Keanu Reeves started his Hollywood journey in the mid-1980s with minor roles in films such as Youngblood and River’s Edge. However, his breakthrough performance in the 1989 comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure put him on the map. From there, Reeves went on to star in several successful films throughout the 1990s, including Point Break, Speed, and The Matrix trilogy, which solidified his status as a leading Hollywood man.
Keanu Reeves portrayed the character of Johnny Utah in the 1991 action thriller Point Break. The film follows the story of an FBI agent who goes undercover to investigate a group of bank robbers who wear masks of former U.S. presidents. The actor went on to star in the hit film Speed alongside Sandra Bullock. The actor recently opened up about choosing a movie like Speed after the success of Point Break.
Keanu Reeves’ Transition From Point Break To Speed
During his appearance on The Art of Action podcast, hosted by his stunt double Scott Adkins, Keanu Reeves recalled his experience filming Speed. Adkins, who also appeared alongside Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 4, discussed the actor’s impressive acting career, including a notable fight scene in a nightclub.
The duo discussed Reeves’ role in the 1994 action-thriller Speed, in which he played LAPD officer Jack Traven alongside Sandra Bullock. During the discussion, Reeves revealed that one of the reasons he was drawn to the film was the nonsensical plot point that drives the action.
“I’d just done a movie about bank robbing surfers and now I’m doing a movie about a bus that can’t go over 50mph? It was fun to get into and I liked that Jack Traven wanted to do good, like growing up he wanted to save people” Reeves said.
Keanu Reeves Shares His Inspiration For The Film
Reeves explained that when preparing for his role in Speed, he wanted to embody the character of a SWAT officer fully. As part of this process, he decided to cut off all his hair, much to the shock and dismay of the film’s production team, who were not expecting such a drastic change in his appearance.
During the podcast, Reeves shared that he even went as far as to purchase his character’s entire wardrobe himself. The actor explained that the film reignited his passion for activities like weapons training, and he had the opportunity to work with an excellent stunt coordinator named Gary Hymes.
“It was funny, I went and got that entire wardrobe myself. Working on Speed got me back into things I enjoyed like the weapons training, and I got to work with a really wonderful stunt coordinator there in Gary Hymes.”
Speed is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. It can also be rented or purchased on Google Play.
Source: YouTube
