Agent Smith is the best bad guy in The Matrix and one of the most iconic sci-fi movie villains ever, but he isn’t always played by the same actor. Although Smith is in every Matrix movie, he gradually transforms as the series progresses. The character creates a common thread throughout the franchise and serves as the nemesis to Keanu Reeves’ Thomas “Neo” Anderson and the other Matrix escapees. Not every actor who inherits the job adds something new to Agent Smith, as the man who originated the role did such a great job that he is often deemed worthy of imitation.
Agent Smith is a sentient computer program, otherwise known as a Program in The Matrix, but he eventually becomes a Virus. This category of characters is largely restricted to the digital world, but Smith goes far beyond being a traditional Program. Although Smith begins the saga as a loyal servant to the Matrix, he eventually splits from his fellow Agents and goes rogue, seemingly more concerned with his own self-preservation. However, his hatred of humanity doesn’t fade, so he never becomes a true ally to Reeves’ protagonist – despite a brief and uneasy alliance in 2021’s The Matrix Resurrections.
5 Hugo Weaving
The Matrix Original Trilogy (1999-2003)
Weaving was the actor initially cast as Agent Smith in 1999’s The Matrix. Although the movie ends with Smith’s code apparently being erased, Weaving makes a shock return and reprises the role in 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded, and then again later that same year in The Matrix Revolutions. The version of Agent Smith from the original trilogy is the iteration of the character who most people will understandably be familiar with, and Weaving’s face tends to come to mind whenever the topic of Smith comes up in general conversation.
The Matrix franchise isn’t known for its big, dramatic performances, especially not in the original trilogy. Almost every character delivers their lines in a sleek, calm manner, which doesn’t leave much room for quirkiness. Weaving managed to find a way to brilliantly balance this dark tone by providing a performance as Agent Smith that just about sat at odds with the rest of the cast. It’s not a comedic portrayal by any means, but it certainly stands out for all the right reasons.
Weaving also reprised the role of Agent Smith in 2002’s
Enter the Matrix
, a canon video game written and directed by the Wachowskis.
As the originator of the role, Hugo Weaving’s take on Agent Smith has gone on to influence the future of the character and all of Weaving’s predecessors. The mannerisms of Weaving’s Smith are very recognizable, but they stand out just enough for other actors to have replaced him and done a good enough job to cover for Weaving’s absence. Without the actor’s efforts bringing the character so solidly to life in the first three movies, Agent Smith may not have gained such legendary status. Even if he did, he would surely be very different.
4 Ian Bliss
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Agent Smith underwent a compellingly unconventional recasting process in the final movie of the original Matrix trilogy. Hugo Weaving was still in the role and was actually playing countless versions of Smith within the Matrix itself. Despite Weaving’s increased workload, there was one iteration of Smith who it wouldn’t have made sense for him to play in The Matrix Revolutions. A version of Smith’s character found a way to enter the Real World, with his code inhabiting the body of a human character who had to die to accommodate the villain’s presence. Said vessel was Ian Bliss’ Bane.
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Bliss was actually introduced to the franchise as Bane in Reloaded, but he was a fairly standard human character. It wasn’t until Smith took over his body in the following movie that the reason for Bliss’ casting became apparent. As well as sharing a passing physical similarity to Weaving, Bliss was capable of perfectly imitating Weaving’s performance as Agent Smith. Seeing another actor pull off such a flawless impression of a colleague’s work is just as impressive as it is unsettling, but it also makes perfect sense within the context of the story.
Bliss’ performance as Weaving’s Smith is so good that it makes it very confusing that the other characters don’t know what’s going on – even if it is something of an unusual scenario.
Bliss’ time as Agent Smith lasts only the runtime of Revolutions. Although he arguably takes on the role in Reloaded, he’s unconscious for almost the entire movie after the Smith takeover and therefore can’t really reveal what’s happened to him. Bliss’ performance as Weaving’s Smith is so good that it makes it very confusing that the other characters don’t know what’s going on – even if it is something of an unusual scenario. Regardless, the human Smith is killed by Neo before the new iteration of the bad guy can be fully explored.
3 Jonathon Groff
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Groff was one of the many attempts in Resurrections to account for Hugo Weaving’s absence. Although the original Smith actor was interested in coming back to reprise his role in the legacy sequel, he had other professional commitments that writer/director Lana Wachowski couldn’t work around. As such, the filming schedule for Resurrections couldn’t accommodate Weaving’s attempts to negotiate a return as Agent Smith, and the character had to be recast. It’s because of this that Jonathon Groff plays Smith in the 2021 movie.
Groff’s Smith is far less intimidating, and there appears to be no conscious effort by the actor to fold in elements of Weaving’s performance into the updated version of the villain.
Initially, Groff’s version of Agent Smith is unaware of his true identity. He not only has a completely new physical appearance (and dress sense), but his entire demeanor is also very different from that of Weaving’s Smith. Groff’s Smith is far less intimidating, and there appears to be no conscious effort by the actor to fold in elements of Weaving’s performance into the updated version of the villain. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it definitely separates the two iterations. If anything, it feels as though Groff is playing a brand-new character in Resurrections.
|
The Matrix Movies’ Rotten Tomatoes Scores |
||
|
Movie |
Year |
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
|
The Matrix |
1999 |
83% |
|
The Matrix Reloaded |
2003 |
74% |
|
The Matrix Revolutions |
2003 |
33% |
|
The Matrix Resurrections |
2021 |
63% |
Like Bliss’ Smith, Groff’s version of the character has also only appeared in one movie. Unlike Bliss, Jonathon Groff could easily return to play the character again now that The Matrix 5 has been confirmed. Alternatively, the fluidity of physical appearances in the Matrix franchise could easily allow Hugo Weaving to reclaim his role in the coming sequel, or both actors should share the casting as Weaving did with Bliss in The Matrix Revolutions. With so little information on what the new movie will look like, anything could happen.
2 Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Just as Jonathon Groff was introduced to Resurrections as a straight-up replacement for Hugo Weaving, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was brought in to account for Laurence Fishburne’s absence as Morpheus. Abdul-Mateen is much more of a meta casting than Groff, however. The actor isn’t actually playing Morpheus, but rather a Program constructed by Reeves’ character, with Neo creating the new Morpheus as part of a video game project. Neo subconsciously bases his character on Morpheus, but also incorporates elements of Agent Smith’s code as well, creating a sort of digital hybrid.
It wouldn’t have made sense for the Morpheus Program to simply emulate Fishburne’s mannerisms, as the script called for something a little extra – and a lot more unusual.
Although his primary job was to replace Fishburne, Abdul-Mateen also had to allow Weaving’s time as Smith to influence his performance. It wouldn’t have made sense for the Morpheus Program to simply emulate Fishburne’s mannerisms, as the script called for something a little extra – and a lot more unusual. Instead, there are flashes of Abdul-Mateen’s Morpheus dropping the serious veneer boasted by his predecessor and instead engaging in less formal forms of discourse – and even jokes.
The Morpheus Program is the only version of Smith not to call Neo, ”
Mr. Anderson
.”
Together with Neil Patrick Harris stepping in as the new villain, the Analyst, and Jonathon Groff as Smith, Abdul-Mateen completes a trilogy of actors brought in to try and fill the massive hole left by Hugo Weaving. Even though they all did their jobs well, Weaving not being part of the formula was still incredibly noticeable. The movie stands as a testament to the fact that although the character of Agent Smith is brilliant, some bad guys can only really be brought to life with enough flare by a very specific actor.
1 Other Actors Have Voiced Agent Smith Across The Matrix Franchise
Agent Smith has also made canonical appearances in The Matrix games and other forms of media
Weaving’s version of Agent Smith has, on occasion, been required to appear in other areas of the franchise. Interestingly, the character isn’t always played by Weaving when this is the case. For example, 2003’s The Animatrix is a canonical anthology movie that overlaps with the other films, and although Agent Smith has a cameo appearance in the project, he is voiced by Matt McKenzie instead of Hugo Weaving. Smith’s presence in The Animatrix isn’t especially prominent, so it makes sense why Weaving wasn’t recalled for such a brief role.
Despite Smith’s heavy presence in
The Path of Neo
, and the Wachowskis’ involvement, yet another actor stepped in to voice the character – the aptly-surnamed Christopher Smith.
Weaving’s character was also required to return in 2005’s The Matrix: The Path of Neo video game, which largely followed the same storyline as the original trilogy, but with additional content that took place between the events of The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded. Despite Smith’s heavy presence in The Path of Neo, and the Wachowskis’ involvement, yet another actor stepped in to voice the character – the aptly-surnamed Christopher Smith.
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The voice actors playing Agent Smith followed in the footsteps of Ian Bliss’ version of the character. That is, they simply turned to Hugo Weaving’s performances and used that to directly inform their own portrayals. They were essentially hired as impressionists, and given the size and popularity of the character, they did a fantastic job. That being said, so many actors having to return to footage of Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith proves he is still the best and most iconic actor to play the most revered villain in all of The Matrix.
The Matrix
The Matrix is a sci-fi action franchise that launched with the Wachowskis’ 1999 film. It depicts a dystopian future where humanity is unknowingly trapped in a simulated reality by sentient machines. The protagonist, Neo, discovers this truth and that he is “The One,” a being that will lead a rebellion against the machines and restore freedom to humanity.
- Cast
- Keanu Reeves , Laurence Fishburne , Carrie-Anne Moss , Hugo Weaving , Joe Pantoliano , Jada Pinkett Smith , Monica Bellucci , Lambert Wilson , Harold Perrineau , Gina Torres , Collin Chou , Neil Patrick Harris , Yahya Abdul-Mateen II , Jessica Henwick , Jonathan Groff , Priyanka Chopra Jonas
- Character(s)
- Neo , Trinity , Morpheus , Agent Smith , Niobe , The Merovingian , The Oracle , The Architect , Seraph , Persephone , Ramachandra , Sati , The Analyst , Bugs , The Keymaker
- Video Game(s)
- Enter the Matrix (2003) , The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005) , The Matrix Online (2005)
