Carrie-Anne Moss rises again in 'Matrix Resurrections' to make a 46-story leap with Keanu Reeves

There were many reasons why it took Carrie-Anne Moss a minute to fully process her return to the role of Trinity, more than two decades after her unforgettable start in the 1999 sci-fi classic "The Matrix."

After all, with 2003's double sequels – "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" – Trinity and "The One" Neo (Keanu Reeves) saved the world from self-aware machines, seemingly concluding the franchise, with the screen lovers' deaths the capper.

Yet, even reentering a universe where nothing real is real, Moss, 54, had moments of pure clarity while shooting "The Matrix Resurrections" (in theaters and streaming on HBO Max Wednesday). For example, there was that major action sequence where Neo stands on the back of Trinity's Ducati as the two weave through the streets of San Francisco, avoiding a horde of pursuing stuntmen.

"The motorcycle was attached to the camera truck, and we're driving through the city, people are flying by us," says Moss. "One of the biggest action scenes came very early on in the filming. That was when it got real, like, 'I'm definitely in the Matrix again.' "

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It's definitely real. After 18 years, Moss returns to the iconic role alongside longtime friend Reeves, 57, a once unlikely prospect which Moss considers "the biggest gift." Actually, the second major gift from original franchise writers/directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski.

Moss, a virtually unknown Canadian actress at the time, shot to instant stardom as unflinchingly loyal, tough-as-nails Trinity. Her casting followed weeks of arduous physical tryouts to make sure Moss could handle the genre-changing stunts.

"I still feel like, how on earth did I get picked to do that by Lana and Lilly all those years ago?" Moss says. "They said, 'That's who we want.' And I am so grateful to them, not only for what it opened up for me in my career but more so because playing Trinity has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I love the character. I respect and revere the character."

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Moss followed the original franchise with significant roles. Trinity served as the direct springboard to duplicitous bartender Natalie in Christopher Nolan's 2000 thriller "Memento," and Moss played lawyer Jeri Hogarth through the three-season run of Marvel's "Jessica Jones," which wrapped in 2019.

All the while, Moss has stayed out of the Hollywood grind, living low key in upstate California with her actor husband Steven Roy and their three children, while running the online lifestyle site Annapurna Living.

Moss acknowledges there have been times when she's watched the original "Matrix," and felt pangs of regret that she allowed for stunt people to handle some of the more difficult stunts – substitutions that are often required for insurance reasons. "Sometimes when I see a scene that's not me, I really go, 'Ugh, I wish I could have done that,' " Moss says.

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"The Matrix Resurrections" allowed Moss the opportunity to kick it in Trinity's classic leather outfit again, training intensively for two months prior to shooting. While both Reeves and Moss still ceded mind-bending fighting sequences to professional stunt people, the duo worked extensively on the film's most audacious stunt, dramatically leaping off a 46-story building together. For real.

Writer/director Lana Wachowski chose the San Francisco building based on its location, ensuring Reeves and Moss would be bathed in the full glow of the rising sun. The brilliant light not only served to highlight the lovers' decision to jump but ensured audiences saw that both were leaping from the ledge to the city below. While there were safety harnesses, there would be no green screen effects.

"That took the most of what I call 'mind training.' Getting onto the building rooftop and jumping off the ledge with Keanu," says Moss. "The journey to get there was so big. And I love that."

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Stunt coordinator Scott Rogers built slowly to the big bound for weeks, re-creating the ledge on a 9-foot shipping container to get the two used to making the leap, before raising the level increasingly higher. At 50 feet, Moss and Reeves were performing the entirety of the fall on their rig, setting up the real deal, which required permission all the way to San Francisco Mayor London Breed's office. (Helpfully, Breed is a "Matrix" fan.)

In the pre-dawn darkness, Moss showed up on the rooftop in full Trinity mode. "Carrie-Anne had her earbuds in, she was playing music and just had this look that was like, 'Oh, dang,' she was definitely ready to go," says Rogers.

Moss and Reeves made the leap attached to the high tension line, just as they had rehearsed for weeks.

"The first time was wow," says Moss. "I have this picture on my phone that I love. I look like a 5-year-old right afterwards. I'm just so excited and I'm looking at Keanu and Lana like, 'We did it!' And it felt really incredible."

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The duo performed the jump another 20 times for additional takes for an unforgettable day of shooting.

"Actually," Moss admits, "I would totally love to do that again."

As for whether the impossible will be repeated, and whether Moss will ever train for another "Matrix" movie – that is a question that Moss doesn't even want to contemplate.

"I'm experiencing this like this is closure. I never even thought that we would be back for the fourth movie," she says. "Usually, I'm never wrong about these things."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Matrix Resurrections': Carrie-Anne Moss rises again with Keanu Reeves