37+ Fun Facts about the Best Keanu Reeves Movies

Keanu Reeves Movies

Keanu Reeves is one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors. From his role as Neo in The Matrix franchise to starring as John Wick in four critically acclaimed films, Reeves has established himself as one of the industry’s most successful stars. With leading roles in more than 42 films, Reeves’ movies have grossed over $3.9 billion (from those 42 flicks alone).

But what makes him so special? How much do fans really know about each of his movies? Let’s take a look at a few of the best Keanu Reeves movies and uncover some fun facts about each of the productions.

Fun Facts about Keanu Reeves’ Movies

When Keanu Reeves first embarked on his acting career, most of his earlier projects were for Canadian television shows, stage productions, and a few commercials. It wasn’t until 1986 that Reeves got his first role on the big screen in Young Blood. And that project opened a series of new doors for him, including one that led to the 1989 cult classic – Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure
Photo Credit: Orion Pictures

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

  • Bill and Ted are in high school in the film. The actors who played them, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, were not that much older than real high school students at the time of production. They were aged 22 and 21 when filming began.
  • In one of their journeys, the duo stops by a saloon in the Old West called Mad Dog Saloon. Around the same period, another time travel film, Back to the Future Part III has a character called Mad Dog Tannen in a similar saloon scene.
  • During auditions, Keanu Reeves read for the part of Bill while Alex Winter read for the part of Ted. They got the roles in reverse.

Point Break (1991)

  • The film went through several title changes during production. With Reeves cast as FBI Agent Johnny Utah, the film was initially called Johnny Utah. Then, the title was changed to Riders on the Storm to highlight the surfing theme. It wasn’t until filming was halfway done that producers settled on the title Point Break.
  • To perform his role better, Keanu Reeves spent time with actual FBI agents. He also trained with quarterback coaches at UCLA to perfect the football sequence.
  • Patrick Swayze was an avid skydiver and actively took part in the skydiving scenes. One of the shots where Bodhi falls from the plane was Swayze in an actual jump. He also refused to use a stunt double for the surfing scenes.
  • Soon after the filming of Point Break, Reeves immediately went on to his next project. He began filming for My Own Private Idaho (1991), where he co-starred with the late River Phoenix.
Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in Speed
Photo Credit: 20th Century Studios

Speed (1994)

  • Near the beginning of the movie, Keanu Reeves accidentally breaks the glass on the door of the bus. It was not part of the script, but it was included in the final cut.
  • Sandra Bullock really learned how to drive a bus for the movie. She passed the test on the first try.
  • In real life, a 13-year-old boy turned into a hero when the driver of his school bus had a heart attack. He jumped onto the driver’s lap, slammed on the brakes, and steered the bus to the side of the road. When asked why he did it, he said he had seen it in “that bus movie”.
  • In this film, Keanu Reeves played Jack Traven, a young hard-working cop. Director Jan De Bont wanted him to have a sensible hairstyle but Reeves showed up with a buzz cut. Executives of 20th Century Fox were livid and threatened to postpone until Reeves grew his hair back.

A Walk in the Clouds (1995)

  • A Walk in the Clouds came out a year after Speed was released to massive commercial success. In this film, Reeves would once again be chasing a bus.
  • While the film was still in production, Keanu Reeves had a hockey injury that split his lip. He had a scheduled love scene with Debra Messing soon after. He was said to have told her, “Please don’t hurt me.”
  • The film was an unexpected hit, with worldwide gross earnings of $50 million. However, Reeves was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor.
The Matrix: Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne
Photo Credit: Featureflash Photo Agency

The Matrix (1999)

  • In 1999’s The Matrix, Keanu Reeves needed to lose 15 pounds to exude an emaciated look when Neo emerged from the pod. He also had to shave his whole body.
  • Before filming started, Keanu Reeves sustained spinal injuries that required neck surgery. Pre-production was about to start, but he was still in recovery. Reeves worked hard but was still unable to kick due to the surgery. Because of this, the stunt coordinator focused more on punches and lighter moves.
  • The directors originally wanted Johnny Depp to play Neo. Warner Bros wanted to get either Val Kilmer or Brad Pitt. Both Kilmer and Pitt declined. It was only then was Reeves put into consideration.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

  • If you have Keanu Reeves’ movies ranked according to box office performance, The Matrix Reloaded would be near the top of the list at #2. It made over $280 million in the US alone and more than $740 million globally. The only other Keanu Reeves movie that made more was 2019’s Toy Story 4.
  • Approximately 97% of all the materials used in the sets during filming were recycled. For instance, vast amounts of wood were used to build low-income housing in Mexico.
  • Before the release of the film, producers feared that they wouldn’t make back all the expenses from special effects. Upon hearing this, Keanu Reeves is said to have volunteered to give up part of his box office commission, which amounted to about $38 million.
Keanu Reeves at the World Premiere of Constantine
Keanu Reeves at the World Premiere of Constantine / Photo Credit: Featureflash Photo Agency

Constantine (2005)

  • When filming was over, Reeves purchased the prop used as the Holy Shotgun – but not for himself. He gave it as a gift to the film’s director, Francis Lawrence.
  • This film was originally to be called Hellblazer. Producers decided to change it because it was very similar to Hellboy, which was also scheduled for release soon. The titles might cause confusion and hurt the ticket sales of both films.
  • Near the beginning of the film, there is a possessed girl crawling upside down along the ceiling. She says “Papatayin natin sila!” which is Filipino for “We will kill them all!”

The Lake House (2006)

  • Fans who want to visit the actual lake house might be disappointed to learn that the house no longer exists. It was built specifically for the film and was also dismantled shortly after filming ended.
  • However, the construction site where Alex Wyler (Reeves) worked is completely real. It is called the Madison Park Community in Aurora IL and is the property of Pulte Homes.
  • Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock reunited for the first time after their first movie, Speed, over a decade ago. In the movie, Bullock calls the dog “Jack” after Reeves’ character in Speed.
  • The Lake House is not the first of Keanu Reeves’ movies about time travel. He had previously done the two Bill & Ted films that also had him traveling through time.
Keanu Reeves at the Los Angeles premiere of John Wick
Keanu Reeves at the Los Angeles premiere of John Wick / Photo Credit: Tinseltown

John Wick (2014)

  • Keanu Reeves had a stunt double for the film. However, according to him, he did about 90% of the stunts himself. His stunt double was director Chad Stahelski, who also doubled for him in the Matrix trilogy.
  • During the filming of the nightclub fight, Reeves was running a fever of 104 degrees. He refused to take a break and continued to work despite being down with the flu.
  • Reeves underwent intensive weapons training and martial arts training to prepare him for his role. The sessions lasted eight hours a day every day for about four months.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

  • As with his previous films, Keanu Reeves did most of the stunts in John Wick: Chapter 2 himself. In fact, there were only two sequences that he left to the stunt doubles. One was when John Wick gets hit by a car. The other is when Wick falls down the stairs while fighting with Cassian.
  • Reeves had already done considerable training for the first film. But for this sequel, he trained for another three months, focusing on Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, marksmanship and driving. Instructors were impressed with his proficiency ratings, which were higher than those of many actual soldiers.
  • This film is the first project of Reeves and Laurence Fishburne together after The Matrix Revolutions 14 years ago.
Keanu Reeves at the Los Angeles premiere of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
Keanu Reeves at the Los Angeles premiere of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum / Photo Credit: Tinseltown

John Wick: Chapter 3 (2019)

  • The trailer for this film includes the line, “Guns. Lots of Guns.” The exact same line is uttered by Keanu Reeves’ character Neo in The Matrix.
  • Like all of Keanu Reeves’ movies, John Wick: Chapter 3 required intensive training. In addition to the varied martial arts and gunplay, Reeves also did training with horses, dogs and motorcycles.
  • Co-star Halle Berry also went through intensive training in martial arts and dog handling. In addition, she put a lot of effort into building endurance. One of her motivations was to be able to keep up with Reeves.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

  • This fourth installment of the John Wick franchise was initially set for release on the same date as The Matrix Resurrections, which is also one of Keanu Reeves’ movies. The theatrical release was moved because of the pandemic. Then it was moved again to avoid conflicts with the showing of Top Gun: Maverick.  
  • This film was initially not in the plan because the John Wick movies were supposed to be a trilogy. But the films continued to do well at the box office, and producers decided to expand further.
  • This is the longest John Wick movie at 2 hours and 49 minutes. The first film was only 1 hour and 41 minutes long.

Wondering what the upcoming Keanu Reeves movies are? He stars next in the John Wick spin-off, Ballerina opposite Ana de Armas. Additionally, he’s also set to revisit the role of John Constantine in Constantine 2, though the timeline for the project is currently unknown.

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