8 Facts About 'The Matrix' Movies That Will Surprise Fans Of The Franchise

"The Matrix," which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, introduced fans to an alternate universe they had never seen before. Here, we'll take a look at eight lesser-known facts about the movie franchise that served as an inspiration to many sci-fi films that followed.

1. During the phone call scene, Neo (Keanu Reeves) actually climbed out the window himself and didn't use a stuntman.

According to Hollywood.com, the actor himself climbed outside the building, which was 34 stories high, during the scene where he speaks to Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) at his office.

2. Neo and Trinity's (Carrie-Anne Moss) three-minute shootout in the lobby took several days to film.

Additionally, it didn't utilize CGI but instead used practical effects, according to IFC.com.

3. Will Smith and Nicolas Cage both formally turned down the role of Neo.

Smith said no so that he could shoot "Wild Wild West." Other actors that had reportedly been considered included Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Johnny Depp. While Russell Crowe, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sean Connery are said to have been considered for the role of Morpheus.

4. The sunglasses each character wore were custom-designed by Richard Walker's Blinde Design and couldn't be purchased until after the two sequels ("The Matrix Reloaded," "The Matrix Revolutions") were officially released.

Additionally, he personally designed the shades for each character only based on their names in order to secure the job. Once it was officially his, Walker was flown to Sydney, where he made custom glasses for the duration of filming. Ray-Ban and Arnette also competed to make the accessory for the movie, per Hollywood.com.

5. In the first 45 minutes of the film, Neo has about 80 lines of dialogue, but 44 of those are questions.

That averages out to just over half of his spoken parts in the movie and approximately one question per minute.

6. There was a special meaning behind the name of the corporation that Neo works for.

The name of the company that Neo works for in the first movie is named MetaCortex, with "meta" meaning "to go beyond, higher, to transcend" and "cortex" meaning "the outer layer of gray matter surrounding the brain," so it together it symbolized transcending boundaries of your mind, states Factinate.

7. The color was very important in each film.

There are five colors in particular that are significant to the plot: blue, green, red, yellow/gold, and white, each with its own unique meaning. Everything that happened inside the matrix was green and was used to relay the themes of endless possibilities. Blue scenes told the audience that they were in the real world, where survival was the most important concern. Yellow/gold was seen in the machine city and signified spirit or heaven. In contrast, red alerted the audience to danger, evil, or reality. White was used when the characters entered the Construct, which was the loading program.

8. The legacy of the film began to become evident only three years after its release.

By mid-2002, the Bullet Time sequence is said to have already been parodied over 20 times in other movies, per Hollywood.com.