Keanu Reeves’ path to the Matrix
Keanu Reeves had starred in many films prior to The Matrix, from far-out comedies to action thrillers. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, he was raised by his mother from the age of three. Her career as a costume designer and actress no doubt instilled a love of performing in him at a young age. As a student, he was a bit of a handful, but was a skilled hockey player. He later played a hockey goalie in his first professional movie role, in the film Youngblood.
His most popular early film, of course, was Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure in 1989, in which he played a time-travelling teen with a distinctive, spaced-out persona. This film led to a 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. Reeves’casting in the 1994 action movie Speed was a turning-point in his career, when he began starring in more action films. However, he continued to make unexpected choices, such as not appearing in Speed 2 in order to play Hamlet. This turned out to be a good choice overall, as Reeves received good reviews for his performance. However, Sandra Bullock and the other stars of Speed 2 found themselves trapped, not only on a cruise ship, but in a stinker of a movie.
Reeves has been known to go without a salary so that more famous co-stars could be cast, such as in The Devil’s Advocate with Al Pacino and The Replacements with Gene Hackman. In the first Matrix film, Reeves started to gain a reputation of his own when he was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actor. So what is Reeves doing now? His latest film was The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, in which he plays an unbalanced character who begins an affair with the main character. He is also appearing in an upcoming science-fiction film Passengers and the comedy film Henry’s Crime.
Leave Comments
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.