Keanu Reeves Wanted To Take On A 'Full-Blooded Character' Like John Wick
Keanu Reeves can seemingly do no wrong. The internet loves him, and every filmmaker who's worked with him has a favorite Keanu story. In fact, we've been in a slow-building Reeves revival ever since his starring role in 2014's "John Wick" — the film that reminded everyone just how much of a badass he is. And over the course of the next few years, Reeves cemented his status as a top-tier action star with each successive "John Wick" sequel. Which, when combined with the aforementioned online adoration, had by 2019 re-established the actor as one of Hollywood's biggest, and most beloved stars.
But prior to "John Wick," Reeves had a varied acting career that wasn't defined by the action roles he's so well known for now. Sure, "The Matrix" was arguably his biggest movie, and "Speed" made him a bonafide star, but he'd made sure to diversify his roles elsewhere, starring in everything from psychological dramas such as "The Devil's Advocate" to stoner comedies such as "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (though, Reeves maintains neither Bill nor Ted are actually stoners).
In fact, even though he's one of the most prolific actors working, Reeves' career seems quite strategically planned in the sense that he's tried to branch out as much as possible to avoid being pigeonholed — his recent re-ascendence to action star fame notwithstanding. So when the screenplay for "John Wick" came across the actor's desk, there must have been more than just the action that caught his eye. And, as it turns out, there was.
'It just had something fresh about it'
Written by Derek Kolstad — who's currently producing spinoff "The Continental" — the "John Wick" script was initially sent to Keanu Reeves before the actor made some notes suggesting his "Matrix" stunt coordinators David Leitch and Chad Stahelski for the project. The pair would ultimately direct the 2014 movie after convincing Reeves and producer Basil Iwanyk they were the right men for the job. But before any of that could happen, Reeves himself would have to agree to star.
In an interview with The Action Elite, the 58-year-old (if you can believe it) explained how the character of Wick and the film's tone were what won him over:
"I guess it starts with the script and the character but also what the story is. Who is involved with it matters too and it all comes down to personal taste. For this, I really liked the character of John Wick and I really liked the tone as well where it's this real world aspect mixed in with this underworld of criminals. I like the rules and the code; it just had something fresh about it."
Arguably what was, and what remains, most fresh about "John Wick" was the hyper-choreographed, almost balletic fight scenes, which made use of a kind of gun-fu-on-steroids style that built on John Woo's signature on-screen combat. But there was another element to the script that caught Reeves' eye ...
The human side of John Wick
In the first installment of what is an increasingly epic franchise ("John Wick: Chapter 4" arrives in March), the titular hitman was less of a cold-blooded killer and more of an aggrieved, highly-trained professional with a moral compass — even as he tore through his enemies on a bloody mission for revenge. That seemingly spoke to Reeves, who, when asked about the character's human element, told The Action Elite:
"I liked that aspect and it's nice to play a rich, full-blooded character and I liked the emotion of John. I loved that opening where we see John's grief and how it turns into a kind of determination. So it was a really fun role to play and to have a lot to chew on. It's kind of what you look forward to; the film's an action movie but it feels like it has a lot of soul to it and also has a lot of fun."
If you're like me, you might feel like that human element has been missing since "John Wick: Chapter 2," as the series embraces the action over everything else. Chad Stahelski admitted as much to iNews when he said he and Reeves decided to not, "worry about plot" on the sequel and, "push the action even further." Considering the plot and John Wick's richness as a character were what drew Reeves in to begin with, it seems a shame the series has taken this route, even while it remains undeniably fun. With Reeves set to face off against legendary Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen in "John Wick: Chapter 4," it seems Stahelski and has once again "pushed the action even further." But I'm holding out hope that just some of John Wick's humanity shows through between the blood-letting.