The Keymaker is a fictional character, portrayed by Korean-American actor

Randall Duk Kim Randall Duk Kim (born September 24, 1943) is an American stage, film, and television actor. Life Kim was born and raised in Hawaii. He is married to actress and fellow American Players Theatre co-founder, Anne Occhiogrosso. Career Theat ...

, in the 2003 film ''

The Matrix Reloaded ''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science-fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is a sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Laure ...

''. He is a computer program that can create

shortcut Shortcut may refer to: Navigation * Rat running or shortcut, a minor-road alternative to a signposted route * File shortcut, a handle which allows the user to find a file or resource located in a different directory or folder on a computer * Key ...

commands, physically represented as keys, which can be used by other programs to gain quick access to various areas within the

simulated reality The simulation theory is the hypothesis that reality could be simulated—for example by quantum computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality. It could contain conscious minds that may or may not know that they live i ...

of the

Matrix Matrix most commonly refers to: * ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise ** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film ** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...

. He appears as an elderly, bespectacled Korean man dressed in a button-down shirt, smock, and an apron hung with bunches of keys.

Backstory and role

The Keymaker is an "Exile", a program whose usefulness has come to an end and that has chosen to hide in the Matrix rather than be deleted. The

Oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

tells Neo that he will need the Keymaker's help in order to reach the Source, the machine mainframe; however, he is being held captive by a dangerous Exile known as the

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

. Neo,

Morpheus Morpheus ('Fashioner', derived from the grc, μορφή meaning 'form, shape') is a god associated with sleep and dreams. In Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' he is the son of Somnus and appears in dreams in human form. From the Middle Ages, the name b ...

, and

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

are rebuffed when they demand that the Merovingian release the Keymaker, but his wife

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone ( ; gr, Περσεφόνη, Persephónē), also called Kore or Cora ( ; gr, Κόρη, Kórē, the maiden), is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the underworld after ...

betrays him and takes them to where the Keymaker is being held: a small room in which he toils over a key-cutting machine. Thousands of previously made keys hang in bunches on the walls. Morpheus and Trinity, separated from Neo, flee with the Keymaker as the Merovingian's

Twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

, the police, and three Agents (sent to terminate the Keymaker as he is an Exile) pursue them onto the city freeways. The Keymaker assists in the escape by quickly providing Trinity with the ignition key needed to start a motorcycle, saving her the time of waiting for hot-wiring instructions to be uploaded into her mind. Following the escape, the Keymaker meets with three crews of Zion rebels to describe the security measures in place around the building which houses the door that leads to the Source. Two electric power stations must both be shut down in order to disable the alarm system, after which Neo will have only a short time to reach the Source before the building is destroyed by explosives; in addition, if the door is opened while the alarm is still active, the explosives will detonate. As the other two crews attack the power stations, the Keymaker leads Neo and Morpheus to a hall within the building, filled with doors that represent backdoor access to other parts of the Matrix. They are interrupted by the arrival of

Agent Smith Agent Smith (later simply Smith) is a fictional character and the main antagonist of ''The Matrix'' franchise. He was primarily portrayed by Hugo Weaving in the first trilogy of films and voiced by Christopher Corey Smith in '' The Matrix: Pat ...

and dozens of copies he has made of himself. The Keymaker hurriedly opens a door, allowing Neo and Morpheus to take cover inside a room as the Smiths open fire, but sustains multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. Before dying, he gives Neo a single key on a chain around his neck—the one needed to reach the Source—and points Morpheus toward a door that will allow him to re-enter the Matrix proper.

Role experience

Casting director

Mali Finn Mali Finn (March 8, 1938 – November 28, 2007), born Mary Alice Mann, was an American casting director and former English and drama teacher. She cast numerous actors in successful films, including Edward Furlong, Brad Renfro, Leonardo DiCaprio, ...

succeeded in bringing Kim to the attention of

the Wachowskis Lana Wachowski (born June 21, 1965, formerly known as Larry Wachowski) and Lilly Wachowski (born December 29, 1967, formerly known as Andy Wachowski) are American film and television directors, writers and producers. The sisters are both trans ...

, the creators of the ''Matrix'' series. "Randall Duk Kim was cast for his talent, his presence and his voice," said Finn. After meeting the Wachowskis, Kim said he agreed to the Keymaker role "without a single bit of hesitation." Kim described the Keymaker as a character that belongs in ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets ...

'' but then somehow ended up in ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

'' and then got lost in the Matrix.

The Wachowskis Lana Wachowski (born June 21, 1965, formerly known as Larry Wachowski) and Lilly Wachowski (born December 29, 1967, formerly known as Andy Wachowski) are American film and television directors, writers and producers. The sisters are both trans ...

' thoughts on Keymaker were coming on the spot as various takes were done. He is a creation of collaboration; for example, Lana Wachowski suggested that Kim cut his stride in half, so that the Keymaker's movements appeared as more of a scurry, than a normal gait. In an interview with Tim Lammers to promote the DVD release of ''The Matrix Reloaded'', Kim said, "I'm so happy to be part of such a wonderful tale as this. I was a fan before I even got the audition call for ''Reloaded''". "When I got the part, you could hardly keep me from flying off the ground," Kim gleefully recalled. Despite the elaborate set-up and tireless hours, Kim said he could not get enough of the ''Matrix'' experience. "On every single day of that shoot I felt like a little kid on big adventure," Kim enthused. "And working for he Wachowskkis they're childlike in their creativity—it's just contagious". Kim said further that the stunt drivers in the freeway motorcycle chase scene were some of the most amazing people he had ever met. "That was real. I would say

Carrie Carrie may refer to: People * Carrie (name), a female given name and occasionally a surname Places in the United States * Carrie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Carrie, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carrie Glacier, Olympic Nati ...

and I did about three-quarters of what's seen up there," he revealed. Kim was backed by professional motorcross racer David Barrett in a jump that was a double on the Ducati motorcycle used in the freeway chase. In a June 2001 interview, stunt player Debbie Evans said it was "pretty ambitious, because those bikes aren't made to do that sort of thing, but we pulled it off". The Keymaker also appears in the short

lampoon Lampoon may refer to: *Parody *Amphol Lampoon (born 1963), Thai actor and singer *''The Harvard Lampoon'', a noted humor magazine ** ''National Lampoon'' (magazine), a defunct offshoot of ''Harvard Lampoon'' ***National Lampoon, Incorporated, a 20 ...

''MTV Movie Awards Reloaded'', produced for the 2003 MTV Movie Awards.

Notes

External links

Keymaker at MatrixResolutions.com2004 interview with Randall Duk Kim (mp3, 23,9 MB)
{{Matrix The Matrix (franchise) characters Fictional artificial intelligences Fictional technopaths Fictional mechanics Film characters introduced in 2003 Fictional revolutionaries

Backstory and role

Role experience

See also

Notes

External links