Who do you think of when you hear the nameCarrie-Anne Moss?
Is it the enigmatic Jedi Master Indara fromThe Acolyte?
Is it the cutthroat lawyer Jeri Hogarth from the Netflix Marvel Defenders universe?
Image via Disney
Is it the subtly manipulative bartender Natalie fromMemento?
Or is it Trinity fromThe Matrix?
Neither is she like the rugged Mae in her newest indie horror feature,Die Alone.
Image via Disney
When I first met Moss, it was only in passing atThe Matrix Resurrectionspremiere in San Francisco.
Unlike how some actors might expound on lofty ideals ofthe craft, Moss is straightforward.
Nothing is colored with purple prose or fanciful language.
Image via Warner Bros.
Moss is often hesitant to linger on past regrets and could-have-been moments or speculate about the future.
“I love that character too.
She was so much fun to play.
That was a really, really fun three years.
I don’t know.
I have no idea,” she says.
Image via Filmoption
But would Moss be open to the prospect?
“I don’t know.
I have to see…
In a dystopian future, a pandemic has ravaged society, leaving behind a landscape overrun by zombie-like creatures. A young man with amnesia teams up with a tough survivalist to track down his missing girlfriend. Along the way, they encounter a mysterious figure whose presence may unlock the secrets of the past.
I mean, I don’t know.
I just don’t.
I don’t go there with anything that’s hypothetical.
I’ve learned, like, who knows?”
she explains with a shrug.
“It’s just not worth it, sitting around imagining what could be.
Yeah, we do that sometimes, but I don’t really do that with my career.”
I commend her healthy approach to the job, and it surprises me.
I just don’t allow that energy.
That can be really toxic for people when they’re looking for their validation through all of that.
She defines herself as an actor and a mom.
“I don’t have a degree in business.
I don’t broker big deals.
And I love it.
I get it, you know,I get it.
And I’m not naive.”
The lessons learned became a part of a protection mechanism, as she calls it.
To maintain her mental health, she began to look at life differently.
“It was just for self-preservation, to preserve myself.”
It’s more time not having a job than having a job.
So I better figure out how to crack that code, and I did.
“It ends real quick,” she states plainly.
You have a movie coming out, and it’s just you, you, you.
The actor points out, “It’s not real.
It’s a system that is just churning out and trying to sell.
And it’s good, it’s part of what we do, but it’s not real.”
What Exactly Draws Carrie-Anne Moss to These Projects?
“It would have to be the right story.
It’s clear Moss views filmmaking and storytelling as purely collaborative art.
That love for storytelling brought her to stories likeThe Matrixand, when she mentions it,Christopher Nolan’sMemento.
“That script was really amazing.
And then meeting Christopher Nolan, and it was just a no-brainer.
I was so excited to do that film,” she says.
“But I never think like, ‘Oh, this is going to be huge.’
you’re able to’t imagine, right?
LikeThe Matrix, I didn’t know it would be like that.”
The draw for her always lies in the soul of the project.
She describes falling in love with her character, Mae, after being sent the script by her manager.
And at the same time, of course, the story is so tragic in many ways, too.
But I felt like I wanted to step into those shoes and play her.
“I have to believe in a world outside my own mind.”
Die Alonefeels like the perfect movie to add to Moss' repertoire.
Much of the film revolves around Mae and Ethan.
“I loved working with him.
I loved having scenes with him.
I think he does a really fantastic job.
I hope they feel the humanity in it and the love story that’s underneath it.
But again, I really try not to impose what I want people to get.
Just, you know, watching a movie is such a personal experience.”
But it was director Lowell Dean and his story that made her sign on toDie Alone.
“I think I shot 10 days onMemento.Mementowas such a small independent film,” she explains.
“You don’t have so many people overlooking the project with their voices coming in.”
You feel a little bit more free.”
Clearly, for the pieces to come together for a job, her family needs to take priority.
“I’ve raised three children in the last 21/22 years.
“The Matrixwas my first experience in true action.”
In comparison,The Acolytefeels like a speed run.
Although the time constraints were initially daunting to Moss, it ultimately worked out.
The bigger burden was the time it took away from her family.
“It’s kind of like ‘all in’ when I was there for the three months.
I mean, I did come home for Christmas.
Don’t get me wrong.
I did have a break, but that’s pretty unusual for me to leave for that long.”
Family is a large part of Moss' life, especially her children.
“It was a long time ago that I watched [The Matrix] with them.
I think they were pretty shocked,” Moss remembers with a smile on her face.
“My kids really didn’t watch any TV growing up when they were little.
Moss points out that as a mom, she was very clear no one was playing with guns.
But then introducing her kids and their friends to Trinity was quite a surprise for them.
I mean, kids don’t really think about their parents that much as they’re growing up.
They’re the center of the universe for them.
So, to kind of be like, ‘Oh, wow.’
I think it was pretty special.
It was pretty fun to show that.”
Before getting the part of Trinity, she had built up a steady career as a television actor.
Sprinkle in a few guest starring roles in shows likeL.A.
LawandBaywatch, and Moss was a working actor.
Although she was grateful to have a job, she also admits this was a difficult time for her.
“I was sort of starting to feel a little bit discouraged.
You have your moments, right?
Where you’re just like, ‘Oh, really?
Am I really doing the right thing?’
“The hierarchy was very different,” Moss admits.
And it’s no secret.
Film actors were afforded a level of prestige that television actors just weren’t.
So I was young, but, you know, in Hollywood, I was not that young.
“I understood it from a feeling place;it was a love story,” Moss says.
“No, it was never a concern for me,” Moss says simply.
This instantly brings to mindThe Acolyte, Moss mentions that showrunnerLeslye Headlandcompared Indara to Trinity at one point.
“Now, she never said that to me,” Moss says.
“If she had said that to me, I would never have done it.
And I didn’t see it that way at all.
I mean, she’s a strong woman, and she fights but it’s so different.”
But, once again, Moss is right.
Aside from their impressive martial skills, Indara and Trinity couldn’t be more different.
So, maybe her protective instincts are right about this beloved character.
“Yeah, I was really shocked and surprised.
I don’t ponder those kinds of things at all.
So, I was super thrilled.”
“We got together, did a read-through at [Lana’s] home in San Francisco.
And from then on, it was like there’d never been a break, like it was crazy.
It’s one that’s been floated around for a while.
But did Moss have a part in shaping how Trinity’s arc fell in that fourth movie?
“I’m really a conduit of just bringing to life something that they created.”
But it’s not because she’s not interested in those ideas or concepts.
“When you work with a filmmaker that is very clear and lives and breathes it.
You just trust them.
That’s number one.
Of course, that’s the most realistic answer, and I’ve gotten used to that from her.
She’s not one to editorialize her life.
Moss remembers shooting on set for the first film.
“I feel like the ADs on that and the directors really protected me.
I didn’t really understand that until I was done,” Moss says.
Surprisingly, despite Trinity’s badassery, Moss is not a daredevil at all no pun intended.
“I love a good challenge, and I especially love a good mental challenge.
I love a good challenge, and I especially love a good mental challenge.
“I think it’s a major mental challenge,” she reiterates.
“Like, am I gonna die?
That’s what it feels like.”
Even if the reality is that she’s safe, Moss still has to overcome the mental obstacle.
Life is too short not to grab life by the horns.
“I don’t think it’s morbid.
I think it’s actually really using life as a catalyst for growth.
Not having to come up against death to understand, to live each moment.
I think it’s actually not morbid in any way.
I think it’s a very evolved and wonderful way to live.”
It’s also not about worrying about the future or trying to predict success.
It’s about embracing the now and living in the moment without being pushed to do so.
Yes, it might sound a bit like self-help or “woo-woo,” but Moss gets it.
It’s not easy, but Moss has cracked that code.
She doesn’t pin herself down on what might have been, even in this thought exercise.
There are no fantasies of could-have-beens or would-have-beens.
“I put all my eggs in one basket,” she says.
And what if she failed?
Die Aloneis now in theaters and available on VOD.
A young man with amnesia teams up with a tough survivalist to track down his missing girlfriend.
Along the way, they encounter a mysterious figure whose presence may unlock the secrets of the past.
