The Bathroom Fight

There are many hand-to-hand combat sequences in The Matrix, but the one in the bathroom is easily the most claustrophobic. The space in which Lawrence Fishburne's Morpheus and Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith fought in was contained, to say the least. This was one of the main reasons why Fishburne and Weaving had such a difficult time shooting it.

The set was constructed so that the actors could shatter walls that would spray them with dust. Fishburne has allergies so he was sneezing uncontrollably as he was trying to the moves so he wouldn't get injured or injure his castmate. However, they did hit each other far too hard. In particular, when Lawrence was blocking a punch from Weaving with his fist, he hit it too hard. Weaving's fist cracked on impact.

The Woman In Red Caused A Car Accident

The point of the Woman in Red was to show Neo how easily distracted we can be, as well as how the material world can distract us with its beauty. However, this message was lost on a lot of the crew who would ogle actress Fiona Johnson as soon as she'd leave her trailer. They weren't nearly as bad as some of the citizens of Sydney ing by the set.

Although the Woman in Red was meant to distract Neo, she ended up distracting a driver who parked under a giant roller door.

The door ended up coming down on his roof, causing damage to the car. The crew joked that he would have had a hard time explaining the damage to his wife when he got home.

Keanu Shared His Money With The Crew

This story proves that Keanu Reeves may just be one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. Although it's true that Reeves gave away a substantial amount of his Matrix earnings, the number has been misrepresented in the past. In reality, he signed over some of his rights from the first film to the stunt team, costume designers, and the special effects crew while shooting Matrix Reloaded.

This means that he signed over his potential earnings to them forever, as these rights don't go away after the movie is made. Reeves still made his enormous actors fees, as well as retained some of his backend, but he clearly felt that the crew deserved more. In any case, this was an extraordinarily nice way to acknowledge them.

The Script Sat In Limbo For Years

One of the most frustrating parts of moviemaking is that things never go as fast as the filmmakers would like. In reality, movies take a long time to make. Not only are there creative reasons for this, but studios need to be extra sure where they're investing their money. This is precisely why the screenplay for The Matrix sat in limbo for years.

Producers couldn't get their minds around the themes explored in the story, as well as the incredible visuals.

In fact, they thought it all was an impossible dream. The Wachowskis were insistent that they knew what they were doing. Eventually, their other projects gave the studio confidence in them, making them willing to take a chance on The Matrix.