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Keanu Reeves had to briefly pause an interview with Stephen Colbert during an appearance on “The Late Show” when the host brought up that “The Matrix” is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The realization hit Reeves, as he went silent for 20 seconds while trying to find the right words to remember the film by.

“’The Matrix’ changed my life, and then over these years, it’s changed so many other people’s lives in really positive and great ways,” Reeves said as he gathered himself. “As an artist, you hope for that when you get to do a film or tell a story.”

Reeves appeared to choke up while adding, “So when you say these years, the amount of people that I have met who have said to me and been touched by ‘The Matrix’ in such a positive way… It’s the best.”While Reeves was already an established actor by the time “The Matrix” came around thanks to roles in films like “Speed,” “Point Break” and “My Own Private Idaho,” it was the Wachowski sisters’ 1999 movie that made him a global superstar and an instant icon of the action movie genre. Reeves starred in “The Matrix” as Neo, a role he would reprise in three sequels: “The Matrix Reloaded” (2003), “The Matrix Revolutions” (2003) and “The Matrix Resurrections” (2021).

Talking on Graham Norton’s talk show back in 2021, Reeves remembered getting the offer to return as Neo after an 18-year hiatus: “When the director asked me what I thought about doing another ‘Matrix’ film I said ‘What? That sounds amazing but I’m dead.’ She was like, ‘Are you?’ and I said, ‘Do tell!’ She wrote a beautiful story, and I love playing the character. How I am alive will all be explained.”

Watch Reeves’ full appearance on “The Late Show” in the video below.