Jonathan Groff Says Fighting Keanu Reeves Was Like ‘Making Love’ To Him

Frozen star Jonathan Groff has opened up about his on-screen fight with Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Resurrections.

While we don't know the exact nature of the actor's character in the upcoming sequel (though he's definitely given off Agent vibes), we know that he will spar with Neo.

Reflecting on giving it his all for the fight scenes, theatre veteran Groff told Entertainment Weekly: "I think any anxiety that I had about fighting, any sort of 'Oh my God, what am I doing here?' energy, I just funneled into my commitment of being able to do it to the best of my ability. The minute I set foot on that mat, I was there to throw it down."

The star also got a lot of help from Reeves, who has done his fair share of action roles over the last few decades.

"He taught me so much about the agreement of two people to hit each other but not hurt each other," Groff added, before using an… interesting analogy.

"It's like making love with someone," he explained. "When our fight was over, I felt deeply connected to him in a physical way."

Recalling one particularly intense sequence where his character smashes Neo's face against a wall, he revealed: "[Director] Lana [Wachowski]'s like, 'If you could do an open palm and put your finger right underneath Keanu's eyeball and then smash his face into the wall, that would be great for camera.'

"I look at Keanu and he just gave me the nod, like, 'Go for it.' And the trust! I mean, I have to spin in a circle, slap my hand on his face, and then smash it into the thing. I feel like there's so much love and respect that is swapped in those moments."

In the interview, Groff also reflected on being a gay performer in a Hollywood culture that hasn't historically been accepting of LGBTQ+ talent in the action sphere.

"Only vicariously would I have dreamed to be Jennifer Garner in a red wig on Alias kicking ass," the star said. "To be given the opportunity to kick ass was so surreal and fun and empowering."

The Matrix Resurrections dropped its second trailer this week, which focuses on the famous Matrix element known as déjà vu… though we're still none the wiser on what the sequel is about.

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