Keanu A-Z News Reports
Saturday, September 15, 2001
Keanu's got game
[Calgary Sun 15/09/2001]
Matrix star happy playing Hardball
BULLSEYE ... Keanu Reeves, starring in Hardball , is making two Matrix sequels. | TORONTO — Keanu Reeves is jetlagged, tired, testy and sore. He’s flown in from Australia where he’s filming the two Matrix sequels to do two days of interviews to promote his feel-good, sports movie Hardball that opened Sept. 14.
But he still manages to appear jovial, cracking jokes and deflecting a few made at his expense. In Hardball, Reeves plays Connor O’Neill, a compulsive gambler who agrees to coach a Chicago inner-city little league baseball team to help pay off a gambling debt. Many of Reeves’ pint-sized costars in Hardball are actual little league ball players. In their interviews, Michael Perkins, DeWayne Warren, and Bryan Hearne claim baseball is not Reeves’ forte and that he’s just a big kid himself. |
"KIDS LOVE TO LIE AND TEASE"
Before he can even sit down, Reeves learns how the kids have evaluated him.
“You know kids love to lie and tease.”
He doesn’t comment on his ‘big kid’ status, but later director Brian Robbins sheds some light on the origin of these observations.
“At every opportunity they could, the kids would get Keanu to talk about The Matrix,” recalls Robbins.
“They couldn’t hear enough.”
Reeves met with the same kind of prying persistance from the journalists who had ostensibly come to chat about Hardball but had a Matrix agenda.
“If you want specifics, I’ll tell you what I told the kids: No comment, no comment, no comment.”
What Reeves was willing to devulge is that “I’ll be filming until January. We’re shooting both sequels simultaneously.”
TRAINING "DEMANDING"
He says the training for these new films “is more physically demanding than it was for the original movie.
"Trust me, you wouldn’t want to be my knees in the morning before I start limbering up.”
Exhausting as his daily eight-hour training sessions might be, they haven’t yet proved to be as harrowing as a few of the days Reeves spent filming Hardball last year in Chicago.
Hardball is based on Daniel Coyle’s book about his experiences coaching a youth baseball team in Chicago’s notorious Cabrini-Green Housing Project before it was shut down for redevelopment.
Hardball was shot in the ALBA Housing Project, which has earned a reputation for gang activity.
"HEARD SHOTS BEING FIRED"
“One night we had to shut down production and go home because we heard shots being fired just 50 yards away from our set,” recalls Reeves.
Reeves says he was attracted to Hardball because he has always known how important sports can be in a young person’s life.
“I was raised in Toronto from the time I was six years old.
"I learned very quickly that if you don’t know how to play hockey in Canada, your peers can make life miserable for you.
"It’s a lesson I’m grateful for.”
FIRST JOB WAS GOALIE IN FILM
He was a struggling 20-year-old actor in Toronto when the film Youngblood was being shot.
The producers sent out word they needed actors who could play hockey.
Reeves was a good goalie and won the role of a goalie in the film.
Youngblood wrapped up its Canadian shoot and headed back to L.A.
Reeves packed up his car and followed suit.
Within months he nabbed a role in the gritty teen drama River’s Edge, which lead to his breakout role in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
Thanks to blockbuster films like Speed and The Matrix, Reeves has been enjoying his own excellent adventure.
“I know I’ll always be known for these Matrix movies, but hopefully I’ll have five or six more parts that I’ll be identified with before my career is over".
Keanu's got game
[Calgary Sun 15/09/2001]
Matrix star happy playing Hardball
|
BULLSEYE ... Keanu Reeves, starring in Hardball , is making two Matrix sequels. | TORONTO — Keanu Reeves is jetlagged, tired, testy and sore. He’s flown in from Australia where he’s filming the two Matrix sequels to do two days of interviews to promote his feel-good, sports movie Hardball that opened Sept. 14.
But he still manages to appear jovial, cracking jokes and deflecting a few made at his expense. |
In Hardball, Reeves plays Connor O’Neill, a compulsive gambler who agrees to coach a Chicago inner-city little league baseball team to help pay off a gambling debt.
Many of Reeves’ pint-sized costars in Hardball are actual little league ball players. In their interviews, Michael Perkins, DeWayne Warren, and Bryan Hearne claim baseball is not Reeves’ forte and that he’s just a big kid himself.
"KIDS LOVE TO LIE AND TEASE"
Before he can even sit down, Reeves learns how the kids have evaluated him.
“You know kids love to lie and tease.”
He doesn’t comment on his ‘big kid’ status, but later director Brian Robbins sheds some light on the origin of these observations.
“At every opportunity they could, the kids would get Keanu to talk about The Matrix,” recalls Robbins.
“They couldn’t hear enough.”
Reeves met with the same kind of prying persistance from the journalists who had ostensibly come to chat about Hardball but had a Matrix agenda.
“If you want specifics, I’ll tell you what I told the kids: No comment, no comment, no comment.”
What Reeves was willing to devulge is that “I’ll be filming until January. We’re shooting both sequels simultaneously.”
TRAINING "DEMANDING"
He says the training for these new films “is more physically demanding than it was for the original movie.
"Trust me, you wouldn’t want to be my knees in the morning before I start limbering up.”
Exhausting as his daily eight-hour training sessions might be, they haven’t yet proved to be as harrowing as a few of the days Reeves spent filming Hardball last year in Chicago.
Hardball is based on Daniel Coyle’s book about his experiences coaching a youth baseball team in Chicago’s notorious Cabrini-Green Housing Project before it was shut down for redevelopment.
Hardball was shot in the ALBA Housing Project, which has earned a reputation for gang activity.
"HEARD SHOTS BEING FIRED"
“One night we had to shut down production and go home because we heard shots being fired just 50 yards away from our set,” recalls Reeves.
Reeves says he was attracted to Hardball because he has always known how important sports can be in a young person’s life.
“I was raised in Toronto from the time I was six years old.
"I learned very quickly that if you don’t know how to play hockey in Canada, your peers can make life miserable for you.
"It’s a lesson I’m grateful for.”
FIRST JOB WAS GOALIE IN FILM
He was a struggling 20-year-old actor in Toronto when the film Youngblood was being shot.
The producers sent out word they needed actors who could play hockey.
Reeves was a good goalie and won the role of a goalie in the film.
Youngblood wrapped up its Canadian shoot and headed back to L.A.
Reeves packed up his car and followed suit.
Within months he nabbed a role in the gritty teen drama River’s Edge, which lead to his breakout role in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
Thanks to blockbuster films like Speed and The Matrix, Reeves has been enjoying his own excellent adventure.
“I know I’ll always be known for these Matrix movies, but hopefully I’ll have five or six more parts that I’ll be identified with before my career is over".
Keanu's got game
[Calgary Sun 15/09/2001]
Matrix star happy playing Hardball
BULLSEYE ... Keanu Reeves, starring in Hardball , is making two Matrix sequels.
TORONTO — Keanu Reeves is jetlagged, tired, testy and sore. He’s flown in from Australia where he’s filming the two Matrix sequels to do two days of interviews to promote his feel-good, sports movie Hardball that opened Sept. 14.
But he still manages to appear jovial, cracking jokes and deflecting a few made at his expense.
In Hardball, Reeves plays Connor O’Neill, a compulsive gambler who agrees to coach a Chicago inner-city little league baseball team to help pay off a gambling debt.
Many of Reeves’ pint-sized costars in Hardball are actual little league ball players. In their interviews, Michael Perkins, DeWayne Warren, and Bryan Hearne claim baseball is not Reeves’ forte and that he’s just a big kid himself.
"KIDS LOVE TO LIE AND TEASE"
Before he can even sit down, Reeves learns how the kids have evaluated him.
“You know kids love to lie and tease.”
He doesn’t comment on his ‘big kid’ status, but later director Brian Robbins sheds some light on the origin of these observations.
“At every opportunity they could, the kids would get Keanu to talk about The Matrix,” recalls Robbins.
“They couldn’t hear enough.”
Reeves met with the same kind of prying persistance from the journalists who had ostensibly come to chat about Hardball but had a Matrix agenda.
“If you want specifics, I’ll tell you what I told the kids: No comment, no comment, no comment.”
What Reeves was willing to devulge is that “I’ll be filming until January. We’re shooting both sequels simultaneously.”
TRAINING "DEMANDING"
He says the training for these new films “is more physically demanding than it was for the original movie.
"Trust me, you wouldn’t want to be my knees in the morning before I start limbering up.”
Exhausting as his daily eight-hour training sessions might be, they haven’t yet proved to be as harrowing as a few of the days Reeves spent filming Hardball last year in Chicago.
Hardball is based on Daniel Coyle’s book about his experiences coaching a youth baseball team in Chicago’s notorious Cabrini-Green Housing Project before it was shut down for redevelopment.
Hardball was shot in the ALBA Housing Project, which has earned a reputation for gang activity.
"HEARD SHOTS BEING FIRED"
“One night we had to shut down production and go home because we heard shots being fired just 50 yards away from our set,” recalls Reeves.
Reeves says he was attracted to Hardball because he has always known how important sports can be in a young person’s life.
“I was raised in Toronto from the time I was six years old.
"I learned very quickly that if you don’t know how to play hockey in Canada, your peers can make life miserable for you.
"It’s a lesson I’m grateful for.”
FIRST JOB WAS GOALIE IN FILM
He was a struggling 20-year-old actor in Toronto when the film Youngblood was being shot.
The producers sent out word they needed actors who could play hockey.
Reeves was a good goalie and won the role of a goalie in the film.
Youngblood wrapped up its Canadian shoot and headed back to L.A.
Reeves packed up his car and followed suit.
Within months he nabbed a role in the gritty teen drama River’s Edge, which lead to his breakout role in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
Thanks to blockbuster films like Speed and The Matrix, Reeves has been enjoying his own excellent adventure.
“I know I’ll always be known for these Matrix movies, but hopefully I’ll have five or six more parts that I’ll be identified with before my career is over".
Friday, September 14, 2001
'Ball not foul
[Calgary Sun 14/09/2001]
Keanu Reeves, above at top, stars in new baseball flick Hardball.
HARDBALL
It may not hit any home runs, but Hardball keeps its bases loaded providing enough fun and excitement to make it a diverting experience. At the core of Hardball is an increasingly familiar Hollywood sports movie cliche.
A team of losers or misfits is inspired to work together as never before to emerge victorious against seemingly overwhelming odds.
Think The Mighty Ducks, Bad News Bears or Major League.
Keanu Reeves who stars this time as the coach of a little league baseball team must have had a twinge of deja vu.
His last movie, The Replacements, cast him as the captain of a ragtag football team that roars to victory.
Conor O'Neill (Reeves) is a compulsive gambler who bets on the outcome of sporting events.
When his luck runs out a few too many times, he finds himself in debt to less than understanding bookies.
Conor's last resort is to coach a group of underprivileged kids from Chicago's notorious Cabrini-Green housing project.
The kids love baseball it is one of the few things that make them forget about the harsh realities of their lives.
They have more heart than skill and that's what endears them to the audience and ultimately to Conor.
John Gatins' screenplay tries to weave two stories simultaneously.
There's the story of how these kids earn the respect of each other, their community and the baseball league.
There's also the story of how Conor finds personal redemption through his interaction with the boys, their parents and their English teacher Elizabeth Wilkes (Diane Lane).
Conor has always prided himself in being a hustler who can out talk and out smart almost anyone.
He meets his match with the kids and with Wilkes.
It's only because they see through his facade that he is able to do the same thing.
Reeves's forte as an actor has always been reaction and physicality rather than dialogue and character insight.
His best scenes in Hardball are those when he uses body language to express Conor's dismay and disbelief at the hardships his young players rise above each day.
He has an excellent scene with Lane when Conor tries to flirt with Wilkes and she ends up treating him like a student rather than a suitor.
He is far less successful or credible during Conor's outbursts with his gambling buddies and the bookies.
One of the key elements of all these sports films are the eccentricities of the players.
The best example of this is the pitcher who must listen to his favorite rap tune while on the pitcher's mound.
The genuine scene stealer among the kids is DeWayne Warren who plays G-Baby who's too young and too small to play so he becomes the agent for the other players.
Warren's scenes with Reeves are hilarious one moment then supremely touching the next especially when G-Baby learns there is no uniform small enough for him.
By the very nature of its setting, Hardball regularly sets aside the laughs and veers into tense drama.
Though it's aimed at children, its adult themes might prove too intense for more sensitive youngsters.
Keanu just a 'big kid'
[Calgary Sun 14/09/2001]
"They loved getting him to dodge imaginary bullets in the way he did in (Matrix)."
Keanu Reeves is jet-lagged, tired, testy and sore.
He's flown in from Australia, where he's filming two Matrix sequels, to promote his feel-good, sports movie Hardball, which opens today.
At various times during the day he'll tell journalists he made the journey and the effort because he believes in the movie, is honouring his contract with Paramount Pictures, or takes every opportunity he can to spend time in Toronto.
He's not particularly effusive, but then that's never been his style.
He is jovial, cracking jokes and deflecting a few made at his expense.
In Hardball, Reeves plays Connor O'Neill, a compulsive gambler who agrees to coach a Chicago inner-city little league baseball team to help pay off a gambling debt.
Many of Reeves' pint-sized co-stars in Hardball are actual little league ball players.
In their interviews, Michael Perkins, DeWayne Warren and Bryan Hearne claim baseball is not Reeves' forte and that he's just a big kid himself.
Before he can even sit down, Reeves learns how the kids have evaluated him.
"You know kids love to lie and tease. I think you may have been treated to some of that at my expense."
He doesn't comment on his 'big kid' status, but later director Brian Robbins sheds some light on the origin of these observations.
"At every opportunity they could, the kids would get Keanu to talk about The Matrix. They'd bombard him with questions and they impressed him because they knew whole scenes almost by heart," recalls Robbins.
"They loved getting him to dodge imaginary bullets in the way he did in the movie. They couldn't hear enough about The Matrix. They wanted desperately to know details about the Matrix sequels he's shooting."
Reeves met with the same kind of prying from the journalists -- who had ostensibly come to chat about Hardball but really had a Matrix agenda.
"If you want specifics, I'll tell you what I told the kids. No comment. No comment. No comment."
What Reeves was willing to divulge is that he'll be filming until January, shooting both sequels simultaneously.
"I just think of what I'm doing as one very big movie that's going to be edited into two separate films," he said. "I never try to decide if the scene we're working on is from Matrix 2 or Matrix 3."
Reeves says the training for these new films "is more physically demanding than it was for the original movie. Trust me, you wouldn't want to be my knees in the morning before I start limbering up."
Reeves stresses he and his co-stars aren't the only ones working double duty on the new Matrix project.
"The expectations for these next two films are so great that we know we all have to work to maximum capability.
"It's more ambitious for me physically but it's the same for (filmmakers) Andy and Larry Wachowski. They're really pushing themselves creatively and technically."
His daily eight-hour training sessions might be exhausting, but they're not as hard as the few days Reeves spent filming Hardball last year in Chicago.
Hardball is based on Daniel Coyle's book about his experiences coaching a youth baseball team in Chicago's notorious Cabrini-Green Housing Project, an inner city area where gangs and mayhem ruled.
"One night we had to shut down production and go home because we heard shots being fired just 50 yards away from our set," recalls Reeves.
"It became evident to all of us that what we were doing was important. Hardball is a movie about second chances and hope, and not surrendering to adversity."
Reeves and the Hardball cast and crew received another dose of reality when pickets disrupted filming on several days and Mayor Richard Daley publicly urged, "Keanu, clean up your movie."
Word had leaked out that the kids in the film used the saltiest of street language and there were those in Chicago who feared this would cast a bad light on the city.
Reeves says he spoke to the protesters and learned "they had been paid to protest. They hadn't read the screenplay."
Paramount Pictures placated the mayor by donating dozens of computers to underprivileged schools.
Reeves says he was attracted to Hardball because he has always known how important sports can be in a young person's life.
"I was raised in Toronto from the time I was six years old. I learned very quickly that if you don't know how to play hockey in Canada your peers can make life miserable for you. It's a lesson I'm grateful for."
Hockey not only became his life-long passion, but it was his ticket into movies.
He was a struggling 20-year-old actor in Toronto when the film Youngblood was being shot. When the producers sent out word they needed actors who could play hockey, Reeves stepped up and won the role of a goalie in the film.
What he didn't have was the French-Canadian accent required of the character. "I got into my car and drove to a small town near Montreal and hung out there for a couple of weeks."
When Youngblood wrapped up its Canadian shoot and headed back to Los Angeles, Reeves packed up his car and followed suit.
Within months he nabbed a role in the teen drama River's Edge, which lead to his breakout role in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.
Thanks to blockbuster films like Speed and The Matrix, Reeves has been enjoying his own excellent adventure.
Monday, September 10, 2001
Reeves watches his words
[Calgary Sun 10/09/2001]
TORONTO -- For the past 12 months, Keanu Reeves has been watching his calendar.
"If it's September that means it's been a year so I can finally talk," says Reeves.
What he wants to talk about is his version of what happened with the movie The Watcher in which he played a psychopath.
Reeves did not do publicity for the film and it was clear he was not happy with the project.
"I never found that script interesting, but a friend of mine forged my signature on an agreement.
"I couldn't prove he did and I didn't want to get sued for not honouring the contract so I had no other choice but to do the film."
The indignity didn't stop there.
Reeves was not allowed to say anything negative about the film for one year. If he had, he would've faced a lawsuit.
Reeves flew in to Toronto for the weekend from Australia to help promote his baseball film Hardball which opens Friday.
The film is not part of the Toronto International Film Festival, but this was the only weekend Reeves could spare from the hectic filming the two Matrix sequels.
He says it is difficult for him to talk about the sequels as separate entities though they will be released in 2002 and 2003.
"Right now I simply think of them as one film that will eventually be split into two separate films. We're not filming in any particular order so we're doing them simultaneously."
Reeves had not worked with singer Ayallia who was killed in a plane crash earlier this month. She had been set to appear in the sequels.
"I have no idea what she filmed or what, if anything, will be done with her footage."
In Hardball, Reeves plays a chronic gambler who redeems his life by teaching a little league baseball team in a depressed Chicago inner-city neighborhood.
Reeves is resigned to the fact for years to come he'll be known for his role in the Matrix films but hopes "by the end of my career I'll be defined by five or six films and not just The Matrix."
He wouldn't elaborate as to whether he would like his Bill & Ted movies and Speed to be in that lexicon.
