Various publishing companies and news media organizations have repeatedly labeled him as “Sexiest Man Alive.” Some random strangers from various places that he visited have witnessed his kindness to people. Furthermore, he is also known for his generosity among co-stars and filmmaking people.
There is no doubt that Keanu Reeves is one of the most recognizable showbiz entities ever, and even in his mid-50s, he seems to have no plans of stopping.
Here are some quick facts about the guy:
Given name: Keanu Charles Reeves
Birth date: September 2, 1964
Birth place: Lebanon
Nationality: Canadian
Other interests: Music, he was the bassist of the rock band, Dogstar
Now, Let’s check out 6 of the most interesting roles he has ever played throughout his career.
Johnny Utah – Point Break, 1991
This is perhaps the first movie that ushered in the stardom that Keanu would embark on for the decades to come. His achievements in this movie include "Most Desirable Male", and "Best Action Hero Sequence" in a scene in which he jumped from a plane.
His role was that of a football quarterback and FBI rookie who’s tasked to investigate a string of bank robberies by the "Ex-Presidents", a gang of robbers who wear rubber masks of some US presidents.
During filming, he did the skydiving scenes himself and the film's aerial jump scenes proved that he was a natural in that act.
Shooting the surfing sequences proved to be challenging for Keanu. For many of the surfing scenes, he refused to use a stunt double as he never had one for fight scenes or car chases.
Jack Traven – Speed, 1994
Because of the recognition he got from Point Break, he landed on this project which was called one of the best action movies in Hollywood during the 90s. Grabbing the role was very competitive because other prominent actors were also considered like Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Wesley Snipes, and Woody Harrelson.
Initially, Keanu was hesitant and nervous about Speed’s many action sequences but as the shooting progressed he became more involved. The film’s narrative flow stated when agent Travern witnesses a mass transit bus explode.
Later on, he learned that another bus is rigged by a mad bomber: a bomb will arm itself once the bus reaches 50 miles per hour and it will explode if the bus subsequently drops below 50 miles per hour.
For the role of Jack Travern, the director did not want Keanu to have long hair and wanted the character "to look strong and in control of himself". Because of that, Keanu shaved his head almost completely.
When filming began, however, there was a millimeter of hair strands growing already. Reeves also spent two months at Gold's Gym in Los Angeles to get in shape for the role.
With Sandra Bullock in the lead female role, Speed is truly a reminder of how much movie escapism can still stir us when it's dished out in just a set of events that happened in just a few hours of a brave character’s day.
Ted Logan – Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures, 1989
The movie is about the story of two Californian slackers with a time machine who, for complicated reasons, have to assemble assorted celebrities from history. The reason? They need to present something for their high school history presentation.
The writers’ initial thoughts about Ted Logan’s image was that of a 14-year-old skinny guy, with low-rider bell-bottoms and heavy metal T-shirts, the kind who’s despised by the popular kids at school.
Casting Keanu to be that character was a good choice for the film crew because simply, he looks like a pretty cool guy, even at a young age during the late ’80s.
During rehearsals for Bill and Ted’s, Keanu worked hard on developing his Ted character to move it away from being a stereotypical comedic slacker and inserted sincerity and other more human elements into the character.
The film was a financial and critical success, and it was once hailed as one of the most important roles for Mr. Reeves, even though we would know him later in his older years to be a prominent action hero.
Just this year, a new chapter of the movie was released with the title, “Bill and Ted Face the Music.”
Of course, Keanu was not as baby-faced as he was in the movie because, in it, he played the role of a dad, with a wife and daughter. But it contributed more success to his portfolio in the realm of comedy.
John Constantine – Constantine, 2005
A sorcerer with questionable morality, with an image based on that of the musician Sting, that’s the author’s description of this comic-book character. Keanu is one of the best action heroes ever in Hollywood. But even before he reached that tagline, he already played a comic superhero that you may have not heard about.
John Constantine is known for his endless cynicism, deadpan snarking, ruthless cunning, and constant chain smoking – traits that don’t suit the handsome and kind-hearted face of Mr. Reeves.
That contrast is what makes his role in the movie truly interesting. If you examine the traits of the character closely though, you can see that he is a passionate humanitarian driven by a heartfelt desire to do some good in his life.
In the film’s story, John Constantine has the ability to perceive and communicate with half-angels and half-demons in their true form. He seeks salvation from eternal damnation in Hell for a suicide attempt in his youth. He exorcises demons back to Satan’s domain to earn favor with Heaven.
The film was criticized for its plot holes, inconsistencies, and general actions depicted throughout. But if you’re an avid comic-book movie enthusiast, it’s really one of those films that you really need to check out.
John Wick – John Wick, 2014
It started when some young spoiled brat killed his dog, and with it, the intense character of an urban legend assassin with a realistic vibe was established in modern cinema.
During the film series production and development, Keanu recognized that the strength of the storyline lies in even the smallest details. Such a kind of mindset is really necessary for a retired hitman seeking vengeance for the killing of the dog given to him by his recently deceased wife.
The production team decided to look for someone who is not literally older, but who has a seasoned history in the film world, and Mr. Reeves truly fits the bill. Critics declare the John Wick series as the kind of fired-up, ferocious B-movie that action lovers will never be tired of watching and rewatching for the next years.
Thomas Anderson – The Matrix, 1999
This is undoubtedly Mr. Reeves’ most successful role, because it’s not the most-loved by fans, but also one of the most recognizable characters in film history. The movie is so good in special effects that a new filming technique called “bullet time” was coined just because of the huge popularity of The Matrix.
In the film, Keanu played the role of a computer employee by day, and hacker by night character, code-named “Neo.” His extraordinary skill for his hobby caught the attention of a group of adventurers under the leadership of a wise, noble warrior named Morpheus.
What Neo didn’t realize is that the world he’s living in, isn’t real, and that the life he’s living is actually just a computer simulation. Believing that Mr. Anderson is “the one” that can free the actual humans from the slavery of the AI called The Matrix,
Morpheus freed Neo and introduced him to his destiny as the greatest agent that can destroy The Matrix and free humanity after many generations of being slaves from it.
If you’ve seen other great movies starred by Keanu Reeves, can you please mention them in the comment section below?
Keanu Reeves is great actor although he has dyslexia,after his wife died he is always alone.