Until recently, until 2008, there was no Lana Wachowski in the cinema horizon. Neither as stars, nor as even modest statistics. But every person who knows a little about films knew the Wachowski brothers - American directors, screenwriters and producers, creators of the cult Matrix. Some advanced moviegoers even knew their names - Larry and Andy. Where did Lana come from? Is this a relative of the brothers or just a namesake who has made her way in Hollywood? Everything is much more interesting. The intrigue is that Lana is one of the Wachowski brothers. Read about her life and career in this article.
Childhood
Lana Wachowski was born on June 21, 1965. Parents (and the obstetrician, and everyone else) thought that a boy was born. And therefore they called it the beautiful name Laurence. After more than two years (or rather, December 29, 1967), another child appeared in the family - Andrew Paul. Last name Wachowski gives out the Polish roots of the American family, who had long settled in Chicago (Illinois, USA). The brothers' father was a businessman, and his mother a nurse. So the family was wealthy, although not very rich. Despite the two-year difference in age, the brothers were "do not spill water." They had common interests and hobbies. The head of the family was a convinced atheist, but his mother, having been in the bosom of the Catholic Church, began to practice shamanism. This amazing religious education influenced the future work of the brothers. Laurence and Andrew Paul graduated from the same schools: first elementary in their native Chicago, and then secondary, public Whitney Young. In high school, the brothers participated in the activities of theatrical circles, but always off the stage.
Youth
When it came time to go to college, the brothers parted ways. Laurence chose Bard College, upstate New York, and the youngest, Andrew Paul, continued his studies in Boston, at Emerson High School. However, the brothers soon realized that gnawing at the granite of science was not for them. They were creative natures. Both had one passion and one hobby - comics. With them they began their career. Under the creative names of Andy and Larry (now Lana), the Wachowski brothers opened an agency that painted the facades of houses. So in Chicago there were wall panels with the heroes of popular comics and computer games. Creativity brothers did not go unnoticed. They were invited to work at Marvel Publishing House. The first collaboration in this field was a series of drawings for the book Ectokid. And even then, the brothers hatched the idea of the "Matrix". Realizing that the film is very expensive, especially with such visual effects, they put off their dream for later. In the meantime, they started shooting their first film.
The beginning of a career in show business
It happened in 1996. But before that, Andy and Larry (Lana) Wachowski created the screenplay for “Assassins,” a film in which Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas, and Julianne Moore participated. But director Richard Donner mercilessly redrawed the work of the brothers, so that little was left of their work in the film. Wachowski was upset and in the future they decided to film their scripts themselves. In general, the film "Communication" in the style of "noir" appeared. It was a low-cost picture in which one of the two sisters of the brothers took part - Julie Wachowski. At the box office, the film failed, but film critics (as often happens) did not agree with the audience. Svyaz was awarded several prizes and opened the way for the brothers to show business. Now, having a "name", Larry and Andy Wachowski could count on a large budget. It's time to fulfill their youthful dream - to remove the "Matrix".
The cult trilogy
In fairness, it should be noted that Larry has always worked and continues to work in a duet with his brother Andy. The Matrix was immediately conceived as a trilogy. But the viewer did not know about it yet. And the producers too. Warner Brothers bosses were very skeptical of the requested amount of $ 80 million and gave novice directors only ten. Then Andy and Lana Wachowski created the first ten minutes of the film. The show convinced the film studio to give the brothers the remaining seventy million. The Matrix, released in 1999, produced a bomb effect. The audience longed for a continuation, and it did not take long to wait. The other two episodes of The Matrix, Reloaded and Revolution (2003), were as profitable as the first film. But the public did not succeed in communicating with the famous scriptwriters and directors. The contract that the brothers signed with the film company stated that they refuse to communicate with the press, give interviews, and participate in talk shows. The colors of fame after the “Connection” were enough for their whole life.
Lana Wachowski: filmography of the last years
It would seem that the money that the Matrix trilogy brought was enough for the brothers for the rest of their lives. But to create is the main purpose of the stellar duo. And therefore, three years after the “Revolution”, the film “V means Vendetta” appears on the screens, where the brothers acted as screenwriters and producers. A year later, “Invasion” was released, in 2008 - Speed Racer (in the Russian box office “Speed Racer”), in 2009 - “Ninja Killer”. Then a short break followed. And in 2012, Andy and Lana Wachowski reappeared in the Hollywood skyline. The films “Cloud Atlas”, “Climbing Jupiter” and “The Eighth Sense” were highly praised by film critics.
Personal life of Lana Wachowski
The brothers were the stark opposite in terms of appearance. Andy, the cheerful fat man, and the flimsy bespectacled bespectacled Larry. In the personal life of the younger brother, there is nothing out of the ordinary and even somewhat surprising. Since 1991, Andy has been married to Alice Blesingheim, is happy and is not going to get divorced. Larry’s personal life was very different. From 1993 to 2002, he was married to his former classmate Thea Bloom. Everything seemed to be in order. It is hard to say when he felt like a woman. After a divorce since 2003, he began to appear at social parties under the name Lana. Since 2005, the paparazzi have snooped about the fact that the eldest of the Wachowski brothers began to take hormonal drugs in order to prepare for a sex change operation. In 2006, information was received that the transgender procedure was successful. But for a long time, none of the brothers commented on this news. And in 2012, a photo of Lana Wachowski, a charming woman with fuchsia dreadlocks and a translucent dress, appeared. She gave an interview in which she openly talked about the problems of people with displaced transgender people. For this, she was awarded the organization Human Rights Campaign. Now Lana lives in a same-sex marriage with Karin Winslow.