BY ANTONY TEOFILO | From the opening moments of The Matrix: Reloaded, Carrie Ann Moss and her alter ego Trinity find themselves locked in the heart of the pulse-pounding action. If youre looking to put a face on societys perception of the powerful woman, you need look no further. Trinity has become a razor-sharp visage of grrrl-power who retains her feminine sensibility, a relative rarity in modern film characters.

In the first Matrix film, Trinity is mostly hard-as-nails warrior queen, kicking butt and taking names with furious aplomb. In The Matrix: Reloaded, Trinitys hard edge is still a prominent presence, but we also get to know her as a woman in love. Corny as it might sound, The Wachowski Brothers spend a significant amount of time giving heed to the idea that a woman can fight (physically and emotionally) for what she believes in, and still be a creature that nurtures the people and world around her.

Soon to be a mother, Carrie Anne Moss has a great appreciation for Trinitys spirit, and her need to be a woman with a heart who believes in the man she loves. Shes immensely grateful to get the chance to portray such a heavily layered character, and shes got the bumps and bruises to prove it.

Is there something about the way the Wachowski Brothers write their characters that attracts you?

Oh, yeah. Its the way that they see women, and who they are. I think Trinity is just the greatest character that I could ever play. I dont expect to ever play another woman thats so strong.

What do you think has made Trinity this mythic figure for girls?

I wish it wasnt me, so I could look at it objectively. I look at Trinity, and its me, too, so its sort of confusing. I have a lot of Trinity in me. What I like about the two sequels is that you get to see more of her, not just the warrior side of her. You get to see the woman. Its more interesting to play someone thats got many levels and layers to them.

When you did the first Matrix movie, would you ever have imagined that the Matrix would become this huge force in entertainment?

No. But I dont let myself think about expectations or if the movie will make a lot of money. There are people for whom thats their job. Thats not my job. I cant worry about it. I have no control over it. Im like one little spoke in a wheel thats quite large. I never expected anything from the first one. Youll live in constant disappointment as an actor if you expect anything.

When the movie did become successful, did you enjoy it?

I started to get a good feeling as I was driving down Hollywood Boulevard seeing a lineup a month later. Seeing that people were really into this movie, and were being so affected by Trinity. Girls were coming up to me and saying, Youre a girl hero! It was really incredible and overwhelming. At the first premiere, I think I stayed at the party for like a minute. I was shaking, and I was so cold. I couldnt get warm. My best girlfriend, whos also an actress, Maria Bello, she was getting me blankets and blankets. I couldnt get warm. I was in such shock.

Theres a scene in Reloaded when you ride a Ducati motorcycle. Did you do all of your own stunts for that?

Some of it was just too dangerous. I have the most incredible stunt double who took a spill on that bike and walked away from that, which is a miracle. The entire chase sequence was a very dangerous sequence.

What was scarier, the motorcycle, or the helicopter stunts from the first movie?

The helicopter was more scary afterwards. I was a little greener, and I just wanted to please [the directors] and do what they tell me Im supposed to do. And then I was in the helicopter and I was going really close buildings, and you feel the air, and theyre having me control part of it, and even though the pilot was in control, theres still that part of you that thinks, What if I went crazy for a minute and yanked the stick? You learn something about your personality. But the motorcycle was much more scary.

Do you spend a lot of time thinking about the philosophy of the movie? Does it make sense to you?

From the moment I read the first script, it made sense to me. Im a thinker of this kind of thought. I love to read about it. Im inspired by it. It rings true to me.

What is the it?

There are so many [themes]What is your path? What is your purpose? Being aligned with your purpose. Believing in something. Not believing in something. Understanding your choices along the path. Sometimes youve got to take the painful path. I look at life from that kind of perspective. I look at Neos character and his journey, the support that he gets from other people to believe in himself, to believe that hes The One, the choices he has to make. Choosing love.

We get to see Neo and Trinity in love. Do you enjoy the dynamic between the two characters?

I like the relationship that Neo and Trinity have because I felt it was like theyre partners. They love each other, respect each other, and are part of each others purpose. I believe when youre with the right partner, you can fulfill your purpose in life more easily. I believe you can pretty much be with anybody if you choose to be. But there are certain people that, when youre with them, they make you feel like you can do anything. I felt that energy in their relationship. It was challenging to find the romantic side of her. Im so used to playing her in this hardcore serious way. Physically, I look different when I put on the Trinity costume. My face changes. I get more intense.

Theres a very sexual component to this movie for you too

What a beautiful love scene, in contrast with the Zion scene. That Zion scene, I have never seen anything like it on a movie set. A thousand extras, for a week, just going there, having this incredible total experience. They wanted to be part of this movie. They believed in it. Their energy made the scene.

I was a bit nervous about the sex scene. It was sort of my big worry. I thought, Let me get my fights over with, and then Ill have that talk [with the directors]. Id say, I need to talk to you guys about the love scene. Its when, next year, next November? I had anxiety about it, because Im pretty private. Im a private person. Nudity is not a thing I go to, yet at the same time, I wanted to make a beautiful scene, I wanted to give them what they wanted. Ultimately, it worked out really well.

This movie was a fairly punishing physical experience for you. Where do you take yourself every morning mentally to gear up as a performer for what you know will be a long day of abuse?

Its really hard. I was really supported by other people. I had an amazing assistant who made that year in Australia about taking care of me. I couldnt have done it without the team of people who helped me. I couldnt have done it by myself.

Did you have to undergo physical therapy?

I had massages, but one of the most important people for me on the film was the set nurse. Her name was Jackie Robertson, and she is the most incredible woman. I never even knew there was a set nurse on a movie until The Matrix. She was always there watching the scene to see when I needed to take a break. I got hit. I got taken down. In the beginning of the movie I take my helmet off, and I smack the guy, and he takes a big billy club and I kind of duck. I missed, and he hit me hard. We had done so many takes that day, and I was so tired, and I cried like a baby. It took me an hour to calm down.