Laurence Fishburne reveals one thing he still retains from 'The Matrix' films

Laurence Fishburne has painful memories from his time filming The Matrix.

At the Marrakech Film Festival, he recalled the gruelling workouts he and costars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss had to do to prepare for the iconic film.

Laurence said, "We were essentially the first Western actors to work in the Hong Kong style."

"And so [martial arts choreographer] Yuen Woo-ping was very concerned that we weren’t going to be able to [pull it off]. So he trained us really hard — training us like professional athletes," he continued, per Variety. 

"And it was in the middle of that training I realized why they pay professional athletes so much money: Because professional athletes are always in pain. Not in pain sometimes — like when you go to the gym and then you’re sore for a day. They’re in pain all the time," he remarked.

They trained so well for the film’s iconic fight scenes that the Apocalypse Now star still caries muscle memory of the moves.

"It’s all — I mean, it’s still in the body" he laughed. "We each had two trainers, and they worked us really, really hard!"

Laurence also talked about his approach to acting, saying, "I’m always looking for ways to surprise the audience. I’m always trying to change a little here, shift a little there, so it’s not familiar visually — not someone you instantly recognize or can predict. Instead, I want to create a character who surprises you, someone in whom you either see yourself or someone you know."

Laurence Fishburne has used this surprise approach for his memorable roles in Apocalypse Now, King of New York, Boyz N the Hood, and The Matrix.