Jada Pinkett Smith Shares Timelapse Video of 5 Hour Make-up Transformation for Matrix Resurrections - MovieWeb

The Matrix Resurrections brought the sci-fi franchise back to screens after almost two decades, with Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and more returning to the series to reprise their roles. Among those actors is Jada Pinkett Smith, who joined the franchise in The Matrix Reloaded, appeared in the follow up The Matrix Revolutions, and once again plays Niobe in The Matrix Resurrections. However, her latest appearance is drastically different from her previous outing, with Niobe having aged 60 years, and in a new video, the actress has revealed the incredible 5-hour transformation she underwent to obtain her look for the sequel.

It is well known that many actors have to endure long and tedious make-up processes when appearing in movies that use the well-tested technique of practical effects over CGI aging and de-aging. With some actors appearing in fantasy epics like Lord of The Rings having to endure hours of daily routines to get into character, the time-lapse video shared by Pinkett Smith gives just an idea of what that entails. She commented on the video, “The 5 hour transformation from Jada to the one and only Niobe in Matrix Resurrections.”

The character of Niobe was introduced in The Matrix Reloaded as a human from Zion, who is one of the rebels battling against the Matrix and captains the Logos, the smallest ship in the human fleet. Within the Matrix, Niobe is a martial arts expert and has taken out more than one Agent, as well as surviving multiple fights with many of the assassins within the virtual world including the entity called Agent Smith. As well as featuring in the previous movies, the character was the protagonist of the video game Enter The Matrix and appeared in The Matrix Online, voiced by Gina Torres, who actually appeared as Cas in both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

While making The Matrix Resurrections, Jada Pinkett Smith was helpful to franchise newcomer Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who had worries about returning to a filming environment for her role in the movie. Speaking in a previous interview, Chopra Jonas explained:

"This was the first thing I shot after our lockdown and this was in Berlin. I was flying from Los Angeles to Berlin and after not going anywhere for six months, it was terrifying. And by way of our jobs, we are the only people on the set that have to take off our masks. I'm asthmatic, my husband [Nick Jonas] is Type 1 diabetic, it was just so terrifying. I remember crying and Jada was on the flight with me. She was just such a leader. She held my hand and she was like, 'We are going to do this together.' She is a boss, I love her."

Considering the mixed reaction to the previous two installments of The Matrix, it is not surprising that the complex addition has also divided fans, with both audience and critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes hovering between 64-66% due to its intricate plot that links to the many different mediums the film series has spun-off into over the years. The Matrix Resurrections is currently playing in cinemas and on HBO Max.

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Anthony Lund (1358 Articles Published)

Anthony Lund is an author, songwriter and puppeteer from a small village in the U.K. with an avid love of all genres of TV and film. As well as keeping up with the lastest entertainment news and writing about it for MovieWeb, he works as a video editor, voice over artist and production designer. A child of the 80s, he is the owner of almost 2000 books, more toys than his children, three Warner Bros. Store Gremlins and a production used Howard The Duck movie script.