Lilly Wachowski, who directed The Matrix trilogy with her sister Lana before both were out of the closet as trans women, says the action classic was always meant to be a trans story. The movie, released in 1999, was revolutionary for its time, mainly because of the technology used to create the actions scenes, as well as for the way it managed to blend philosophical themes with kung-fu action and sci-fi. It went on to spawn two hit sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, as well as a companion animated anthology titled The Animatrix.
At the time of the movie's release, the Wachowskis had yet to transition, but by the end of the 2010s, both had, and are probably the most high-profile trans directors in Hollywood. The sequel/reboot The Matrix 4, which sees Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss returning to the hit franchise.
Lilly, in an interview with the Netflix Film Club, has opened up about how The Matrix was always meant to be a trans story. She says that while that was the intention, it was difficult to make it explicit, adding that "the corporate world" wasn't ready for a mainstream action sci-fi with a trans story. However, Lilly adds that the theme of transformation is seen throughout the movie, and it has gone on to inspire trans people, saying that some fans have told her the movies "saved" their lives. You can read her comments below.
I'm glad that people are talking about the Matrix movies with a trans narrative. I love how meaningful those films are to trans people, in the way that they come up to me and say: 'These movies saved my life.' When you talk about transformation, specifically in the world of science fiction, which is just about imagination and world-building and the idea of the seemingly impossible becoming possible. That's why it speaks to them so much. I'm grateful we're throwing them a rope to help them along their journey. I'm glad that it has gotten out that that was the original intention [for The Matrix to be a trans story]. But the world, the corporate world, wasn't quite ready for it.
Lilly adds that for her and Lana, they were speaking about the idea of transformation from a closeted perspective, which is why the original idea for the character of Switch was to have them being a man in the real world, but a woman in the Matrix. She says it was a chance for them as filmmakers to put something on screen that hadn't really been seen before.
Lilly's comments are confirmation of what many have long believed, and are aligned to previous comments saying the Matrix trilogy was born out of rage. Besides the character of Switch, there are many references in the movie to the idea of transformation and becoming who you were meant to be. It therefore makes sense when looking at it from that perspective, that The Matrix would speak to someone who is going through the process of transitioning.
It's also no surprise to learn that there was push back from the corporate world, clearly referring to the studio executives at Warner Bros. not wanting the character of Switch to be gender non-binary. It will be interesting to see if the third sequel/reboot to The Matrix foregrounds the trans story more, or if there will still be a cautious approach given the conservative nature of studios towards the matter.
Source: Netflix Film Club
