BY ANTONY TEOFILO | Theres something about Jada Pinkett-Smiths eyes. Theyve got a regal, almost feline quality, and yettheyre sharp. Her almond gaze is warm and attentive. Shes small, but obviously powerful. And her walk is more a sort of slink, as if her black boots are fitted with some sort of high-tensile spring that might launch her through the air at any time. Clad in black leather as she enters the soundstage, one can understand why she was the perfect choice to play pint-sized powerhouse and hovercraft captain Niobe in The Matrix: Reloaded.

The role was written specifically for Pinkett-Smith (she did not replace Aaliyah; the singer had a different role in the film) and she relished the opportunity to pump up, kick ass, and take names. In the film Niobe finds herself immersed in a complicated love triangle that returns the Wachowski Brothers, who wrote and directed the Matrix films, back to one of their favorite subjects: complex sensual relationships (see one of their early efforts, 1996s sexy caper flick, Bound, to get a taste of what youre in for).

Not just another girlfriend, Niobe is ready for action, and plays a key part in a very special mission within the movie. Shes also the lead character in the upcoming Enter the Matrix video game that serves as a supplement to the film.

We talked about what its like to join the intricate world the Wachowskis are building, her training, and how it feels to work with the elusive, mysterious Wachowski Brothers.

Q: What was it about Niobe that attracted you to the part?

A: What I loved about Niobe is that she was created for me. I had met the Wachowskis for the first Matrix, so I didn't really need to read anything this time around. I basically said, "Is there any nudity? No? Okay, let's get it done."

Q: What was the attraction of working with the Wachowskis? We don't know much about them?

A: They're taking filmmaking to another level. They know how to balance the eye candy with such a deep wonderful concept. To me, that's what entertainment should be about.

Q: Does [your husband] Will [Smith] feel that he missed out on something in passing up the chance to play Neo?

A: No. He knows for an absolute fact that he couldn't have done the job that Keanu did. It would have been a different movie with him in it.

Niobe is caught in a love triangle between [two of the movie's prominent leaders]. Niobe's problem is in her journey. You won't really see her journey until you see the video game and the next movie. But she's struggling with her faith, and what she believes. This movie is about choices, and Niobe has tough choices to make between [these two men]. Niobe is a warrior. Anything that she feels strongly about, she's going to do it. She's [focused].

Q: What was your training like for the martial arts element of the film?

A: We would all train together in the morning, and then everyone would go their separate ways, because we all had different scenes and techniques, so we'd go work with our trainer on our specific stuff. We all trained throughout the film. It really starts to wear on you when you're actually filming those scenes. I loved being on the wires. It all came very natural.

Q: How did you prepare for your training before the start of the film?

A: I did a lot of weight training. I bench pressed a hundred and seventy pounds. I did nine plates on each side for the bench press. I put on fifteen pounds of muscle. You don't see it in this movie, but you'll see it in the next movie, and the video game. I really wanted to be strong. It all figures into the mentality of the character. Niobe is strong and she's fierce, and she feels like she's unstoppable. The training wasn't all about how I looked, but also for my mind, to put me in that space. I've always believed the stronger the body, the stronger the mind.

When the movie was over, I was absolutely exhausted. I'm still recovering, actually.

Q: Do you enjoy working in the action genre?

A: I love it, but we need to see more well-balanced heroines like Trinity. She's not afraid to love a man. She's not afraid to show her vulnerability, her sadness, but she's also not afraid to step to the plate and demand what she needs and go out and make it happen. A woman doesn't need to be a man to be strong. A woman can be a woman and be just as strong or stronger.

Q: A great deal of your acting duties this time around are actually devoted to the Enter the Matrix video game. Was shooting footage for what is essentially another smaller movie distracting?

A: Not at all. It was like one big movie. We just shot it in pieces like you do for any other movie.

The game has two scripts. If you play the Ghost script, there's a different storyline that's going on with his character than there is in my character. Even if you finish with Niobe, you have to play Ghost, because there's footage and storyline in his version that you don't get in my version.

Q: The Wachowskis are extremely detailed in their directing duties. Are they control freaks?

A: Control freaks? I did not get that feeling at all. When you're in a project like this, where you're in a world that someone else created, it's surrender. You surrender yourself completely and totally. You have to really trust the directors that you're working with. You can bring your own little nuances, but you have to understand that this isn't your playing field.

Q: Were you concerned at all with the philosophical themes that are so prevalent when you were preparing for the movie?

A: For this movie, I had tunnel vision because there was a lot to concentrate on between the training and my family. I have thought a lot about the concept of the one. That's a concept I do not believe in. I believe in the concept of the many. Neo is a strong aspect of the crew he's a part of, but he couldn't do it without them.

Q: Can you give us any idea of what we'll see from Niobe in The Matrix: Revolutions?

A: You'll get to find out more about the love triangle. You'll see more of what Niobe's journey is and what she's struggling with. You'll get some emotional payoff, I don't know in what sense. I think audiences will all be affected differently. But there won't be any loose ends that will keep you awake at night.

Q: Carrie Anne Moss has a scene in this film that shows quite a bit of skin. If the Wachowskis had asked you to do that, would you have made that sacrifice to be in the movie?

A: If he was as cute as Keanu, oh yeah. [Laughs]