10 Movie Characters That Mean More Than You Think
1. Switch - The Matrix
Switch (Belinda McClory) isn't a particularly well fleshed-out character in The Matrix, though she has a distinctive look and gets a few memorable scenes in the first half of the movie before being murdered by Cypher (Joe Pantoliano).
But the Wachowskis originally had far more adventurous plans for the character, as McClory was initially only supposed to be playing half of the role.
In an attempt to play with the idea of "residual self-image" in The Matrix, Switch was to appear as a woman when jacked-in - her idealised, preferred form - and a man in the real world, hence the name Switch.
But as ever, the studio balked at the idea, and so the Wachowskis decided to cast an androgynous woman in the role instead.
The DNA of the original intent is clearly still there, though, and to take it further, presumably reflected the Wachowskis' own struggles with gender identity, leading to them both transitioning into women in recent years.