Keanu Reeves is often known for his badass characters on screen and his kind-hearted nature off-screen. The actor has often won the Internet with his humane nature, which involved gifting his stunt team watches, helping crew members financially, and being respectful to his female co-stars.
However, the Internet’s darling has received one criticism which should have ruined his career. Reeves’ range has been described as limited and he has received criticism that he only plays himself in his film. The John Wick star mentioned that he would have a quote based on the Bill & Ted franchise on his gravestone as he received criticisms for it.
Keanu Reeves’ Gravestone Will Have A Bill & Ted Reference
Keanu Reeves is known for his action-hero persona on screen as he has played multiple films in the genre such as The Matrix, John Wick, and 47 Ronin. The actor performed many of his own stunts and prepared extensively for his scenes in John Wick and its sequels. However, off-screen, he is often regarded for his kindness.
Despite his loveable personality off-screen, which sometimes contrasts his troubled action-hero characters, Reeves has been criticized for his limited range as an actor. In his breakthrough role in the stoner comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Aventure, the actor was reportedly said to that he played himself in the role.
Disagreeing partly with the comparison, Keanu Reeves joked that his gravestone would have reference to the film and the criticism. He said to Esquire,
[My gravestone would read] ‘He played Ted’. I mean: I think I still have that now…I think it really depends on the work. But you know, it was a really great part. And what I tried to bring to it was definitely interpreted as ‘that’s me’. When I would meet journalists, mostly. I never really ran into anything like that from my peer group.
When asked if he was offended by the comparisons, he said that it depended on how they put it across and that the character may have been similar to him in his early 20s.
Keanu Reeves Rejected Speed 2 And Went To Perform In A Play Instead
One of the roles that established Keanu Reeves as a bonafide action star, apart from his role as Johnny Utah in Point Break, was his role as Jack Traven in Speed. The Sandra Bullock starrer was billed as Die Hard on a bus and the actor played a cop who has to lead a group of hostages on a bus to safety as it is fixed with a bomb.
Reeves mentioned that he initially thought the concept was ridiculous but his agents fought hard for him to be in the film. The film grossed over $350 million (via Box Office Mojo) and even won two Oscars for Sound. However, the actor reportedly drew the line at the sequel Speed 2: Cruise Control. He said to Esquire,
They said, ‘You’ve got to do this’. And I said, ‘I read the script and I can’t. It’s called Speed and it’s on a cruise ship’…I didn’t work at Fox for 15 years. Yup! It’s a jungle out there.
The actor reportedly turned down a massive $5.5 million payday to play Hamlet instead and reportedly learned the lines for it while shooting for Speed.
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Speed are available to stream on Apple TV.
