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To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page ‘Blue pill or red pill?’ That iconic scene from The Matrix is probably the first thing that pops into your mind when you consider the prolific career of Laurence Fishburne. More than a quarter of a century after he played rebel leader Morpheus for the first time – now one of the most celebrated characters in cinema history – the actor has entered a new world of fantasy, playing the charismatic vampire Regis in The Witcher season 4. But The Matrix will always be the project that many fans associate with him the most 26 years later. Being the bearer of that legacy is an honour that the actor cherishes, he told Metro. ‘The Matrix, I think for a lot of people your age and younger than myself, is everything that Star Trek was for people of my generation, everything that Star Wars was for people of my generation,’ he said. ‘It’s very, very nice to have been cast in such a pivotal role, in such an important role, in that story. It was very much the realisation of a dream for me in terms of not only being in a science-fiction piece that people loved, but playing a character who is, for a lot of people, very iconic. Laurence Fishburne is one of the most revered performers in cinema (Picture: Millie Turner/Invision/AP) He’s perhaps best-known for playing Morpheus from The Matrix (Picture: Jasin Boland/Warner Bros/Village Roadshow/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock) ‘For me, just personally as an achievement, I got to fulfil a certain kind of ambition, which was about portraying a character that meant something to audiences, and it will mean something to audiences for a very long time. Like Vader, for example, in Star Wars, a role that James Earl Jones voiced and made so popular and was so meaningful to people.’ The Matrix came out when I was just five years old, and I can remember the awe I felt watching Trinity suspended in mid-air minutes into the film, and when Morpheus broke free from his handcuffs during Neo’s rescue mission. Not to mention how cool I thought Morpheus’ frameless glasses were (and yes, I did tell Laurence that as we sat opposite each other in a London hotel on the day of The Witcher season four premiere). Four years ago, The Matrix returned with a surprise fourth instalment called Matrix Resurrections. Morpheus was in it… but Laurence was nowhere to be seen, as the younger version of the character was portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Laurence claimed that he ‘wasn’t invited’ to reprise his character in the fourth Matrix instalment (Picture: Warner Bros/Village Roadshow Pictures/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock) He reunited with Keanu Reeves in the John Wick universe, playing Bowery King (Picture: Murray Close/Lionsgate) Laurence claimed at the time that he wasn’t ‘invited’ back to reprise his role. But with talk of a fifth movie in the works, could a Morpheus comeback be on the horizon for him? ‘I have no idea about any of it, and I’m just minding my business, going about my life. Should I be offered anything, I’d have to consider it, I couldn’t ignore it. So I’m just going to wait until it’s actually a reality before I comment on it,’ the 64-year-old responded. Comment nowDo you want to see Laurence Fishburne return as Morpheus in the fifth Matrix film?Comment Now Right now, the John Wick star has just made his debut in a new universe, starring opposite fellow newcomer Liam Hemsworth in The Witcher. But during our interview, he expressed his interest in another franchise, one that I would personally love to see him join – Peaky Blinders. Laurence expressed shock when I informed him that the gangster crime drama wasn’t only returning for a film, but also two new seasons on TV. After he told Metro that Peaky Blinders was his go-to binge, I suggested that he could join the cast. ‘Well, if they’ll have me. They don’t have a whole lot of Yanks in that show,’ he quipped. Our fingers are well and firmly crossed. Regis is a new addition in the fourth season of The Witcher, a mysterious figure who’s revealed to be a vampire (Picture: Susie Allnutt/Netflix) He will be back for the fifth and final season, opposite Liam Hemsworth as Geralt (Picture: Susie Allnutt/Netflix) The Oscar nominee’s career, which spans more than 50 years, has traversed a variety of genres. Historical drama in The Color Purple. Shakespeare in Othello. Crime drama in Boyz n the Hood. Biopic in What’s Love Got To Do With It. Before he was cast as Regis in The Witcher, he tuned in to watch the first two seasons of it with his Man of Steel co-star Henry Cavill, admitting that he ‘really dug the action and the fantasy’. ‘I dug how female-forward it was. I dug how diverse it was. I thought the representation was really cool, because you don’t often see the kind of diversity that you see in The Witcher cast in a fantasy show. So those were the things that attracted me to it and made me want to join,’ he shared. He and Liam, 35, who replaced Henry as the monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, ‘never really talked about the fact that they were new’, but they ‘instantly had an appreciation and admiration and respect for each other’. It became apparent while talking to Laurence how fascinated he was by his own character, as he explained the ‘attraction and repulsion’ that human beings have towards vampires. ‘We’re afraid of them. We’re attracted to them. They capture our imaginations in some way that is primal. Their relationship to blood, which we all have coursing through our veins. They’re primal characters, vampires,’ he stated. Without giving too much away, he teased that the end of season four ‘leaves you hanging’, which will make Netflix fans ‘want to come back’ for the fifth and final season. ‘I can tell you that,’ he promised. The Witcher season 4 is available to stream on Netflix. Got a story? 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