Whoa! Wow, and WTF! The KEANU REEVES Story (Documentary Part 1)

Beirut 1963 the Lebanese capital is referred to  as the Paris of the Middle East a place where Arab and European cultures meet here Intelligentsia and  Bohemians from all over the world come together   in search of happiness and Adventure a young  geologist by the name of Samuel Reeves arrives   and gets a job at an oil company Samuel isn't  what you would call a workaholic at the end of   each shift he heads downtown quickly establishing  himself as a regular at the local restaurants and   nightclubs one day Samuel makes eye contact with  a woman dancing on stage Patricia a Charming girl   from London had just graduated with a degree  in theater design and had come to Beirut as a   step into the unknown dancing at the club was  a temporary solution that nevertheless would   forever change her life Patricia didn't even try  to resist Samuel's advances his exotic Chinese   Hawaiian appearance and Divinity for adventure  and soft drugs would have won over any girl in   the wake of the hippie movement three months  later the two got married in Hawaii and were   leading a comfortable Carefree life in Early  Autumn of 1964 the couple became a family of   three Samuel named their newborn baby boy after  his brother Henry Keanu Reeves whose middle name   had been inherited from their great great uncle  kawajielu and means Cool Breeze from the mountains   but their idyllic life didn't last long two  years later right after the birth of their   second child Kim Samuel left the family by that  time he was already addicted to hard drugs and   couldn't maintain any kind of relationship  keownu's cousin remembers those days like   this my aunt had outgrown her hippie phase but my  uncle unfortunately had not Samuel never changed   over the years he was picked up in 1994 for  trafficking heroin and sentenced to 10 years   in prison but let's go back to 1967. Patricia  now alone and with two children in tow moved   to Australia for a year before briefly settling  in New York Keanu was six when his mother got   married for the second time her new husband was  director Paul Aaron the couple decided that New   York wasn't the best place to raise children and  moved to Toronto drawing upon her education as a   designer and her love for fashion Patricia  began her career as a costume designer and   quickly gained a following after creating outfits  for Emmylou Harris Dolly Parton and David Bowie unfortunately her second marriage  was even shorter than the first   before they could even celebrate their second  wedding anniversary Paul abandoned his family   Patricia was devastated now up to her neck  and work with two kids and no support she   fell apart it didn't help that the doctors had  recently diagnosed Keanu and Kim with dyslexia   a condition that Patricia had also struggled  with fortunately proper care and training   allowed the children to quickly overcome their  learning disability Keanu soon found himself   with another stepfather Patricia's third  husband was Rock promoter Robert Miller   in 1976 the couple welcomed another child into  the world Kim and keanu's new half-sister was   named Karina by this time twelve-year-old Keanu  had found his first serious Hobby in keeping with   stereotypes about Canada where they were now  living the boy had fallen in love with hockey   he dreamed of becoming a professional player and  what started as a hobby quickly became a passion   keanu's grades began to drop things weren't  going well at school his family moved around   a lot which meant he was always the new kid at  age 13 Keanu added acting to his extracurricular   activities he owed this new interest to his former  stepfather Paul Aaron who still stayed in touch   with the family and often invited the teenager  to Los Angeles there he would take Keanu to the   sets of movies like a different story The Miracle  Worker and a force of wild force of one he hears   the silence he sees the darkness sure he was  having a hard time at school but at the same   time Keanu was the most valuable player on his  hockey team his first job was also related to   hockey Keanu stayed after practice at the stadium  and sharpened the skates for all the other players   when he turned 16 he got a job at the pastissimo  restaurant making over a hundred pounds of pasta a   day Reeve switched schools dozens of times dropped  out of several theater Studios and learned what he   thought was the technique of method acting  successful auditions became his first real   achievements the production of wolf boy can safely  be considered keanu's debut this insanely bizarre   homoerotic play made quite a splash in Toronto's  gay community according to the plot an innocent   boy ends up in a psychiatric hospital and falls  in love with his roommate who thinks he's a wolf   sure it's no Macbeth but everyone knew what they  were getting into director John Palmer recalled   it this way one of the most gorgeous kids anyone's  ever seen in white shorts and we oiled them what   do you want for 10 bucks the promotional photo  shoot for the play became no less popular than   the production itself these photos are all the  remains of the extravagant start of keanu's career   but the play gave him a chance to get on TV in  1984. he debuted in small roles in series like   hanging in hey where do you keep the towels  pizza and we could use a shower night heat and comedy Factor these short scenes usually  consisting of just one line paved the way   for Keanu to appear in commercials for Coca-Cola  who's your coach my dad and Kellogg's cornflakes which he received his first serious paychecks I  used to live my life out of a basket I had this   killer Kellogg's commercial once made tons  of money and I cashed the check and put all   of the cash in a basket the actor's 19th  birthday marked a turning point go ahead Nickelodeon's going great hosted by Keanu was a  great fit for him but the show about amazing and   talented kids received the Channel's worst ever  ratings and it was promptly canceled I guess it's   back to my training the Silver Lining was that  Keanu became acquainted with director Steven Stern   who noticed the young man's talent and gave him  the script for a film called young again and tells   him to get ready for auditions when Stern returned  to Los Angeles he met with Disney Executives   Michael Eisner and Jeffrey katzenberg the idea of  bringing in an unknown actor to play the leading   role was not well received the director then  personally paid for keanu's plane ticket and   brought him to the Disney offices for an audition  the Callback never came the young man who had come   to conquer Hollywood didn't wait for an answer  and went home I hope something gets out there   that is Magic um you know and if not I'll just  be sad and cry the next sign from above was an   audition that Keanu heard about in both his acting  and hockey communities the sport drama Youngblood   featuring Rising Stars Patrick Swayze and Rob  Lowe this was the perfect opportunity to make   a name for himself on the big screen he landed  the role two weeks before his 20th birthday it   was the greatest birthday gift ever a combination  of two of his favorite things to do it she'd do it   to me last night huh while it was just a small  supporting role nothing more than background   appearances and a couple of standard lines it  paved keanu's way to the world of movies that one of Youngblood's Hallmarks is its intense  scenes on the ice in addition to his own shots   Keanu often played the backs of Swayze and low  dragging the cameraman behind him in a wheelchair   critics praised the film's crew's impressive  work and although no one mentioned Reeves he   didn't mind because he immediately landed another  role in a feature film I'm sick of playing this   game I'm not playing it anymore from now on I'm  a free agent man look out girls in the sports   drama flying Keanu took on a leading role for the  first time in his career as the film's heartthrob flying was the next step on the road to fame  but now it was time to take the elevator   in late 1994 Stephen Stern finally convinced  Disney Executives to approve Reeves the filming   of young again would be taking place in Los  Angeles and Keanu saw this as an excellent reason   to finally leave his parents house and Chase his  dreams I was tired of playing the best friend Thug   number one and the tall guy there was no room for  me as an actor in Canada so I get in the car pick   up my girlfriend and we drive off for Hollywood  hey do you like our work let us know with your   like and comment push that subscribe button and  share with your friends if you want to support the   project financially become our sponsor on patreon  or YouTube sponsorship thank you let's move on Paul Aaron didn't just take the young man into  his home he introduced him to his future agent   and manager the movie Mecca of the world  greeted Keanu with open arms at least in   part because he already had what half of this  town spends years searching for it's America   young again didn't do well but Reeves  performance is praised by several critics you see I told you he was normal the  plot tells of a successful but unhappy   businessman who dreams of being young  again and finally gets the opportunity look at me I'm a kid I'm a kid Keanu  made an impression on all of the   casting managers in Hollywood with his  on-screen embodiment of the joys of you the actor was invited to all sorts of comedy  and soap opera auditions but he longed for   a serious project it's hard to imagine what  his agent must have felt when Reeves turned   down Oliver Stone himself the director  wanted him to play the leading role in   platoon Stone later recalled that the  actor's decision had been based on his   own pacifism and a reluctance to act in  a movie about weapons the film went on to   win four Oscars and key on his replacement  Charlie Sheen was nominated for best actor not surprisingly after rejecting such a  successful project the big time offers stopped   coming into Reeves's agent leaving kyani to act  in several fairly forgettable projects among them   were the dramas Under the Influence for which he  received positive critical Acclaim couldn't edit River's Edge long considered to be his  best role so now get married right no   Let's Get Stoned instead oh that'd be  great this was followed by the Thriller   the Brotherhood of Justice Brotherhood in  silence and the crime drama Act of vengeance the director of active Vengeance John McKenzie  became the first person but not the last to   openly disparage keanu's work in one interview he  complained about the actor's awkward clumsiness on   camera and called him an upstart most of all the  director was angered by keanu's defiant Behavior   off-screen shows I was meant for something special  despite the criticism Keanu continued to churn out   films at an incredible rate he featured in  eight different projects in 1986 alone the   last of which was the musical Babes in Toyland  where he starred alongside Drew Barrymore toy   Master we've got to talk to you really sir for  this well yes I'm listening but this film also   flopped given that it was shot in Munich in just  33 days director Clive Donner simply didn't have   the time to adapt Victor Herbert's Operetta but  fans got to hear Keanu Sing For the First Time The Busy year allowed the actor to move out of his  stepfather's place and swap out his ancient Volvo   for a motorcycle but he didn't let the money go  to his head Keanu wasn't drawn to the nightlife   of Los Angeles he preferred long motorcycle  rides at night and trips to bookstores where he   bought almost everything on the shelves meanwhile  keanu's image for roles as an attractive teenager   became even stronger despite the fact that he was  already 23 this image when in Parts in films such   as permanent record but um could you allow me  to be honest with you no because you're going   to start complaining about doing this particular  show and that's not up for discussion Chris the   night before are we going to talk or are we gonna  rock oh my God and the prince of Pennsylvania began to dread being Typecast after portraying  10 different teenagers on screen to make matters   worse his 24th birthday was fast approaching and  it was starting to show in his appearance Reeves   saw the opportunity to act in a costume historical  production of Dangerous Liaisons as his chance   to break free of the Eternal Schoolboy image  and finally be taken seriously as an actor oh   it's Sublime don't you find plus his fellow  co-stars were of a completely different caliber   than anyone he had worked with previously actors  like John Malkovich Michelle Pfeiffer and newcomer   Uma Thurman despite the fact that many  considered the idea of casting a teen   icon in a serious drama to be a risky gamble  director Stephen freyr's completely trusted   Keanu I don't know how I can ever repay  you upon the film's release Reeves was   considered one of the main problems a weak  link and an out of place experiment somehow quite a different tone of voice rumors  surfaced about how fears had wasted   hours on set trying to get Keanu to cry  for a scene despite the criticism Keanu   is proud of the challenges he overcame  and referred to this role as a turning   point in his career Dangerous Liaisons did  in fact allow him to stop playing schoolboys by the way it was after his audition for the  film that Keanu got into one of his most famous   accidents this is the one that I think that you're  talking about is a uh well pick pick your favorite   injury the years that followed keanu's move to  Los Angeles were marked by a passion That Grew   into an obsession he began to collect motorcycles  and while simply riding them is Extreme enough in   itself Keanu truly threw caution to the wind one  of his favorite ways to have fun was to take off   his helmet turn off his headlights and ride  around the Hollywood Hills all night so I was   on a motorcycle in Topanga Canyon I was going  really fast didn't know the road and there was   a hairpin turn I hit the mountain I had trauma a  couple of broken ribs Etc and went to the hospital   and they took the blood out and then sewed up  my spleen he also ended up with a scar from his   sternum to his navel and no the actor didn't  learn his lesson he continued to risk his life   and get into accidents we'll come back to this  point several times Well I I've had some cool   crashes I have I mean they're cool because I'm  here the following year Keanu got into no not an   accident the cast of Parenthood a comedy with  Diane West and Steve Martin in the lead roles stays director Ron Howard was no  slouch in Hollywood albeit not as   iconic as he is today which meant that  working under him was both a challenge   and an excellent opportunity for Keanu  to express himself in a major project   well Parenthood became a hit at the box  office and was nominated for two Oscars I send a huge Merit for Keanu but not  receiving negative criticism was enough   to earn him some credibility among his colleagues Ron Howard advised director Lawrence kazden to  cast Keanu in his black comedy I love you to death   where he played a memorable role and made a friend  also it's generally not considered a very good   idea to take a taxi to the scene of a crime amen  look be cool okay Reeves and River Phoenix became   instant buddies and would start together again  A year later but we'll come back to that foreign taking on the character of a drug addicted  criminal became one of the most extraordinary   experiences of the actor's career every scene  he appears in is both memorable and shocking in just a year Reeves managed to dramatically  change his attitude towards himself revealing   his talent in a completely different way all the  more surprising was the release of Bill and Ted's   Excellent Adventure Bill s Preston Esquire and  Ted Theodore Logan don't think that Keanu had   decided to go back to his teenage roles or that  this was the offer of a lifetime it was all much   simpler than that you see Bill and Ted had been  filmed back in 1987 but due to the DiLaurentis   Entertainment Group going bankrupt the movie  was abandoned and being prepared for TV release   however Nelson entertainment bought the rights to  the film a year later and released it in theaters   in 1989. excellent to say that this was a good  idea is like saying that the computer was a decent   invention no way yes way Ted the 10 million dollar  project brought in 40 million at the U.S box   office and at least half as much internationally  roughly the same amount as the combined sales   of home videos and all sorts of related  merchandise not to mention an animated series let's launched the first wave of widespread Fame  for Keanu Reeves but he almost didn't play Ted   the only reason he was cast was because the   auditions of River Phoenix Sean Penn  and Brendan Frazier were unsuccessful   they do get better sure the modern viewer may  find the movie to be a bit silly but in the late   80s nearly every publication wrote an article  about the brilliant comedic Talent of Keanu   Reeves and Alex Winter in their caricature  of Youth of that time it's you yeah it's us what more can be said other than this is a  classic of American Comedy Keanu has stated   that it was the role of his life joking that  his Tombstone would one day read here lies   Keanu Reeves he played Ted anyway after the  success of Bill and Ted another project that   Keanu had starred in a few years before  his breakthrough finally hit the screens delayed for the same reason as Bill  and Ted tune in tomorrow was the first   comedy of his career featuring  him in the spotlight oh right is dead but this movie was doomed to remain  in the shadow of his recent comedic success   just like the romantic comedy life underwater  released in 1989. hey come on wake up are you   all right oh Jesus you must have had a knife  featuring Sarah Jessica Parker as Reeves lover   this television version of a popular American  play skipped the theaters and went straight to   TV she'll like you when she gets to know you  that will never happen you really will though   I'm very nice I'm harmless critics agreed that  they would have preferred to see the pair on   stage deeming the TV movie mediocre and pointless  thank you and so by the age of 25 Keanu had more   than 20 projects under his belt he was a  rising star who had proven himself in many   roles and showed no signs of stopping the next  challenge was to transform into an action hero   reuniting with Patrick Swayze only this time  in the lead role Keanu set to work on Catherine   Bigelow's Point Break which she co-wrote with her  ex-husband James Cameron after beating out Charlie   Sheen and Johnny Depp at the auditions Keanu  along with Patrick Swayze and Lori Petty began   preparations for filming although this time it  looked like what normal people would call vacation the actors flew out to Hawaii where they spent  two months learning to surf while Swayze had   already tried his hand at catching waves  a couple of times before it was all Reeves   could do to just stay up on the board as for  petty it was her first time seeing the ocean   I've never seen the ocean before any ocean  I never thought it would affect me so much   an exhausting 77 days of filming followed  during which Keanu discovered a new world of   gunfights chases and brawls that would become  an integral part of his career in the future   life sure has a sick sense of humor doesn't it  interestingly this scene was actually filmed   during the day and subsequently blacked out  in post-production due to the high costs of   filming at night you don't need to see yeah  right vision is highly open rate and the   scene where Keanu jumps from a plane was even  featured in an episode of Mythbusters foreign they rejected the possibility  of a 90-second free fall ing crazy but still agreed that Johnny Utah could have  had time to grab Bodhi when he jumped out of   the plane without a parachute we jumped out  15 seconds later he jumped and right as we   pulled our Chute he was like right next to us  the only way it's gonna happen my friend dude   man the film was an instant hit in theater  and despite cool reactions from critics it   earned about a hundred million dollars at  the box office it's no secret that 2015 saw   a remake of the movie that didn't live up  to its predecessor they only lived to give   radical they don't have any real understanding  of the sea so they'll never get the spiritual   side of it but there is one film that surpassed  the original in terms of ticket sales and fame   that film is the Fast and Furious this is one  of those times when you need to be very clear   about what you said the creators have never  admitted to it but it's hard to deny the   incredible similarities between these two movies  where one simply replaces surfing with racing okay respect for my elders plain and simple Keanu  having transformed from a good looking pretty   boy into a young Macho Man set out to explore  new facets of his talent this time it was to   work with Gus Van Sant on the adventure drama  my own private Idaho you ready for a new day   then Sant had been dreaming of making this movie  for several years named after a song by The B-52s this script follows the lives of Street Hustler  Mikey Waters and a wealthy young man named Scott   favor given the specific and rather provocative  material Gus was convinced that the only way to   make the film was to cast unknown up-and-coming  actors in the lead roles and invest his own money   but he really wanted to cast River Phoenix  and Keanu Reeves yeah that's obvious isn't it that their agents would most likely not let  them read the script he still sent it anyway   one never made it to River Keanu however received  it and loved the script from its very first Pages   Reeves then hopped on his motorcycle and  rode across the country to Rivers home in   Florida hoping to personally persuade the actor  to co-star in the film needless to say it worked Keanu convinced River to join the  project resulting in one of the   most important films in the careers of both actors during filming the ensemble cast moved into Gus  Van sant's home where the group partied every   night until dawn including music alcohol and  drugs the situation was a bit out of control   so the director moved out just to get some  sleep once in a while but you think I sell   your body while you're asleep the star of the  film was undoubtedly River Phoenix whose skills   and talent were on full display anytime the  camera was rolling I've been honest road before this is my road but with Keanu playing his  first role as an anti-hero it wouldn't have   been possible it will impress the morning  when such a [ __ ] up like me turns good   the actors both later agreed that they  simply couldn't imagine doing even half   the provocative scenes with anyone else  on Earth we made a kind of brother packed   it could have been like a bad dream a dream that  never follows through because no one commits but   we forced ourselves into it we said okay I'll  do it if you do it I won't do it if you don't   we shook hands that was it we're so immersed in  their work that River personally rewrote this   scene and convinced the director to shoot  his version I really want to kiss you man of course besides its sexual subject matter my own  private Idaho also touches on the topic of drugs his role in the film caused Kiana to admit that he  had tried hashish and LSD in grade school and had   regularly though not often used drugs since moving  to Hollywood these Revelations came as a result of   psychotropic substances being as commonplace on  set as coffee even though Keanu claimed that he   easily quit after filming Witnesses said that he  was often High during his subsequent work on the   sequel to Bill and Ted the experience was even  more harmful to River Phoenix unable to overcome   the drug addiction he had acquired on the set of  my own private Idaho three years later on October   31st 1993 River died from an overdose of heroin  and cocaine he had been on a two-day Bender with   members of The Red Hot Chili Peppers and passed  away in front of his younger brother Joaquin but back to 1991 after three  successful projects in a row   another major step in Kiana's  career awaited him company in the 1990s one of the greatest directors in the  history of Cinema Francis Ford Coppola decided to   fulfill an old dream to film Braum Stoker's  novel Dracula so close to the source material   that he even called the picture Bram Stoker's  Dracula there were so many of them but no one   ever and I knew what the book Winona Ryder was the  first to join the cast after winning the directors   over having found his Muse Coppola built the  film around her and the rest of the actors   were selected from a list that Winona called The  Dream Ensemble the chart included Anthony Hopkins   Gary Oldman Richard Grant and Keanu Reeves but  you'll have to leave Transylvania immediately   opportunities such as this come but once in a  lifetime yes of course sir kobla is also known   for being a nightmare to work with Keanu got a  taste of this even at the auditions I've seen many   strange things already the director wasn't shy  about the fact that he wasn't familiar with Reeves   work or that he found the audition unimpressive  after casting was completed he told Keanu that   he was only giving him the role because he  needed an actor for the teenage audience   despite the rough start to their working  relationship Keanu held the director in   high regard and so he treated Francis with  reverence and awe as if I have a pot to play   in a story that is not known to me before  filming the director gathered the entire   cast in a room and made them read the entire  Dracula novel aloud in turns Anthony Hopkins   recalled that it took them two days yeah  because the shocking and frightening history   of the wild Berserker Prince Dracula many years  later Keanu admitted that he was dissatisfied   with his work as Jonathan Harker taking on a huge  number of projects with no breaks had exhausted   him this shown through in the final result  but Reeves slightly exaggerated his acting   failure sure it was hard for the audience to  see their beloved Ted as a young lawyer of   the late 19th century but the performance was  far from inadequate doctor you must understand I doubted everything even my mind as for Coppola's  famously exaggerated approach to filming there are   just a few facts worth mentioning for example  to add naturalism to the wedding scene the   director invited a real priest so technically  Keanu and Winona Ryder were actually married   this fact wasn't known at first it was revealed in  the director's commentary in the film's DVD extra   features so this scene can basically be considered  a wedding video directed by Francis Ford Coppola   get up everybody the director's love for all  kinds of Tricks is also well known something   Reeves got to experience firsthand they're going  back to an old school of filmmaking old school   in the sense of that you know Terminator 2 is all  computer graphics and this is like you know ropes   and mirrors and you know that kind of Hocus  Pocus which is delightful this also applies   to the scenes with Gary Oldman and of course the  scenes of Harker being seduced by three Brides the world premiere of Dracula  took place on September 13 1992.   the film was met with widespread Acclaim  something a horror movie hadn't enjoyed in   quite a long time Keanu finally took some  time off after filming wrapped in January   he didn't return to work until almost the  end of the year after some much-needed RNR   he accepted an offer from Alex Winter to  act in the black comedy B movie freaked I am Ortiz the dog boy leader of the freaks the  two had remained friends since working together   on Bill and Ted so the actor was happy to  accept a cameo role in Alex's debut as a   director and a screenwriter in exchange winter  gave Keanu the opportunity to chase a squirrel squirrel and run from eyeballs with machine  guns you don't know about Elijah's   giant laughter eyeballs with machine guns alive balls the next film is the  exact opposite of the previous   one Keanu played Don John in an adaption  of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing director Kenneth Beretta assembled quite  an impressive cast for the project besides   himself the main roles were played by Michael  Keaton Emma Thompson Kate Beckinsale and Denzel   Washington my Lord and brother God save you good  in brother this light casual adaptation was warmly   received by audiences and was nominated for a pom  D'Or and a Golden Globe I am not of many words   but I thank you Reeves also  received his first nomination   unfortunately it was a Razzie  for worst supporting actor it was in fact a very hurtful  experience because the only points   of criticism the film received were the  performances of Reeves and Michael Keaton fortunately Hollywood actors aren't all that  bothered by the golden raspberry Awards Reeves   got another opportunity to prove his worth  by reuniting with Gus Van Zant to work on   the adaptation of even cowgirls get the Blues  but the movie turned out to be a sad ironic   joke in fact it was an entire collection  of bad jokes the cast was actually quite   respectable and included the likes of Uma Thurman  Lorraine Bracco and John Hurt but it was Keanu   who turned out to be the only bright spot of  the film Uma and Lorraine both received their   respective Razzie nominations the film itself  was panned by critics Festival goers and fans   of River Phoenix whose few scenes didn't make the  final cut after his death Van Sant dedicated the   film to his memory but let's digress to another  European director the pioneer of the new wave   Bernardo Bertolucci in late 1992 the director  began working on the final installments of his   so-called Oriental Trilogy following the last  emperor and the Sheltering Sky the time had come   to make little buddha a story about Prince  Siddhartha Buddha was born 2500 years ago   in a small Kingdom in Ancient India the  director traveled all over India and Nepal   looking for the right actor he offered the  role to famous Bollywood star Rahul Roy but   it didn't work out Rahul turned down the  opportunity to make his Hollywood debut in   desperation Bertolucci returned to the United  States a few months later after watching my   own private Idaho and accidentally stumbling  upon an article about Keanu Reeves Hawaiian   Roots the director saw the actor's innocence and  Asian beauty as perfect for the role of Buddha   Keanu was delighted by both the opportunity  to work with the legendary director and by   the script itself I'm 29. Siddhartha  was 29 when he began his quest so I'm   historically traditionally in my life at  the beginning of the Quest for spirituality   freedom but as rude as it may sound upon arriving  in Nepal it wasn't so much God Keanu was looking   for as it was a bathroom coming to Kathmandu  you realize why America is so clean their   [ __ ] everywhere in those medieval Villages  so that nothing siddato might see in the city   disturbing this story isn't befitting of the star  status of our hero but food poisoning and constant   diarrhea were a huge problem for many members  of the film crew although it did ultimately come   in handy the actor had to lose a lot of weight  for the scene where Siddhartha meditates by the   river well the diarrhea combined with a diet  of oranges and water certainly did the trick   the film's release the 14th Dalai Lama was pleased  with what he saw and had just one thing to say   the Buddha cannot be little of course the  film's true magic was revealed just three   years later when as if following the  plot a four-year-old boy from Seattle   was chosen as The Reincarnation of daising  rimponshe and sent to Nepal to be raised as   a spiritual teacher after returning  from Nepal Keanu desperately wanted   to rest but an upcoming role was looming  on the horizon so his plans were canceled director Jan debonte happened to be looking  for an actor for his action movie Speed in   contrast to the superhero type that was  quite prevalent at the time he needed a   younger sexier more vulnerable man which he  felt he had found in Reeves when I saw Keanu   in the few action scenes he had in Point Break  I thought this was something he could really   be good at okay the actor himself wasn't  particularly eager to return to this kind   of movie genre after reading the script he  was concerned about its similarities to die   hard and the Bruce Willis guest lines  oh John what the [ __ ] are you doing tell me again Harry why did I take this job oh  come on 30 more years of this you get a tiny   pension on a cheap gold watch cool but fell in  love with the rest of the story the bus and the   bomb fantastically fantastic it was so silly  I thought it could bomb but with the right guy and although 20th Century Fox was delighted  that Reeves was joining the project the   producer didn't consider Keanu a real star  and demanded that the director choose a   famous actress to be his on-screen counterpart  but Devon didn't listen and held auditions to   find the right woman who could not only  look good on camera you cannot look at   it that way you have to find the perfect  combination I want someone who's going to   drive a bus and you can believe it not a  beautiful face but a strong feisty woman he found everything he was looking  for in Sandra Bullock who had been   bouncing from One support role to the  next in nothing but low budget movies   although she and Keanu looked great at the script  read-throughs it took Fox two months to come   around just two weeks before the start of filming  they finally gave her the nod to play Annie there's a reason for the chemistry we see in the  movie Sandra recalled how Keanu would constantly   help her taking the young inexperienced actress  under his wing he was so great to work with   because he didn't have to be there at five  o'clock in the morning for my rehearsal shot   but he walked out of the trailer and there  he was and he said I just waited because I   knew you needed me for that scene and that's  rare people go crazy over him and they have   every reason to because he's good looking on  the inside too man he did very well actually   you're incredible she also recently admitted  that she had a crush on Keanu during filming   it's hard for me to like really be serious like  he would look at me at me in the early days on   set Jen devont noticed that Reeves wasn't really  into the project and wasn't giving himself to the   process instead of arguing about it DeMont came  up with a way to really entice the actor before   this scene he approached Keanu and told him  that he would be driving the Jaguar himself adrenaline was exactly what Keanu  needed to lose himself in the scene   by the end of filming he had done  nearly 80 percent of his own stunts and Higher Love in high of pain in higher sorrows  remember crazy not stupid sure he may have put a   couple of talented stunt doubles out of a job  but it helped him sincerely enjoy the process   which came through in the quality of his acting  after the release of speed Keanu began to be seen   as an action hero the incredible success of this  summer blockbuster changed his financial situation   forever this bus brought Keanu to the so-called  A-list of the highest paid actors in the world in   two different interviews Keanu told us he wasn't  being offered many roles and three different times   he told us he's not often recognized in public  well Keanu things are about to change but this   kind of Fame always has its downsides tabloids  love all sorts of theories and juicy stories and   Keanu had become a gold mine for magazine editors  around the world for many years there was a rumor   in Hollywood that Keanu was homosexual due to the  fact that he was rarely seen with women was never   in a serious relationship and had always played a  convincing gay man from the very beginning of his   career it got to the point that in 1994 a rumor  started spreading that Keanu Reeves and media   Mogul David Geffen had secretly gotten married  according to one Italian magazine they held a   private ceremony on the coast of Mexico where  they also stayed for their honeymoon Geffen's   account statement and a convincing text were  considered to be reliable evidence of this so   convincing that the story was quickly picked  up by the media first in Europe and then in   America official representatives of David and  Keanu denied the rumors later a correspondent   for interview magazine asked Reeves directly if  he was gay Keanu replied no but you never know   what might happen he then commented on the Geffen  situation the Press announced I was married to a   man the billionaire producer David Geffen I'd  heard this news when I was in Winnipeg Canada   during Hamlet rehearsals there was a message from  a friend Claire on my answering machine she said   I've just heard you're married congratulations I  never met David Geffen it's a lie keanu's calmness   and confidence made it easy for him to deal with  these attacks although it took quite a long time   for the rumors to die down especially considering  that David was one of the first Hollywood stars   to come out as gay but without evidence to back  it up the story faded into Oblivion Keanu then   stunned the public by turning down a role in  speed 2. at the time it was like Bruce Willis   turning down a sequel to die hard but Keanu was  determined to avoid getting Typecast for the   next 20 years when the sequel finally came out it  was clear that he had made the right decision but   the same cannot be said for agreeing to replace  Val Kilmer in the post-apocalyptic action movie   Johnny demonic this feels like a blown deal  man although it couldn't be called an honest   replacement because the actor had received  the script without it first going through his   agent C which also represented Kilmer avoiding  a conflict of interest was impossible Keanu had   been given the script by friends who were aware  of his love for screenwriter William Gibson who   had previously written the cult cyberpunk novel  Neuromancer Keanu was immediately on board with   the idea and although he was a more expensive  option for the studio than Val they replaced him double cheese anchovies Johnny Mnemonic was a  sad experience for Reeves many people called the   film a low budget knockoff of a big budget movie  and working on the project became a living hell   with a 30 million dollar budget a first-time  director a screenplay whose author had no film   experience and had withdrawn from the project and  a last minute substitution of the main character   this movie was doomed to fail question yes you  don't look like the kind of people I usually   work for we are new at this no [ __ ] Robert  Longo's inability to manage the film crew led to   some of its members openly mocking the director  whenever he would make a mistake someone would   start humming a song from The Wizard of Oz I would  dance and be merry life would be a dingadary If I   Only Had a Brain needless to say without at least  an inkling of authority the director completely   lost control of the filming process the obvious  result was a box office failure and keanu's second   golden raspberry nomination which served as a  topping on the cake of criticism he received in May of 1995 the actor could open up the  movie section of any magazine and learn a lot   about himself a especially if one of his movies  had recently come out got something better no   I don't the romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds  is now almost a classic which both Keanu and   fans of the genre sincerely love but in 1995  critics berated the film and Reeves was once   again nominated for yet another Razzie and I was  gonna say something but in all fairness it's worth   noting that the film broke even at the box office  and won the Golden Globe for best original score more A Walk in the Clouds wasn't the  only thing to become famous for its music to riding motorcycles and reading Keanu picked up   a new hobby he began playing bass  in a rock band called Dog star the band was officially created in 1991  when Keanu met actor Robert Milhouse in   1994 the band began to play small gigs that  consisted mostly of Keanu fans but by early   1995 they were playing at the Belly Up in  San Diego and at the Los Angeles Legion Hall   this was followed by a week-long tour  in Japan where Reeves is simply idolized 1995 dogstar was the opening act for  Bon Jovi and David Bowie concerts a joint tour with Bon Jovi Reeves became  so engrossed in his musical career that   he turned down several financially  lucrative offers and wouldn't answer   questions about his acting career  at the group's press conferences to everyone's surprise his next role was the  low budget crime comedy feeling Minnesota you   want to avoid prison quit sticking up gas  stations a commendable choice in this film   Keanu managed to show his strengths even though  the movie received negative criticism and had a   mediocre showing at the box office kiona's  performance was widely praised whether the   role was worth it or not is unclear because the  actor admitted in subsequent interviews that his   character's smoking Habit in feeling Minnesota  had caused him to start smoking in real life   but for his co-star Cameron Diaz the erotic  scenes were the biggest challenge the actors   had to perform in front of more than 30  people and those scenes were how they   first got to know each other that was  like hi my name's Cameron let's [ __ ] Keanu also starred in another action film in 1996. the sci-fi thriller Chain  Reaction featured performances   by Morgan Freeman and Rachel wise and is  praiseworthy for its pacing and richness foreign but on the other hand fans of the  genre found the plot to be generic and weak   and given the working conditions that the  actors had to deal with one does start to   wonder why are we even doing this due to  abnormally low temperatures the project   was frozen several times literally  and figuratively firefighters were   even called to the set at one point and they  told the crew that they had to stop production   Keanu said that it was the hardest film he  had ever worked on to rub salt in the wound   he also received another nomination for a golden  raspberry we learned something very important   today we found another way that didn't work we  need to keep our minds open try again the only   good thing to come out of the project was the  foresight of The Producers before filming the   scene they knew that Keanu would most likely  ask to keep the bike for himself so they let   him pick one out in advance thus A 76th Edition  Kawasaki kz-1000 was added to his collection the following year Keanu began simultaneously  recording a dog star album and working on the   film The last time I committed suicide for  which he put on an extra 30 pounds sometimes   a little distractions a good thing the film  tells the story that inspired Jack Kerouac   to write his most famous book on the road  the success of this film could be summed   up with two numbers a four million dollar  budget and 46 000 in ticket sales and that   was totally fair there's just one thing  that can be considered regrettable it was   a very unusual role for Keanu that most simply  missed where'd you get all this cash from anyway   rob the bank kidding but a chance to once again  demonstrate his talents came almost immediately we're talking about a classic of modern Cinema the  supernatural horror film The Devil's Advocate I   like to be in court I didn't play out a lot this  film was a well-known Hollywood long-term project   that had been in development for over eight years  the film went into pre-production three times and   was to be directed by Joel Schumacher director of  Batman Forever And A Time to Kill but he left the   project at the casting phase after disagreements  with the studio Taylor hackford who directed The   Magnificent film adaptation of Stephen King's  Dolores Clairborne stepped in as a replacement   it was hackford who wanted to see Keanu in the  leading role the studio also saw him as a great   candidate the only problem was Al Pacino who had  turned down the project five times already Warner   Brothers had tried everything they could to get  him interested in the role They removed most of   the special effects from the script and rewrote  it several times until he liked it you're right   beautifully later on Pacino began to doubt his  ability to embody his character on screen and   suggested that he be replaced with Sean Connery or  Robert Redford an agreement was reached only after   Reeves gave up part of his salary to accommodate  Pacino's demands what can I say the final result   that appeared on the big screen in October of  1997 was brilliant but getting there was anything   but smooth sailing it all started with Al Pacino  expressing his dissatisfaction with his co-star on   several occasions he said that keanu's acting  was unimpressive citing Johnny Depp with whom   he had previously worked in Johnny Brasco as a  better example tariq's credit he never responded   to this criticism and continued to do his job  on set the actors were constantly arguing with   the director who in their opinion was filming  something completely different from what they   had signed up for they were embarrassed by the  abundance of special effects the disloyalty to the   genre and the director's inability to stick to the  script a man's career his reputation his life is n't already know how it turned out you would think  that the film would have been a disaster but this   production has become one of the greatest in the  careers of three main characters invigorating   Charlize Theron who consulted a psychotherapist  for three months to help make her portrayal of   schizophrenia more realistic noted that it  was Keanu who had played the most memorable   role in the film Keanu is a very underrated  actor his work is just phenomenal I met him   and I remember looking away and wondering my  God he's got it all back there I mean just   look into the guy's eyes and it's a Wonderland  of experiences I think he's amazing and not a   lot of people know it pack it up baby you  need a drink Keanu really outdid himself   as Kevin Lomax and the Minor Details like the  costume getting darker as the film progresses   only worked because of who was in them I win I  win I'm a lawyer that's my job that's what I do   scenes in luxurious places were filmed on location  Alex Cullen's house is located in the apartments   of former U.S president Donald Trump stop and  the patio in John Milton's office was filmed on   the 50th floor of the Continental Tower although  the Water Garden was added in post-production but   this shot was taken without using a green  screen holy [ __ ] a little different when   you're looking down isn't it yes it is despite  the iconic Legacy of The Devil's Advocate it   actually had a mediocre opening at the box office  and received mixed reviews from critics and while   the film did turn a profit its results at the  award ceremony seemed like mockery for example   Al Pacino was nominated for an MTV movie award  for best villain but lost to Mike Myers Dr Evil the film's only win was a Saturn  Award for best horror film   the lack of recognition was offensive to everyone  involved in the project for Reeves this wasn't   the worst thing to happen that year on May 27th  during another motorcycle ride Keanu looked death   straight in the face at an intersection on Sunset  Boulevard in Los Angeles he flew into the oncoming   Lane and crashed into a car the impact threw him  about 30 feet before he landed on the pavement he   had a shattered right ankle and several broken  teeth but he was incredibly lucky for such a   serious accident Keanu later began having problems  with his spine numerous accidents and years of   playing hockey had taken their toll on his body  the diagnosis was so serious that doctors said   that he could become totally paralyzed from the  waist down yet despite the risk Keanu joined a   project in which he needed to move more than  he ever had before in a film and so just one   month after spinal surgery it was time for  Reeves to learn the secret of martial arts foreign cause we're the best

Channel: Kolo Kino

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Keywords: john wick, keanu reeves interview, keanu reeves john wick, thematrix, keanu, matrix, bill and ted, keanu reeves, bill ted bogus journey, my own private idaho, point break, reeves, speed movie, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Little Buddha, Johnny Mnemonic, The Devil's Advocate, The Matrix, keanu reeves childhood, keanu reeves laugh, keanu reeves motorcycle, reeves bullock, reeves riverside, phoenix reeves, keanu reeves accident, Dracula, kolo kino, keanu reeves biography

Id: oDoxk-dFITs

Length: 55min 25sec (3325 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 22 2022