Hollywood star Carrie-Anne Moss is the image of serenity when HELLO! sits down with her for an exclusive interview. For the Canadian-born actress, who turns 60 next year, is feeling more grounded – and liberated – than ever.
"There's sort of an incredible thing that comes with age for me where I feel more comfortable in my own self," says the film star, dialling in from her woodland-enveloped farmhouse in rural New England to chat about her role in the new mystery thriller series, YAGA.
"In my younger years, I was a model, and then of course, an actress. There's a lot of pressure on how you look and your body, and I feel a sense of freedom now that I don't have to be perfect," shares Carrie-Anne, famed for her iconic portrayal of the fearless computer hacker Trinity in The Matrix film franchise. "It's a really freeing feeling, once you kind of get past a lot of the cultural pressure. I'm not looking to look 30."
© SkyAgeing gracefully
For almost 30 years, Carrie-Anne has been a steady presence in Hollywood. Following her breakout role opposite Keanu Reeves in The Matrix, she appeared in four major films in 2000 alone, including Christopher Nolan's acclaimed psychological thriller Memento, and the Johnny Depp-starring romance, Chocolat.
Yet as she prepares to turn 60 next August, Carrie-Anne isn't tempted to succumb to industry pressures to undergo cosmetic surgery.
© Getty Images"I love when I see women that are ageing naturally, I feel a lot of relief," shares the Pompeii actress. "I see the few actresses in the mainstream that are accessible because they haven't done all of that stuff. And I don't judge it, I totally get it. But, I look forward to playing women my age, because I was looking for that."
"There's sort of an incredible thing that comes with age for me where I feel more comfortable in my own self."
"Who knows, maybe I'll be like, 'Oh, I need a facelift,'" she admits. "But I love real faces that move. I think that we're in an interesting time where with all the AI and the filters and everything that people can put on their videos, I think we're going to see a shift where people really want real people."
Carrie-Anne's seductive new mystery thriller
For her latest role, Carrie-Anne stars in the mystery-thriller, YAGA, about a private investigator unraveling the disappearance of a wealthy college student from a coastal town. Created by Canadian writer Kat Sandler and adapted from her 2019 play, the eight-part series puts a dark, sexy spin on the Slavic folk tale of Baba Yaga - a mythical witch-like figure living deep within the woods.
Carrie-Anne plays seductive university professor Katherine, who has an appetite for younger men. "It's fun to play someone who's just really comfortable in their skin," shares the actress, who spent a brief three weeks filming in Victoria, British Columbia. "She's very manipulative. She's very confident but quite dangerous at the same time. Nothing was off limits, really, which is always a hoot to play."
© SkyWhile she relished the role, Carrie-Anne admits feeling a bit daunted by the intimate scenes. "It's part of my job, but it's not something that I'm super comfortable with," she shares.
When it comes to representing middle-aged female desire on screen, she remains pragmatic. "I don't feel like I need to be seen as a sexual being," she says. "I don't really think about that in terms of how I'm seen."
Carrie-Anne's stellar Hollywood career
Katherine joins a long list of formidable women in Carrie-Anne's portfolio – from a calculating defense attorney (and Marvel's first openly lesbian character) in Jessica Jones to a hardened survivalist in the romantic zombie drama Die Alone.
"I've had an amazing experience in Hollywood, honestly, and I was never afraid of being typecast," she reflects. "I've played incredibly strong women, and I don't know any women who aren't strong. Just to be a female walking through the world, you have to have a certain amount of strength."
© WireImage"I've played incredibly strong women, and I don't know any women who aren't strong."
Still, it is her career-defining turn as Trinity in The Matrix that audiences will forever cherish – a role she never takes for granted. "It was definitely a highlight in my life. It still humbles me that they decided I was the woman to play her," she muses, brimming with gratitude.
"She gave me my career and she also made me who I am because of all of the fears I had to overcome. To ride a motorcycle with an actor on the back without a helmet, to jump off of a 500 ft building 22 times, to do fights over and over again, where you just feel like you don't have any more energy," says Carrie-Anne, adding, "It makes you a different person to be challenged like that."
Is she still close with her co-star Keanu Reeves?
"We're dear friends. He's such a lovely person," she says warmly. "We both have our lives, you know, but whenever we talk or come together, it's always very special. It's like family."
Carrie-Anne's 'quiet' life in rural New England
When the cameras stop rolling, Carrie-Anne retreats to her peaceful rural home in New Hampshire, where she lives "immersed in nature" with her husband, actor Steven Roy, with whom she shares two sons and a daughter.
Of the vast forest surrounding her home, which is blanketed in vibrant autumn leaves when we speak, Carrie-Anne says: "I feel like they're literally healing me when I walk out there. Just the colour on my eyes, it warms me inside. It's so profoundly beautiful."
© FilmMagicThe slow pace of country life does come with its limitations, though. "There's no Uber, there's no delivery food, there's really not even restaurants, to be honest," shares the actress. "I can't walk to a coffee," she adds, revealing she drives an hour each week to pick up raw milk from her farmer friend. "Once you've had this real cream that's been milked that day, you're spoiled forever."
Still, Carrie says the contrast between her quiet home life and bustling film sets is "very complimentary for my particular personality".
"I've loved every job I've ever done. I love what I do, so I feel really blessed."
"I get fed on lots of people, being on a set with all the crew, and then I come home. It's hard for me to leave here, but I do love the dance between the two," she says.
One project she was more than happy to leave her rural haven for was YAGA – an opportunity that felt almost like fate. Just days before the script landed in her inbox, Carrie-Anne happened to open a favourite childhood book to a chapter about Baba Yaga.
"I always find that everything that I do, there's some kind of weird, otherworldly thing," she says. "I always feel like the universe, if I'm open and I'm in a flow state, there's just all of this synchronicity and coincidences that happen that I tend to pay attention to. I'm always looking for a sign, you know, I'm one of those people."
Looking ahead
As for future career bucket lists, Carrie says she "just loves working". "I've loved every job I've ever done. I love what I do, so I feel really blessed," she shares. "I wouldn't have imagined I was going to play Katherine like before I got that script, so I always love being surprised."
And when her 60th birthday arrives next August, don't expect a big party. "I don't really do that so much," says the film star. "Where I'm sitting right now is where we have all of our birthday celebrations. I usually make really good burgers or my husband makes steaks and we eat a really yummy carrot cake that takes me two days to make.
"I just want to be with the people that I love and to feel grateful to be here," she adds.
YAGA is available exclusively in the UK and Ireland on Sky and streaming service NOW.
