Keanu A-Z News Reports
Thursday, January 18, 2001
HURTING FOR HIS CRAFT
[Calgary Sun date unknown]
Keanu Reeves is two months into his training for his two Matrix sequels and he’s hurting.
“It’s very intensive. Carrie Ann (Moss) and Laurence (Fishburn) and I are in training Mondays through Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,� reports Reeves, who is currently starring opposite Charlize Theron in the romantic drama Sweet November.
“We do 90 minutes of stretching first thing each morning then another 90 minutes of kicking, followed by specialized one-on-one training.�
In the afternoons Reeves, Moss and Fishburne have classes in specific choreography and wire work with Yuen Wo-Ping, who choreographed Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Reeves sported a cast “after a minor trauma to my ankle. I only had it in the cast for four days to aid the healing of the tendon.�
Because he is filming the two Matrix sequels simultaneously, Reeves says he will be “out of the loop for about 18 months. I think making these films is such a wonderful experience that it’s definitely worth it.�
Both 'Matrix' co-stars injured
[JAM! Movies 18/01/2001]
Is there a "Matrix" curse?
That's what Hollywood is starting to wonder now that both Keanu Reeves and Carrie Moss -- co-stars of the back-to-back sequels due in 2002 and 2003 -- have been felled by injuries suffered while training for the martial arts/sci-fi hybrid.
A bruised knee left Moss on crutches for six weeks, The New York Daily News reports, while Reeves was left with a sore left ankle. An MRI and X-ray revealed there was nothing seriously wrong with Reeves, but doctors put him in a cast, Reeves' spokeswoman told The Daily News.
There's no word yet on whether the injuries will put a crimp in the plans of directors Larry and Andy Wachowski to film both sequels simultaneously over the next year.
The films will co-star Laurence Fishburne and Jada Pinkett Smith, although Asian action star Jet Li is out of the picture after balking at a $3 million payday for the 11-month shoot.
Keanu Reeves is reportedly receiving $30 million for both movies, plus 15% of the films' gross, The Daily News said.
Sunday, January 14, 2001
Keanu as nasty as can be
[Toronto Sun 14/01/2001]
Nice guy Keanu Reeves plays a violent redneck in Sam Raimi's The Gift
HOLLYWOOD -- Underestimating Keanu Reeves is an easy thing to do. Maybe it's because he's a little awkward, unsure of what he should say and how he should say it.
Maybe it's because he dropped out of high school as an ambitious and obsessive teenager hankering for a serious actor's life in L.A.
After 22 films and 19 years of playing parts good, bad and incomplete, the Toronto-raised Reeves still thrives on working at his craft as if it's some sort of high-minded adventure.
Sure, poster-boy movie images have defined him -- Bill & Ted's two adventures, Speed and The Matrix. But, whoa, that's not his fault.
Dogstar is. It's his group. He's the bass player, and they still tour.
"We played in San Francisco recently and in Santa Cruz, which was wild. So yeah, we're still playing," the 35-year-old Reeves says. "In Santa Cruz, we had about a thousand in the audience and in San Francisco, we played Slims, which I think was about 500."
The rock 'n' roll life.
"Yeah, we got bras on stage in San Francisco. I think that I actually saw her take it off, too, and I was like, 'Yeah. I guess that you really like the songs.' "
A rock star dream come true.
"No, not rock star," he says, anxiously correcting the perception. "It's just good, clean fun for a Friday night."
The two planned Matrix sequels (just named top-selling video for 2000 by Billboard), on the other hand, are big honkin' business where Reeves should earn more than $50 million, including side deals and gross profits to go with all that typecasting.
"Well, no, I'm just a part of that film. It's not something like Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon series," says Reeves, who is already lifting weights and rehearsing martial arts moves for March, when he starts filming two sequels over a year's stretch.
Reeves has read the two scripts "and they're fantastic." He smiles, "but I don't think that they want me to give anything away."
And he doesn't, this reluctant multi-millionaire action hero and Friday-night rock star.
Perhaps that's why he chose to play an almost cameo role as an abusive southern redneck in the Sam Raimi's The Gift, which opens soon.
It's serious actor stuff with some acclaimed serious actors. Oscar winner Cate Blanchett is the lead in the horror thriller, portraying a murder-solving psychic. Also in the cast are Oscar-nominated actor Greg Kinnear and another Oscar winner, Hilary Swank.
When Reeves, serious by association, arrived three weeks early for the Georgia filming last February, the action hero-rock star pretensions were nowhere to be found.
"I had no idea he was going to be that involved in what he was doing," says director Raimi, who admits to being overwhelmed by Reeves' devotion to such a small role. "Keanu made the part much more than it was, and much more than I thought it could be."
To say that The Gift job is just as important to Reeves as his Matrix sequels explains as much as Reeves wants you to know about him.
Nothing personal, but Reeves doesn't talk about his sister battling cancer or his girlfriend's still-born birth of the child they were expecting last year. Or anything lifestyle like.
But ask him how he got so good at doing the southern-fried version of a nasty cap-wearing, truck-driving good ol' Georgia boy, and he flashes a sly grin.
"I went to Savannah about three weeks before I had to film," reports Reeves of his fact-finding sojourn. "I was trying to find a locality for my character. I got myself a pickup truck and started going out to redneck bars."
At first, he was this movie star slumming, but even the southern cynics started to believe he was for real, trying to do something honest. And he got to the point where he could walk the streets of a small town outside Savannah and be left alone -- sort of.
He also wanted to live in the skin of his character, this violent Donny Barksdale creep, a major departure for Reeves, who specializes in vulnerability of the likable kind.
"I liked his intensity, I liked the language and I was grateful to have the part," he says modestly. "It was a great break for me."
His gritty portrayal wasn't a fluke either. He talked to psychiatrists and discovered that abusive men tend to be alcoholics and had alcoholic parents, and that they had usually suffered some sort of molestation.
On the set, early in the shooting of The Gift, Reeves did some play-acting rehearsals with Hilary Swank, who plays his abused wife.
"It shook me up at first," he says. "That I could feel that rage so easily, but that's also one of the things that I love about acting.
"You learn about yourself, you learn about other people and it also, in an odd way, taught me something," he says almost apologetically. "I tend to be very polite, and sometimes, it doesn't behoove me to be polite to some people."
Reeves tends to accommodate rather confront. He's inclined to be courteous rather than abrupt.
"So, it was funny, but I remember a simple, little thing," he recalls. "I was in this bar and this woman turned to me and said, 'Hey you, come here and give me your autograph.'
"I had been working on Donny Barksdale, and what I called it was, 'I was going to go get my Donny on.'
"So I got my Donny on, and I went, 'What?' and I gave her this look and she said, 'Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude.' And then I dropped it, and I was like, 'That's okay.'
Reeves chuckles at the memory of the very un-Reeves-like moment.
"I was like the Incredible Hulk for a second, like Donny was coming out of my shirt," he says. "I was thinking later, like, 'Yeah, okay, speak up for yourself sometimes.' "
And sometimes, now, he does.
Saturday, January 13, 2001
Whoa — he's gifted
[Calgary Sun 13/01/2001 ]
NO MR. NICE GUY ... Keanu Reeves stars at the abusive Donnie Barksdale in The Gift
Keanu Reeves explores his dark side
HOLLYWOOD — Underestimating Keanu Reeves is an easy thing to do. Maybe it’s because he’s a little awkward, unsure of what he should say and how he should say it.
Maybe it’s because he dropped out of high school as an ambitious and obsessive teenager hankering for a serious actor’s life in L.A.
After 22 films and 19 years of playing parts good, bad and incomplete, the Toronto-raised Reeves still thrives on working at his craft as if it’s some sort of high-minded adventure.
Sure, poster-boy movie images have defined him — Bill & Ted’s two adventures, Speed and The Matrix. But, dude, that’s not his fault.
Dogstar is. It’s his group. He’s the bass player, and they still tour.
“We played in San Francisco recently and in Santa Cruz, which was wild. So yeah, we're still playing,” says 35-year-old Reeves.
“It’s just good, clean fun for a Friday night.”
The two Matrix sequels on the other hand, are big honkin’ business where Reeves should earn more than $50 million, including side deals and gross profits to go with the typecasting.
“Well, no, I'm just a part of that film. It's not something like Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon series,” says Reeves, who is rehearsing martial arts moves for March, when he starts filming the sequels.
Reeves has read the two scripts “and they’re fantastic, but I don't think that they want me to give anything away.”
Perhaps that’s why this reluctant action hero chose to play an almost cameo role as an abusive southern redneck in the Sam Raimi’s The Gift, which is scheduled to open Friday, Jan. 19.
It’s serious actor stuff with some acclaimed serious actors.
Oscar winner Cate Blanchett is the lead in the horror thriller, portraying a murder-solving psychic.
Also in the cast are Oscar-nominated actor Greg Kinnear and another Oscar winner, Hilary Swank.
When Reeves arrived three weeks early for the Georgia filming last February, the action hero rock star pretensions were nowhere to be found.
“I had no idea he was going to be that involved in what he was doing,” says director Raimi.
“Keanu made the part much more than it was.”
But that’s all Reeves wants you to know about him.
Nothing personal, but Reeves doesn’t talk about his sister battling cancer or his girlfriend’s still-born birth of the child they were expecting last year.
Or anything lifestyle like.
But ask him how he got so good at doing the southern-fried version of a nasty cap-wearing, truck-driving good ol’ Georgia boy, and he flashes a sly grin.
“I was trying to find a locality for my character. I got myself a pickup truck and started going out to redneck bars.”
He wanted to live in the skin of his character, this violent Donny Barksdale creep.
“I liked his intensity, I liked the language and I was grateful to have the part,” he says modestly.
“It was a great break for me.”
On the set, early in the shooting of The Gift, Reeves did some play-acting rehearsals with Swank, who plays his abused wife.
“It shook me up at first,” he says.
“That I could feel that rage so easily, but that’s also one of the things that I love about acting.
“You learn about yourself, you learn about other people and it also, in an odd way, taught me something,” he says.
“I tend to be very polite, and sometimes, it doesn’t behoove me to be polite to some people.
“So, it was funny, but I remember a simple, little thing,” he recalls.
“I was in this bar and this woman turned to me and said, ‘Hey you, come here and give me your autograph.’
“I had been working on Donny Barksdale, and what I called it was, ‘I was going to go get my Donny on.’
So I got my Donny on, and I went, ‘What?’ and I gave her this look and she said, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.’ Then I dropped it, and I was like, ‘That’s OK.’”
Reeves chuckles at the memory of the very un-Reeves like moment.
“I was like the Incredible Hulk for a second, like Donny was coming out of my shirt,” he says.
“I was thinking later, like, ‘Yeah, OK, speak up for yourself sometimes.'”
And sometimes, now, he does.
Monday, January 08, 2001
Cyber-sprain a strain
[Calgary Sun 01/08/2001]
HOLLYWOOD — Carrie-Anne Moss spent her holidays nursing a sprained knee. “I injured the knee working out for the Matrix shoot. It promises to be an even more strenuous shoot than the original because we’re filming Matrix 2 and Matrix 3 back to back,” explains Moss, who has been working non-stop since she played cyber-rebel Trinity opposite Keanu Reeves in The Matrix.
She starred opposite Val Kilmer in Red Planet, Richard Dreyfuss in The Crew and is currently starring as the young widow in the romantic drama Chocolat.
Later this year, she will be seen in The Memento which she says is “a truly intriguing film. It’s the story of a guy who suffers memory loss.
The story is told backwards, so the audience feels they’re experiencing his disorder.
“I play the girl and Guy Pearce plays an insurance investigator. It’s the last film you’ll see me in for quite a while because The Matrix takes over my life and career starting in March.”
Moss says her character Caroline in Chocolat is a woman who “lives a life of extreme control because it’s the easiest way to get through each day.
“When Juliette Binoche’s character comes to town, Caroline learns how to be a free spirit and live her life for the moment."
Moss says she learned early how to be a free spirit person when she was growing up in Vancouver.
“When I was 15, I lied about my age, so I could work as a waitress.
“All the other waiters took me under their wings and it helped me mature quickly.
It’s what gave me the confidence to go off to Europe to work as a model. I was very young when I was living and working on my own in Belgium, France and Spain.”
