After the stupendous success of the John Wick films, there is no doubt that Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski are a match made in heaven. The actor-director duo notched up their 4th hit in the franchise this year with John Wick 4 receiving rave reviews from audiences and critics worldwide. The films also reaffirmed Reeves’ place as one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars.
But the road to success requires a lot of effort, risk, and sacrifices. Keanu Reeves has been known to give it his hundred percent to ensure that he does justice to the character he has been offered to play. In the John Wick films, director Chad Stahelski required the star to take huge physical risks for his action sequences that resulted in Reeves sustaining serious life-threatening injuries.
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John Wick Almost Destroyed Keanu Reeves’ Body
The John Wick films starring Keanu Reeves and directed by Chad Stahelski have gained cult status for the thrilling action as well as their lead star’s presence and charisma on screen. But Stahelski, a former stuntman himself, is known to be a tough taskmaster when it comes to filming hardcore action sequences. In John Wick, the director put Keanu Reeves through the wringer during their training sessions for the film.
Along with stunt coordinator David Leitch, Stahelski incorporated new techniques of martial arts namely gun fu which was meant to be a blend of gunplay and kung fu to ensure that the action scenes in John Wick would be unique and not seen as a replica of Reeves’ earlier film franchise The Matrix. The Speed star who gave it his all while learning the new techniques, faced the dire consequences of these difficult stunts by shattering the discs in his spinal chord which almost resulted in him being paralyzed. Reeves had to eventually undergo neck surgery to fix the issue.
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Keanu Reeves The Rockstar Is Back
Versatility is Keanu Reeves’ middle name. While most people know him as a Hollywood superstar, the actor first entered the entertainment business as a member of a rock band called Dogstar. After playing at multiple gigs in the mid-90s to 2000, Reeves quit the band to pursue his dreams of becoming a movie star.
Now, after 20 years, it was a full circle moment for the Speed actor as he reunited with his band members for a show at Bottle Rock Napa Valley music festival in May. Reeves who is a bassist for the group, was also part of the band’s announcement regarding the release of their new single Everything Turns Around from their new album Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees which will officially release in October 2023. The Matrix star is also expected to go on an extensive tour of North America and Japan with the band.
Source: Cheatsheet
