Was it weird for Gen Z & Alpha to see Agent Smith as an elf?

Millenial here. Just watched Lord of the Rings (2001) for the first time in 20+ years and I remember my initial reaction when Hugo Weaving came on screen as Elrond: I laughed out loud in the theater. I had watched The Matrix so many times over the previous two years that Hugo Weaving just WAS Agent Smith to me. I suspect this might be a unique millennial reaction. Am I wrong?