Hero famously "red-pilled," in film

Latest answer — October 08, 2026

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Neo, the computer-hacker hero of The Matrix, portrayed by Keanu Reeves.

Clue explainedFact checked

Neo is the computer-hacker hero of the 1999 film The Matrix, played by Keanu Reeves. In the movie, he takes a red pill that reveals his ordinary world is a simulated reality controlled by machines. The choice became a lasting pop-culture shorthand for discovering an unsettling truth beneath appearances.

Clue type:
Pop culture

NYT Crossword

This clue's Thursday, October 08, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1One who might use they/them pronouns, informally
  2. 5Sensation after getting a tattoo, for some
  3. 9How low can they go?
  4. 14Meteor shower?
  5. 16Stay under the covers all morning, to a Brit
  6. 17Taps
  7. 19Piano exercise
  8. 20"It's never paid to ___ against America": Warren Buffett
  9. 21Place-holding letters on a schedule
  10. 22Browbeaten
  11. 24Trams
  12. 27In the way of
  13. 28Drill
  14. 29Time to go fast?
  15. 30Audacious, informally
  16. 33"Midnight Cowboy" con man
  17. 36Paws
  18. 40Take a hankie to, say
  19. 41Nora who wrote "When Harry Met Sally ..."
  20. 43Counterpart of Brahma and Vishnu
  21. 46Expand, as dough
  22. 48Hawaiian fish with a palindromic name
  23. 49Dessert
  24. 52Deciduous tree often found in regions dominated by conifers
  25. 54Just a number, they say
  26. 55Long-lasting birth control option, in brief
  27. 56Turn over
  28. 58Naive regal gnat
  29. 63Creepy
  30. 64It separates China and South Korea
  31. 65Everybody's hands
  32. 66Impudence
  33. 67Stanch

Down

  1. 1And so on, in brief
  2. 2Hero famously "red-pilled," in film
  3. 3Perceived Democratic electoral bloc
  4. 4Matchmaker in "Fiddler on the Roof"
  5. 5Like many summertime coffee orders
  6. 6Caped fighter
  7. 7Professional who's busiest in Apr.
  8. 8Tisanes
  9. 9Popeye's rival
  10. 10Making money or becoming famous, maybe
  11. 11Smolder
  12. 12Penalty box in hockey, slangily
  13. 13Unbroken
  14. 15Hoop alternative
  15. 18Neighbor of Switz.
  16. 22Something inside or outside a wine bar?
  17. 23Count of "A Series of Unfortunate Events"
  18. 25Unpredictable
  19. 26Gingham or seersucker
  20. 28Common policy at a neighborhood BBQ
  21. 31Remote sensing technology that uses lasers
  22. 32Eponymous Belgian resort town
  23. 34Cringeily cute
  24. 35Tiny slug?
  25. 37Units of electric charge
  26. 38Spray from a plane
  27. 39Sharpen
  28. 42Start to stick?
  29. 43Under a parasol, say
  30. 44"My feelings exactly"
  31. 45Host Meredith of "25 Words or Less"
  32. 47Cézanne painted a "Pyramid" of them
  33. 50"Oh no!"
  34. 51Clear stuff in a restaurant
  35. 52Prefix often meaning "gas"
  36. 53Flakes out?
  37. 57Thelma and Louise, e.g.
  38. 59Signifier of no value, in many programming languages
  39. 60Grazing area
  40. 61First name signifier?
  41. 62Counterpart of a sire, on a horse farm

The answer to “Hero famously "red-pilled," in film” in the New York Times crossword is NEO — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 8, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 2-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Hero famously "red-pilled," in film” answer

NEO (3 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is NEO.

When else has “Hero famously "red-pilled," in film” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

October 8, 2026 (most recent) → NEO. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Hero famously "red-pilled," in film”?

The answer is NEO, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 8, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Hero famously "red-pilled," in film”?

3 letters: NEO.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on October 8, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 2-Down.

Can “Hero famously "red-pilled," in film” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for October 8, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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