Well, this is awkward.
Neil Patrick Harris and Jonathan Groff need no introduction. Harris, of course, grew up on camera as star of 'Doogie Howser, MD.' He since has gone on to a successful career on stage and screen on such series as It’s 'A Sin,' 'How I Met Your Mother' and on stage in the 2014 revival of 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' on Broadway. Along the way, he picked up a Tony Award and five Emmys.
Jonathan Groff, likewise, enjoys success on stage and screen, having lent his voice to the Blockbuster 'Frozen' films, starred in the series 'Looking' and picked up Tony Award nominations for his performances in the original Broadway casts of 'Hamilton' and 'Spring Awakening.'
Now Harris and Groff spring into full-blown action movie stardom, leading the cast in the much-anticipated 'The Matrix Resurrections.' The movie runs in theatres and HBO Max December 22.
The awkward bit? Security around the movie is so strict, we can’t actually say much about the plot or their characters. The basic premise: 20 years after the events of the original 'Matrix' trilogy, Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves)--the hacker once called Neo-now lives as a respected video game designer in San Francisco. This is a major achievement, considering he died at the end of the last movie. Of course, there’s more than meets the eye here as Anderson wrestles his feelings of deja vu to his therapist (Harris), and his boss (Groff).
We snagged time to talk with Harris & Groff about their approach to the meta sci-fi material, their extensive physical preparations, working with visionary director Lana Wachowski, and what it means to be an openly gay action star. 'The Matrix Resurrections' opens December 22 in theatres and HBO Max.