Keanu Reeves: The One and Only (2024)

1. - Keanu! - Keanu, Keanu!

2. - Either that or he's a real good double gigger.

3. Isn't that Keanu Reeves?

4. - Well, it looks like him.

5. - Well...

6. - Very early on in his career,

7. Keanu Reeves told reporters that his name Keanu meant...

8. - Cool breeze over the mountains.

9. - It is a kind of perfect summation of who he is as a star,

10. not just on screen,

11. but in terms of what we know about him as a person.

12. - You are breathtaking! (audience cheering)

13. You are all breathtaking! (audience cheering)

14. (static music) I have been a part of

15. some films that have been embraced,

16. and I'm very grateful.

17. - As an actor,

18. you're essentially living behind a mask.

19. - Right.

20. Comedy and tragedy.

21. - He took some solace in science fiction,

22. reading, and in comic books,

23. which is really interesting when you think

24. about the trajectory of his career

25. and the kinds of films he ended up making.

26. - He was a private child who struggled a lot

27. due to dyslexia, which is something

28. that he has been quite forthcoming about,

29. and how that struggle impacted him.

30. Didn't really have any interest in acting

31. until the influence of his stepfather

32. really gave him that kind of bug.

33. - Keanu has a really interesting background,

34. in that he was born in Beirut, in Lebanon

35. when his parents were living there.

36. His mother was English,

37. his father was a mix of ethnicities,

38. including Hawaiian, hence his Hawaiian name, Keanu.

39. - His mother was working in Beirut

40. where she met his father,

41. but they did split up when Keanu was three.

42. So he didn't really have a relationship with his dad,

43. he didn't even really meet him properly

44. until he was about 13.

45. - Art had become a pivotal aspect for Keanu

46. and his sister, Kim,

47. who were entranced by fiction and film alike.

48. Growing up in the 70s,

49. there was no lack of incredible films

50. for the siblings to watch.

51. - Later on he said that when he was growing up,

52. he could only imagine that he would go to Hollywood.

53. His goal was always to go to Hollywood

54. because the films he watched as a kid

55. were made in Hollywood,

56. and he understood that he wanted to be part of that world.

57. - So Keanu's stepdad was Paul Aaron,

58. who was a Hollywood director and Broadway producer.

59. Paul Aaron was very supportive of Keanu's interest in acting

60. and eventually would recommend him for a job

61. at the Hedgerow Theatre in Pennsylvania

62. where he would spend some time working as an apprentice

63. and assisting and kind of living there and helping out.

64. - Keanu grew into the definition of a hotshot,

65. high-octane teen.

66. His stage performances during his years of education

67. placed him in a handful of short films.

68. It wasn't long before he found himself

69. starring in commercials

70. and eventually in "Hangin' In", a Canadian sitcom.

71. - Hey, where do you keep the towels?

72. Pete said we could use the shower.

73. (speaker chuckles) - Oh, Peter put you in here.

74. - Yeah, you rescued us. (speakers laughing)

75. - Ah!

76. Where did he find you?

77. - Reeves worked for the Canadian Broadcasting company

78. when he was a teenager,

79. for the youth news program "Going Great."

80. He starred in a few different American shows

81. when he first moved to Hollywood,

82. including "Babes in Toyland" and "Brotherhood of Justice"

83. before he was able to get his first big film role.

84. - Hockey has always been

85. a massive part of Keanu's life.

86. After his move to Toronto, Keanu took up the sport,

87. which served him in more ways than one.

88. It was a huge asset when Keanu landed a role

89. in his first feature film.

90. The movement of his body complemented his more outlandish

91. and extreme roles.

92. He showed promise whilst playing as Heaver, a goalkeeper,

93. in the lighthearted sports feature "Youngblood."

94. Even if the film was a little formulaic,

95. it gave Keanu an opportunity

96. to experience a larger film set.

97. - I'm playing a 17-year-old body

98. with a 40-year-old mind, okay?

99. But then I had to play with my conception of 40,

100. which was sort of older, right?

101. You look at a 40-year-old and go, "You're old",

102. but he's not. (laughs) - It sounds like

103. a juicy, challenging role,

104. and it's good that you got this one.

105. - Yes. - And we look forward

106. to seeing you in another things,

107. and thank you very much. - Oh, thank you.

108. - You're welcome. - (chuckles) Bye!

109. - So I think that definitely having Paul Aaron

110. as kind of a figure in his life,

111. that even after he divorced,

112. Keanu's mother was still there to support him

113. and help him get a green card

114. to start his journey in Los Angeles,

115. must have played a kind of significant role to him

116. in influencing and shaping that desire.

117. He was also advised to change his name

118. because Keanu sounded too ethnic,

119. which he briefly considered,

120. but ultimately decided wasn't quite right.

121. And I think it's a great decision

122. because now his name has become almost anonymous.

123. You say Keanu, everyone knows who you're talking about.

124. - He's in a kind of stoner drama

125. called "River's Edge", about teenagers involved in a murder.

126. - It's this really underrated cult movie.

127. - River's Edge" was a curious project

128. because in the time of 80s lighthearted teen fiction,

129. it stood out as one of the grungier, darker pieces.

130. It offered Keanu a chance to approach a more serious role.

131. Whilst the actor was still up and coming,

132. it served as an opportunity to carry a role

133. with heavy thematic undertones.

134. - The film shows the kind of malaise of this community

135. and how the teenagers have to come to terms

136. with this incredibly harrowing situation.

137. And Keanu was praised quite roundly

138. for his performance as Matt, who is one of the,

139. I'd say, darker characters within it.

140. He kind of struggles a lot with the situation.

141. - Come on!

142. - You finked on John!

143. - I'm your brother.

144. - Where do my children go at night?

145. - His performance was regarded as a real breakout

146. by people like "The New York Times."

147. Everyone was kind of amazed

148. that this presence had kind of come outta nowhere.

149. I think he was really able

150. quite early on to establish himself

151. as quite a distinctive figure in acting

152. who was someone definitely worth keeping an eye on.

153. - "Permanent Record",

154. a more underrated feature had Keanu play

155. as Chris Townsend. - Or anybody.

156. I don't know if I did the right thing.

157. - After the passing of his closest friend,

158. Keanu's upbeat character changes drastically.

159. The film depicts grief in a very unique way,

160. having sharing the experience between a range of characters

161. of which Keanu seemingly has to manage.

162. - He also in the late 80s has a co-starring role

163. in "Dangerous Liaisons", a costume drama,

164. in which one might say he's just a little bit miscast.

165. So he makes his really big breakthrough in

166. "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure",

167. a really distinctive film,

168. and one that seems perfectly suited to him.

169. It's really what made him a star

170. more than any other film he'd done to that point.

171. But "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" is a film

172. about two high school students

173. who have to create a history paper,

174. and somehow they managed to travel through time

175. to meet some of the characters

176. they need to write about in their paper.

177. It's just a wonderful wide-eyed adventure story.

178. - Let's go back into history.

179. - I think that this was due to it being this really big,

180. silly, fun movie, which took something

181. that people already kind of were seeing a lot of

182. in this time travel adventure movie genre

183. that developed with something like "Back to the Future."

184. It combined it with this kind of new era, shall we say,

185. of kind of stoner comedies, which were very silly

186. and just presented themselves as

187. not taking film too seriously.

188. - What makes it really memorable and remarkable is

189. that it's a film about teenage male friendship

190. that is utterly without aggression or malice.

191. They're just good friends.

192. (chuckles) They get along really well, they help each other.

193. - Excellent! - Excellent!

194. - And they do have an excellent adventure.

195. So it's a really sweet film,

196. maybe even slightly educational film,

197. given that you get to meet Socrates and Abraham Lincoln,

198. a film that established him in his wide-eyed capacity.

199. His big phrase in the film is...

200. - Wow! - Ah!

201. - There's a sense in which everything is new

202. and exciting and appealing to this rather sweet,

203. not entirely bright teenage boy.

204. - The film was really well received by critics,

205. and made a surprising return on the box office investment,

206. and has become known now as one of the kind of

207. best sci-fi movies around

208. because it just takes the genre,

209. which sometimes I think can feel quite serious,

210. and plays with it and has fun with it.

211. It's really known as a defining presence

212. within Keanu's filmography.

213. - There's an element of nostalgia

214. to "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure."

215. Like you can't, I imagine if you watched as a teenager,

216. you simply identify with Bill and Ted;

217. but if you watch it as an adult,

218. you kind of look back to teenage years

219. and the kinds of adventures and the kinds of friendships

220. that you had at that time in your life.

221. So I think it's a perfect film for nostalgia,

222. it's a perfect series to stay in the hearts of audiences

223. because of that nostalgia factor

224. and that idea that one would always like to look back on

225. those sorts of friendships

226. and that period in your life for the kind of excitement

227. that it has in the film.

228. - Keanu! - Keanu!

229. - Keanu, Keanu! - Keanu!

230. - The phenomenon that was Bill and Ted

231. made Keanu Reeves a household name.

232. Keanu makes an effort to form relationships

233. with his co-starring actors and set professionals.

234. His friendship with River Phoenix stood out in

235. "I Love You to Death."

236. - What do you say?

237. - The black comedy propelled both Keanu

238. and River to the next stages of their blossoming careers.

239. - Oops!

240. - I have a feeling we're about to embark upon

241. a most unprecedented expedition.

242. - Bill and Ted returned

243. once again for the sequel.

244. There's a lot of deliberation

245. as to which film people prefer.

246. The battle with death remains an iconic scene

247. in anyone's eyes.

248. To many it was a clever spin on

249. Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal",

250. with less chess and more Bill and Ted antics.

251. - Bill and Ted are dead.

252. - Keanu having developed a passion

253. for composing music decided to start a band.

254. - Dogstar.

255. - Dogstar consisted of drummer, Robert Mailhouse,

256. who Keanu met at Gelson's supermarket.

257. Bret Domrose was on guitar,

258. and Keanu Reeves on bass and shared vocals.

259. - So that was kind of dumb, bro,

260. just happy to be here.

261. - Please.

262. - Keanu, rock stars becoming

263. movie stars all the time.

264. How does it feel to be a movie star

265. who is becoming a rock star who has a passion for music?

266. - Well, I have a passion for music.

267. I don't think myself or the band "Dogstar"

268. have quite reached the heights of rock stardom,

269. but it's been really fun playing in the band

270. over the past six years,

271. and hopefully we can continue to make records and play,

272. and play live and stuff.

273. - Does Dogstar afford you peace and security?

274. - Does rock afford me peace and security?

275. Absolutely not. (interviewer laughing)

276. No, but it's really fun, man.

277. It's really fun to write,

278. and the fraternity with my band members,

279. and like traveling when we can,

280. and doing rock shows is a lot of fun.

281. - Keanu and River Phoenix returned in a feature

282. the following year, breaking out of the teen fiction rut,

283. and taking on a serious narrative.

284. - I always know where I am

285. by the way the road looks.

286. Like I just know that I've been here before.

287. I just know that I've been stuck here.

288. - So "My Own Private Idaho" was Gus Van Sant's

289. take on Shakespeare's Henry ad,

290. which is a series of historical plays.

291. - Isn't that right, Mike?

292. - What do you care about money?

293. You got plenty of money.

294. - Actually, Mike is right,

295. I am going to inherit money, a lot of money.

296. - It took quite loose inspiration

297. following these two young street hustlers

298. played by River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves,

299. who go on this journey across the United States

300. and to Italy in search of Mike's mother.

301. It's not only considered one of Gus Van Sant's best films,

302. but it's become a very pivotal queer film.

303. - So "My Own Private Idaho" was as far from

304. "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" as you could get.

305. - And it's definitely one of the most heartbreaking films

306. of the kind of 90s,

307. and definitely for Keanu I think

308. establishes him as this sort of unknowable screen presence.

309. - Obscure, enigmatic film.

310. Quite difficult to know what's going on all the time

311. that it has its surreal moments.

312. And I think it was Keanu Reeves' signal to the audience

313. that he was not going to be pigeonholed,

314. and he wasn't gonna be caught in that kind of role.

315. It was an arthouse film, and it was an arthouse hit.

316. - "My Own Private Idaho"

317. is a unique introspective film.

318. Keanu and River's performances were exceptional.

319. The two men shared a rare bond during its production,

320. a bond which bled into their performances

321. and solidified the feature as a cultural milestone.

322. Thanks to its themes and raw messaging.

323. Audiences wondered when Keanu might return to the screen

324. with River Phoenix.

325. Their chemistry had left a lasting impact on viewers.

326. The two young actors seemingly had no limits,

327. they shared great potential.

328. The world, however, had other plans.

329. "My Own Private Idaho" served as

330. one of River Phoenix's last films

331. before he passed at the age of 23.

332. Keanu, like many, was devastated

333. at the loss of this incredibly talented

334. and beloved presence.

335. As the young actor's career flourished,

336. criticism of his acting became prominent.

337. - There've been some pretty harsh

338. criticisms directed at him,

339. particularly regarding his role in Dracula.

340. - With Francis Ford Coppola,

341. a costume drama set in 19th century England,

342. and he seems wholly out of place.

343. - Of course, sir, I'll attend to the count.

344. Thank you for your confidence.

345. - I think people who criticize Keanu Reeves as an actor

346. have a rather snobbish idea of acting

347. that's linked to the stage tradition,

348. and that's linked to dialogue,

349. and to an actor reciting dialogue on stage.

350. That is not what Keanu Reeves does.

351. I mean, I'll be the first to admit that,

352. that's not his forte.

353. - For me it's just a very

354. distinctive style of performance,

355. it's a very reserved style where he withholds a lot,

356. and he's very subtle in his movements and his delivery.

357. - He has a kind of intensity as a screen presence

358. that I don't think many critics

359. or award giving bodies have been willing to note.

360. He hasn't been treated particularly generously.

361. - To search for his artistic voice,

362. Keanu delved into any type of film imaginable,

363. returning to the comedy genre with "Much Ado About Nothing",

364. "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues", and "Freaked",

365. an experimental picture co-directed by his good friend,

366. Alex Winter, in which Alex also starred.

367. - Did the language ever intimidate?

368. - You mean English?

369. No. (speakers laughing)

370. Most of the play is in verse,

371. I'm sorry, in prose.

372. So it's a welcome challenge.

373. - The strange casting decisions continued.

374. "Little Buddha" stood out as a rogue edition for Keanu,

375. who plays as the reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama.

376. - I play Prince Siddhartha,

377. an emotional fable myth aspect interpretation.

378. Buddhism is very specific with the psychological,

379. emotional declension, I guess.

380. So I guess studying that comes

381. in emancipation from emotions

382. and realizing more of what phenomenal existence is,

383. and through that practice

384. comes perhaps compassionism.

385. - In the 1980s and into the 1990s,

386. action stars tended to be figures like Sylvester Stallone

387. and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

388. That is really powerful, really macho,

389. seemingly none too bright men

390. of power and action.

391. - Keanu Reeves helped to bring in

392. this new age of action stars

393. where you didn't have to be the biggest,

394. the most ripped person on the planet to be a credible lead.

395. - Keanu Reeves really signals a change

396. with "Speed" particularly,

397. in terms of turning him into a kind of action hero,

398. but I think it's also a point

399. at which he redefines the action hero.

400. - When I find you... Pop quiz, hotshot,

401. there's a bomb on a bus.

402. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, bomb is armed.

403. If it drops below 50,

404. it blows up.

405. - Sandra Bullock is behind the wheel of the bus,

406. Keanu Reeves is trying to save the bus.

407. It's this crazy action thriller,

408. as fast-paced and exciting as they come,

409. in which he plays a kind of heroic action man.

410. I can't think of anything more different

411. from Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (chuckles)

412. or "My Own Private Idaho."

413. It's really a different kind of role for him,

414. and he absolutely owns it.

415. He becomes this man of steel, this man of action,

416. and it really redefines his career.

417. - Yeah, the title "Speed"

418. and then the situations that the character got into.

419. I mean, it was an opportunity to play I thought a good man

420. and to have fun.

421. I was looking for work, it came around,

422. and I got the opportunity to play in it,

423. and I'm so lucky to be able to participate in

424. such a fantasy and to hopefully entertain.

425. - Right.

426. - I think it's just nobody expected anything,

427. and they got a lot more than they didn't expected.

428. (Sandra chuckles) - It is true.

429. - It's just hype,

430. I don't play into it. (speaker laughs)

431. You have a good time, you hope something does well,

432. and, well, it does, (mumbles)

433. And I hope it does well for Keanu and Jan and-

434. - Right. - Dennis and...

435. - He turns it into something that's more intelligent

436. with a bit of emotional depth.

437. So he redefines the action hero

438. and makes him just a little bit more vulnerable,

439. even though he has that sort of power and energy

440. that all action heroes have.

441. - Keanu!

442. - The nature of acting in an action picture

443. is very much in a sense of play.

444. I really think it's play. - Did you actually put

445. yourself at any risk or-

446. - Even the dramatics part of it, it's really in of itself.

447. It's a good part of it.

448. - Keanu proved himself

449. as a formidable action star in "Speed",

450. he followed suit with "Johnny Mnemonic" in 1995.

451. To many this sci-fi thriller was thought as

452. the foundation for the next steps in Keanu's journey.

453. The inclusion of cyberpunk elements

454. drove people to believe that this was a world

455. in which the actor seemed comfortable in,

456. though awards would have one believe

457. that Keanu remained a blank slate.

458. Keanu's name has sprung up a fair few times

459. in the Raspberry Awards.

460. Many continued to undermine his acting abilities,

461. whilst others saw him as merely

462. having his own unique methodology,

463. which greatly separated him

464. from the traditional acting world.

465. In the same year,

466. "A Walk in the Clouds" stood out as a unique project,

467. being an unconventional period romance.

468. Despite family traditions,

469. love blossoms between Reeves' character, Paul,

470. and Victoria, played by Aitana Sanchez-Gijon.

471. The film provides a unique perspective

472. on a Mexican family during the 1940s

473. and social standings.

474. The film gained Keanu another Raspberry nomination,

475. whilst many audience members

476. thoroughly enjoyed his performance.

477. Keanu's performances were divisive,

478. and slowly people were beginning to accept that.

479. Keanu came into contact with Jennifer Syme.

480. Jennifer was a talented actor and filmmaker

481. who'd worked alongside David Lynch

482. before directing her own projects.

483. The two became a couple,

484. undoubtedly their passion for the arts

485. was a talking point of their relationship.

486. Before long, Jennifer became pregnant in 1999,

487. the very year Keanu's life would change indefinitely.

488. - Cameraman!

489. Cameraman Julian, just get in there

490. and get your shot of Keanu Reeves.

491. We're being promised we're next in the line,

492. but these things...

493. - I think the first film that comes to mind

494. with Keanu Reeves is "The Matrix."

495. There are other roles that come to mind,

496. but "The Matrix" is such a distinctive role.

497. It's such a distinctive film, it's so iconic.

498. - I was 11 when I first saw it,

499. and I remember thinking that Keanu Reeves

500. was probably the coolest person I'd ever seen.

501. The film itself has such an incredible legacy,

502. and has really changed the way we think about sci-fi movies,

503. and has become kind of part of the public lexicon now.

504. So that's the one for me

505. that I think will always stand out.

506. - Keanu, Sky News, we're live.

507. Can I just ask you one more quick question, please?

508. What do you make of the reception,

509. not just here in London, but just "The Matrix" worldwide?

510. - It's pretty extraordinary,

511. and it's great to be a part of.

512. It doesn't happen all that often.

513. Just for me I just, I love the films,

514. I had a great experience making them,

515. and so hopefully people will enjoy them.

516. And the experience of making the film was a great one.

517. And then the aspect when it came around

518. to complete the trilogy,

519. just signed on board without reading the scripts

520. 'cause of just the experience that I had

521. and the trust I have in the directors.

522. And I had a great experience making

523. "Reloaded" and "Revolutions."

524. And it's great that people are coming out to the films,

525. and I hope that they enjoy them.

526. - Famously Will Smith says that one of his biggest regrets

527. is turning down "The Matrix",

528. which he turned down in favor of "Wild Wild West"

529. because he had a lot of doubts

530. about whether or not The Wachowskis would be able to

531. pull off the very tricky special effects.

532. Nicholas Cage similarly turned down the film

533. as well as Brad Pitt and Val Kilmer.

534. So it was quite a long list of names

535. before Keanu Reeves was the one that the script came to.

536. And Warner Brothers really fought quite hard for Keanu,

537. whereas The Wachowskis were more

538. interested in having Johnny Depp.

539. Keanu ended up being a perfect choice

540. because he was a little bit of a blank slate

541. who didn't have a huge profile at the time.

542. He really gave the sense of naivety

543. and almost openness that I think

544. any other actor would've probably struggled with,

545. but the reason the film works is

546. because we feel this real connection to him,

547. and he could be kind of anyone within the world.

548. He is a kind of audience surrogate who gets embroiled

549. in this very weird world,

550. and kind of has to just go along with it.

551. - I did all right, I got kicked a couple of times,

552. burst open my thumb.

553. And in one of the wire tricks,

554. I remember I got caught in a tree,

555. but I never really got hurt.

556. - All in a day's work.

557. - So "The Matrix" came out in 1999,

558. we have to think back then to

559. how early that is to have a cyber thriller, right?

560. A thriller about the internet

561. when most people were still just getting to grips

562. with what the internet was.

563. This is a whole drama based around the internet.

564. It also involves a lot of AI, artificial intelligence.

565. Again, at a time when not a lot of people

566. would've even known what that was.

567. - I'm glad to be here.

568. I'm glad to speak about something

569. that I love so much.

570. I'm a fan of these movies,

571. and I had a great time making them.

572. They've been a huge part of my life.

573. - Mm-hmm.

574. - And so to come out and travel and speak about them is

575. part of the gift, I guess.

576. I'm fine with it.

577. - You've done lots of really

578. interesting work, haven't you?

579. - Yeah, I've been trying. - Yeah.

580. - I really feel like "The Matrix" is the event,

581. is the piece that we all actors

582. and craftspeople are a part of.

583. So hopefully if anything's remembered,

584. it will be the films themselves, and we're part of that.

585. - So it is an incredibly innovative,

586. and I think in a way, prophetic film.

587. It just broke a lot of new ground,

588. and opened up new cinematic worlds for audiences.

589. "The Matrix" is an iconic film,

590. partly because of its visual style

591. that it imagined the cyber world cinematically

592. at a time when a few, if any films had done that.

593. It's interesting to look at it now

594. and realize just how paranoid it is,

595. and how steeped in conspiracy it is,

596. that everything, everything we see and do is artificial,

597. and invented by larger structures around us

598. that are all out to get us.

599. (chuckles) They are all out to farm us, literally.

600. - It's pretty special.

601. - Keanu, you've been a rocker in the past,

602. I mean how rock... Not like these guys.

603. (speaker laughs) - How rock and roll

604. do you now?

605. Are you still rocking it up?

606. - No, I'm not. (speaker chuckles)

607. I'm going a quieter path now, more measured and quieter.

608. - The fame which came to Keanu,

609. thanks to "The Matrix" franchise, it was immense.

610. Beyond the glitz and glamour, Keanu's partner, Jennifer,

611. gave birth to their daughter, Ava.

612. Sadly, the baby was stillborn.

613. The birth affected Keanu and Jennifer beyond comprehension.

614. The couple briefly parted ways

615. before reuniting once more in 2001

616. after dealing with the loss in their own way.

617. One's personal life can put

618. a great deal of strain on their career.

619. Whilst fans of Keanu could only speculate,

620. it was something that many felt sympathy for.

621. To juggle publicity and privacy is a war

622. Keanu seemed to avoid fighting.

623. His emotions were raw and could be seen in his interactions

624. alongside his performances.

625. An aura of honesty

626. and humbleness began to radiate from Keanu.

627. Something many celebrities could not demonstrate

628. due to being enveloped by fame,

629. but Keanu was a completely different entity.

630. "The Gift" directed by Sam Raimi

631. took Keanu back to a darker character,

632. and is regarded as one of the actor's

633. more unique performances.

634. His role as Donnie Barksdale allowed Keanu

635. to explore his emotional range

636. within a whodunit narrative.

637. - Brothers, I mean, your momma being a witch and all.

638. If she don't stop her evil ways,

639. someday somebody's gonna burn her up,

640. and then you boys are gonna be without a daddy.

641. - I played Detective Tom Ludlow, the LAPD.

642. I am an officer implicated in the death

643. of his ex-partner who's trying to find the killers.

644. And along the way,

645. I kind of dig up more than I bargained for.

646. It was a great role, and working with David was great,

647. and I had a intense but really good experience.

648. The role was a reach for me,

649. but it was one that I really enjoyed reaching for,

650. and hopefully people will like it.

651. - On April the 1st, 2001,

652. Jennifer Syme attended a party

653. at the home of Marilyn Manson.

654. On her approach, she was involved in a car collision,

655. which proved fatal.

656. The tragedy compounded with the loss of their child

657. was a shock of sadness to Keanu

658. alongside being a great moment

659. of realization and reflection.

660. Life in Keanu's eyes appeared to seem fragile.

661. In September 2009,

662. Keanu's philanthropic work came into the spotlight.

663. He began to establish "The Keanu Charles Reeves Foundation",

664. he desired to raise money in support of cancer research,

665. a need only strengthened due to his younger sister, Kim,

666. who had suffered from leukemia for a decade.

667. It was brought to the media's attention

668. that Keanu had also donated over 70% of his earnings

669. from "The Matrix" to charity

670. alongside continuing to donate huge sums of his purse

671. for causes he has deemed as necessary to back.

672. People had just realized one key thing,

673. Keanu Reeves was one in a million.

674. In May 2010, an image cropped up

675. showing Keanu sitting alone at a park bench.

676. He was eating a sandwich,

677. and the internet went crazy about it.

678. - We're all familiar with sad. - I'm just eating a sandwich.

679. - Sad Keanu,

680. a sad Keanu in right there. (audience laughs)

681. - Man, I'm just eating

682. a sandwich. - This is a frame of

683. berserker from-(audience laughs)

684. - Yeah. (audience applauds)

685. (spectator cheering) - There you go.

686. (audience applauds) - Okay.

687. - Keanu Reeves has become known

688. for this incredible generosity,

689. both of spirit and kind of monetarily.

690. He is a big philanthropist

691. and is known for just helping out anyone that needs it.

692. That is something

693. that is incredibly genuine coming from Keanu.

694. He seems like someone who just really wants

695. to leave the world a better place than he found it.

696. One of the stories that always gets repeated is,

697. how much he loves stunt teams

698. because he makes so many action movies,

699. and he always buys really incredible gifts

700. as a thank you to all these people he works with.

701. He bought Ducati motorcycles for everyone on "The Matrix",

702. and then Rolexes for everyone on "John Wick"

703. because he just wants to kind of share

704. his success with the world. (fans cheering)

705. - Keanu! - Hey, Keanu!

706. - There's a really lovely clip from a few years ago

707. where he was stranded at an airport

708. with a group of passengers

709. and was giving them a sort of impromptu tour

710. with some facts he found on Wikipedia.

711. - It's population is around 380,000.

712. (speaker chuckles) - Wow!

713. - Making it the ninth most populous city in California,

714. and the 52nd most populous city in the nation.

715. - We all say it, we all do it,

716. and I think it has meaning.

717. I think it's what we're going through now.

718. I think it's the reason

719. that things are all sort of a little bit uncomfortable.

720. - He is known for being a very genuine soul,

721. the opposite of a diva within Hollywood.

722. - I think it's maybe too easy to say

723. that Keanu Reeves makes action films

724. and sci-fi films alone.

725. It's true, those are the films that have the most impact,

726. those are the most popular films he makes,

727. but he also makes a pretty wide variety of films.

728. He tries his hands in quite a wide range of genres.

729. It doesn't always work out that well,

730. at least in terms of the box office of the films,

731. but he is always trying to do something a little different.

732. So he makes the film "The Lake House", for example,

733. with Sandra Bullock, which is a very romantic film;

734. "Something's Gotta Give" with Diane Keaton

735. and Jack Nicholson, a comedy.

736. He is an actor who is always stretching his wings,

737. whether the audience takes note or not.

738. He is a very private man,

739. so we don't know a lot about him as a person.

740. He doesn't talk about his private life

741. or his beliefs very readily.

742. One senses his personality when he's on talk shows

743. promoting his films, his laid-back nature

744. when he talks about what he likes to do offscreen,

745. it's usually riding his motorcycle,

746. long, long motorcycle trips.

747. He's not someone who's seen on the red carpet a lot,

748. he's not one who's seen at openings, at nightclubs,

749. he's not one of those Hollywood A-list people

750. who is always in a tux and attending the right thing.

751. One gets the sense that he is this sort of

752. very laid-back, centered, easygoing guy,

753. and fans pick up on that.

754. - I learned how to ride a motorcycle

755. when I was doing a film in Munich.

756. This young woman had an Enduro,

757. and I asked her if she'd teach me how to ride it.

758. And then when I came back to Los Angeles,

759. this is probably around '86, '87,

760. I got my first motorcycle.

761. When I don't ride a motorcycle,

762. I go through withdrawal.

763. It's not good for my health. (chuckles)

764. - If you look around on social media a bit,

765. you can see various videos of him,

766. like when he is on the subway in New York,

767. people notice him giving up his seat to others,

768. or helping them with their luggage,

769. or doing all sorts of

770. just really kind acts of everyday behavior

771. that reinforce the idea

772. that this guy is not a slave to Hollywood glamor,

773. but is his own person.

774. - In the 2000s, Keanu really started

775. to kind of experiment more,

776. he was doing "The Matrix" sequels,

777. but he was also taking on roles like John Constantine

778. in the adaptation of the comic books

779. about a man dying of cancer

780. who hunts down all kinds of supernatural entities.

781. And that's become one of the roles

782. that I think a lot of people still even now,

783. nearly 20 years later

784. still want him to make a sequel to that film.

785. He was also taking on roles in films like

786. "Something's Gotta Give" and "Thumbsucker",

787. which were a little bit more comedic for him.

788. And then he did "A Scanner Darkly",

789. which was Richard Linklater's

790. very experimental rotoscope animation film.

791. So I think that Keanu really started

792. to kind of take more risks

793. once he'd had the success of "The Matrix",

794. and to start getting involved with films

795. that were a little bit different for him.

796. - I mean, I'm trying to play different kinds of roles,

797. different genres, and not be typecasts, so.

798. I don't think you're gonna see

799. "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee",

800. and expect to see Neo or something like that.

801. - Yeah, I mean, I enjoyed the physical part of acting,

802. and this one certainly has that going forward.

803. So yeah, it was an experience. - Thank you very-

804. - Keanu made his directing debut

805. with "Man of Tai Chi" in 2013.

806. He really played into kind of his interest in action

807. and in martial arts particularly.

808. - But there's a sense in which

809. he hasn't quite found his feet, or found his new role

810. until he makes the first "John Wick" film.

811. - The loss of a loved one

812. was depicted beautifully by Keanu in 2014

813. upon the release of "John Wick."

814. Beyond being an impeccably well-choreographed franchise

815. of action filmmaking,

816. "John Wick" connoted an understanding of impermanence,

817. that suffering is merely an unavoidable part of life.

818. (dog barking) - You like that, huh?

819. - It is at this point where we bear witness

820. to this actor showing discipline,

821. which goes far beyond physical feats.

822. Keanu himself in "John Wick"

823. shared something in common: Loss,

824. as do they share the willingness to persevere.

825. - How good's your laundry?

826. - No one's that good.

827. - I thought not.

828. - That starts a whole new franchise for him

829. and gives him a new identity as a more mature actor.

830. He is not the young teenage Kanye Reeves anymore,

831. he plays an action hero who cannot be defeated

832. no matter what you throw at him, he cannot be defeated.

833. - "John Wick" has become one of the most

834. successful action franchises of all time,

835. and I think that it totally wouldn't work without Keanu.

836. And I think that a lot of that is down to

837. the partnership between Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski.

838. - And you must be very good at kung fu now as well.

839. - I'm okay at movie kung fu.

840. - Okay. (chuckles) - Yeah, movie action.

841. - Your characters,

842. the storyline... Your characters.

843. - Of course, you set... Yeah.

844. - Pieces into action.

845. - But what's staying the same?

846. John Wick suffering... John Wick.

847. - Fighting for freedom.

848. - Always.

849. - Together they really care about making sure

850. that the "John Wick" films

851. are not only incredibly well crafted,

852. but incredibly entertaining.

853. Definitely the amount of effort

854. Keanu and Stahelski have put into casting the films

855. and building the world of the films,

856. the franchise is incredibly beloved

857. by action fans around the world.

858. - But wait, we do some car stuff.

859. - Cars, horses, fights. - The cars are back.

860. - Not really horses. - Little bit of horses.

861. - But we have cars. - Lot of cars, motorcycle.

862. - Lot of fighting, jujitsu... Motorcycle, car.

863. - Judo, kung fu. - Jujitsu, judo, kung fu.

864. - But we got some surprises in there.

865. - Yeah. - We got some surprises.

866. - Yeah. - Yeah.

867. - They both require this incredible amount of stunt work

868. from Keanu who has really shown this ability

869. to throw himself into his work,

870. especially in the latest "John Wick" film

871. where he falls down the longest flight of stairs

872. in the world repeatedly and quite heavily.

873. He is someone who really wants to innovate

874. within his space and try new things,

875. there is a constant quality.

876. - So it's a curious combination of the old style

877. vigilante film in which the action hero is seeking justice,

878. but it's overlaid with a level of heartache

879. and vulnerability that gives the film

880. and the character some depth.

881. - Well, I love the role,

882. and for me it was really cool

883. to have the response of the first film

884. from the audience to give us the opportunity

885. to tell another chapter in John's life.

886. I remember the first day that I was back in,

887. we were starting to film,

888. and the first time that I put the suit back on,

889. it was literally the same suit from chapter two,

890. and it still fit.

891. - I was always inspired by the early James Bond movies

892. about how they took you place

893. and they made you really think about the world

894. and place you wanna go and inspire you,

895. so we just wanted to do the same thing.

896. It's a bit of a saga, it's John Wick's story,

897. it's John Wick's saga.

898. So you get to see John Wick go through

899. a lot of trials and tribulations,

900. some great set pieces and meet some interesting people.

901. - Yeah, the world... And then shoot them.

902. - The character. (Chad chuckles)

903. I mean, you were going a little big.

904. - I went pretty big on this one.

905. - Yeah. - I wanted the world

906. of John Wick to feel big.

907. - Is it true that there's

908. really gonna be a "Bill & Ted 3"?

909. Is it really true?

910. Like that's my dream come true, if so.

911. I can't wait to see it, man, a huge fan.

912. - We didn't expect to wanna make another one,

913. including not just Keanu and myself,

914. including the writers: Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon.

915. And I think they just kind of got inspired,

916. they had this idea they brought to us awhile ago,

917. like a good 10 years ago,

918. that we just thought was really hilarious

919. and had a lot of potential.

920. - Third installment, is it is on the cards, is it happening?

921. - Maybe, yeah, they're writing a script,

922. Chris and Ed, so. - Mm-hmm.

923. - We'll see if it's any good.

924. - Not giving much away though, you just...

925. - Well, that's all I know.

926. Okay? - Mm-hmm.

927. - It's just like they've got the burden,

928. and why hasn't things happened,

929. and they're still kind of stuck in their life.

930. - Yeah. - Yeah.

931. - I think it would be good.

932. I think we're better than good, I think it would be.

933. - It would be ridiculous, but fun.

934. - But fun. - If it's good.

935. - It would be excellent. (Keanu chuckles)

936. - (chuckles) You are not gonna say it,

937. are you? (chuckles)

938. - Not today.

939. - Not today.

940. Oh, I tried.

941. - Some projects were deemed

942. more critically successful than others,

943. yet Keanu maintained his passion

944. throughout every project he was a part of.

945. - Yeah, I was reliving it

946. at the same time living it.

947. I knew.

948. That gesture that you're talking about,

949. kind of feeling the back

950. and seeing if the plug is there and stuff.

951. There was certain moments that were intentionalized,

952. like, okay, so that was then, so let's do it now.

953. But now is different.

954. And I think Lana Wachowski, the director,

955. was playing with that idea of the past and the present.

956. - It was challenging, for sure, and exciting.

957. I love that physical aspect of

958. what it takes to play Trinity.

959. As challenging as it was,

960. just 'cause my body is so different 20 years later,

961. and it was a challenge that I loved it.

962. I loved being a part of those really physical scenes,

963. and especially doing them with him.

964. He is so masterful at it, and it's so,

965. I learned a lot by watching him,

966. and how he meets the action in such a believable language.

967. He has just this incredible ability

968. with his body to tell story.

969. And I learned a lot

970. working with him this time around watching him,

971. and trying to take some of it. (laughs)

972. - Well, you nailed it. (speakers laughing)

973. I also like just the first time that we meet.

974. - Mm-hmm. - And then all of our scenes.

975. - Mm-hmm, it's really fun, (Keanu laughs)

976. it was really fun. - Really.

977. - Every day was really lovely to be across from him

978. and partnering up in that way, it was really a joy.

979. - In "The Matrix." - Yeah.

980. - Animation became a new stone

981. for Keanu to overturn.

982. His appearances in "Toy Story 4"

983. alongside "SpongeBob" and "League of Super-Pets"

984. resulted in some fantastic vocal deliveries,

985. and often material which would later become a meme template.

986. The memes, of course, were a way of honoring the actor,

987. not to belittle him.

988. Keanu, thanks to his earthly persona,

989. had tapped into a new generation of audience,

990. which has embraced him for who he is.

991. To a lot of people, Keanu appears as a source of comfort

992. and hope in this turbulent world.

993. His calmness and enjoyment of the simple things in life

994. is how many others wish for themselves to live.

995. - I think audiences have always enjoyed

996. seeing Keanu Reeves offscreen

997. because when they see him,

998. he's not doing the normal Hollywood things,

999. and he comes across as a genuine laid-back person

1000. who has a life quite separate

1001. from his star power and his incredible earnings.

1002. He must be one of the best paid actors in Hollywood,

1003. but he seems like someone who just likes

1004. riding around on his motorcycle.

1005. And when he is on talk shows, he's very self-deprecating,

1006. and doesn't have any of the self-importance

1007. that a lot of Hollywood actors bring.

1008. So I think people see something genuine

1009. and genuinely laid-back in him that's very appealing.

1010. And they've seen that from the beginning,

1011. from his earliest films through to his latest films.

1012. So one of the most intriguing things I've heard him say

1013. about his future is that he'd like to play King Lear.

1014. And I'm not sure whether he meant

1015. that on stage or on screen,

1016. but I think it would be a great part for him.

1017. I think he looks like Lear now.

1018. John Wick (chuckles) looks like Lear.

1019. And I think it would be a great way for him

1020. to stretch his wings further as an actor.

1021. - For over 30 years, Reeves has really had

1022. this incredibly varied career,

1023. which is defined by these really intense action roles

1024. that he has managed to make his own,

1025. and he's really got this kind of bravery

1026. I think as a performer where he's been knocked down by life,

1027. by bad reviews, by bad box office reception,

1028. but he's always kind of got back up.

1029. His impact is really reshaping

1030. what it means to be a leading man,

1031. and also what it means to be a successful actor,

1032. and to how you should take bad reviews as an actor.

1033. His parlance of his online persona,

1034. or certainly his outside of film persona

1035. with on-screen performances, especially in John Wick,

1036. has become incredibly unique

1037. and something that we're going to see

1038. influencing the next generation of actions stars.

1039. - Well, I don't think he'll be remembered

1040. primarily as an actor in the sense that we remember,

1041. say Laurence Olivier or Marlon Brando

1042. as an actor.

1043. And I don't think he'll be remembered as the kind of star

1044. that Tom Cruise is, or George Clooney is,

1045. someone where we know a lot about their private life,

1046. and we feel their presence

1047. in the film,

1048. the presence of their personality in the film.

1049. I think he'll be remembered in terms of the screen,

1050. in terms of his acting,

1051. as someone who really changed the action genre

1052. and brought a new kind of figure into it,

1053. a more thoughtful, a more emotionally complex,

1054. less macho action figure.

1055. I think that'll be a key part of his legacy.

1056. And the other part will be

1057. someone who managed to be a star

1058. and a top earning star for decades

1059. without taking on any of the trappings of glamor

1060. or scandal or self-importance

1061. that so many other Hollywood stars have.

1062. - Keanu Reeves is far and away

1063. one of the more unconventional actors.

1064. His ability to have his spirit seep into the roles

1065. he undertakes is remarkable.

1066. He has experienced so much in his lifetime.

1067. Though he deservedly remains a private person,

1068. he has shown the world his kindness,

1069. his generosity and appreciation

1070. for what others might perceive as mundane.

1071. There is no doubt that Keanu is a beacon for many people

1072. who have experienced similar events in their own life.

1073. It is the acceptance of our flaws

1074. and the willingness to continue,

1075. which Keanu has gifted to the people.

1076. - What do you think happens

1077. when we die, Keanu Reeves?

1078. - I know that the ones who love us will miss us.

1079. - Ah! - Aw!