Keanu Reeves and Johnny Depp have crossed paths on many occasions, whether it be their personal lives or professional lives. Despite never having shared screen space, the two Hollywood legends have gone head-to-head for many of their popular and leading roles. In fact, Depp was the first choice for Reeve’s extremely successful movie The Matrix.
While the Pirates of the Caribbean star never once commented on Reeves or their ‘relationship’, the latter did once way back in 1991. While he did jokingly sound jealous of the star, Reeves is also credited with changing the trajectory of Depp’s life, albeit unintentionally.
How Keanu Reeves Unintentionally Changed Johnny Depp’s Entire Career
Back in the 90s, Keanu Reeves and Johnny Depp were both emerging stars and a popular choice among studios. And oftentimes, the two stars found themselves in the audition room auditioning for the same roles. While Reeves bagged some due to his talent, there were some roles that he ended up with after his counterpart had passed them on. One such role was the leading role in the 1994 hit Speed.
Even Point Break and Bram Stroker’s Dracula only ended up with Reeves because Depp had been replaced or rejected in those roles. Keanu Reeves extremely successful The Matrix was also supposed to star Johnny Depp as the lead but had to change plans when Warner Bros had a change of heart.
However, it wasn’t as if Reeves was getting roles only after Depp had rejected them. In fact many times the John Wick star ended up bagging the roles that Johnny Depp had auditioned for as well. This led to Depp collaborating with the iconic gothic artist and director Tim Burton on projects like Edward Scissorhands, which eventually ended up with Depp playing the most peculiar yet fan-loved character including the famous role of Captain Jack Sparrow.
Keanu Reeves Thinks Johnny Depp Is Better Looking Than Him
While Keanu Reeves went on to become one of the most formidable action heroes of Hollywood, Johnny Depp was playing the most iconic, peculiar, and fan-favorite roles. While they never crossed paths on-screen or even referred to each other publically, Reeves once admitted to Smash Hits Magazine (via Far Out Magazine) that his contemporary was starring in a whole different world.
“Johnny Depp had another world happen to him – he got locked into that television series [21 Jump Street], and television is seen by more people than I’ll ever dream of.”
Adding on he stated,
“And Johnny Depp’s better looking than me.”
While there are an equal amount of people who would agree as well as disagree with the above statement, they would all unanimously agree that Reeves unintentionally helping Depp change his acting career was one of the best things that happened to cinema.
Edward Scissorhands can be streamed on Disney+.
Source: Far Out Magazine
