Entertainment Movies Keanu Reeves on His 'Love' for His Asian Background, the 'Respectful' Way 'Matrix' Includes Culture The actor, whose father is Chinese Hawaiian, said his relationship with his Asian identity is "good and healthy" By Vanessa Etienne Vanessa Etienne Vanessa Etienne is an Emerging Content Writer-Reporter for PEOPLE. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 21, 2021 10:44AM EST Photo: Sam Santos/Getty Keanu Reeves is getting candid about his Asian identity and how it relates to his role in The Matrix Resurrections. The 57-year-old actor opened up to NBC Asian America about his Chinese Hawaiian heritage and how he connects with his Asian background, which he rarely speaks about. "My relationship to my Asian identity, it's always been good and healthy. And I love it," he told the outlet. "We've been growing up together." Reeves did admit, however, that he has mixed feelings about being referred to as a person of color, saying, "I don't know if I agree with that statement. But I don't not agree." Matrix Resurrections First Reactions Call Sequel 'Vividly Personal': 'It's Very Trippy and Complex' In The Matrix Resurrections, the upcoming fourth installment in the sci-fi franchise, Reeves reprises his role as Neo and performs a number of stunts, including scenes that pull from Chinese kung fu films. Reeves told NBC that the Matrix creators wanted to be respectful when drawing from Asian cultural sources. He said he was able to do just that with the help of choreographers, including Tiger Hu Chen, who worked on the original Matrix franchise. "Chen was my teacher on the trilogy, and it was wonderful to work with him on Resurrections," Reeves said in the interview. "We know each other, he's a wonderful martial artist. So I feel really grateful and honored to be able to spend time with him." "With the martial arts, [we're] presenting those art forms in an artful way, in a respectful way. Not in a way where it's experienced as a caricature, but from a place of reverence," he continued. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Last year, the actor told Essence that though he's "not a spokesperson" for the Asian community, he still hopes that his roles can be impactful when it comes to on-screen representation. "I hope that whatever opportunities I've had, or the work that I'm doing, in some way can entertain and can also — I don't want to say teach — but have something of value come out of it," he told the outlet. In the latest film, Reeves stars alongside Carrie-Anne Moss, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jessica Henwick, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and more. The Matrix Resurrections is in theaters and on HBO Max starting Dec. 22.