From Keanu Reeves to Laurence Fishburne, the cast of The Matrix trilogy is full of great movie stars who made unforgettable icons out of their characters. The Wachowskis assembled one of the best movie casts of the 90s when they were putting together their groundbreaking sci-fi actioner, and brought in even more screen legends when they came back to direct the sequels. They recruited actors who were already big names in Hollywood, like Reeves and Fishburne, and they also gave some new actors their big break. Carrie-Anne Moss first gained international attention with her role in The Matrix.

The Matrix almost had a very different cast. Will Smith was approached to play Neo and Sean Connery was approached to play Morpheus. Janet Jackson came close to clinching the role of Trinity, but she had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts. With these original choices in the roles, The Matrix...