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Why do l love Keanu Reeves?

Keanu Reeves with Jennifer Connelly in The Day the Earth Stood Still
  • Posted at 2:17pm
  • 09 January 2009
  • by AndrewCollins-RT
  • 4 comments

Keanu Reeves is not the best actor in the world.

He doesn't top polls or get recognised by his peers; he's never been nominated for an Oscar, a Bafta or anything by a critics' circle or foreign festival jury.

Unlike others who came through in the 1980s, such as Johnny Depp or John Cusack, he has yet to mature into a performer of real depth and has never once directed or produced.

He's famous, and can still open big-budget movies (the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still defied toxic reviews and topped the US box office at Christmas), but he's just not that good at acting.

So why is it impossible not to love him?

He's had loads of MTV Movie Award nominations, but this merely tells us he is popular among a certain demographic – something nobody need apologise for, least of all Keanu. (It seems OK to call him Keanu, too – Reeves would be a touch formal.)

He recently won a teen choice award for the Ghost-like love story The Lake House (Monday 12 January BBC1). Although still best known for action movies (Point Break, the Matrix trilogy, Speed), he's actually just as likely to be in something romantic, or, at the other end of the scale, something experimental, like A Scanner Darkly (Tuesday 13 January Sky Movies Indie).

His acting range may run from "Keanu" to "Keanu", but he's played an architect, advertising executive, FBI officer, football player and estate agent (in Bram Stoker's Dracula). And if he gets to use the word "Woah!" at any point, all will be well with the world.

I interviewed him in 1997 at the time of supernatural thriller The Devil's Advocate. He played a lawyer in that, but it's not important.

He turned up at the posh New York hotel looking every crumpled inch the hippy-ish scruff of legend in a second-hand tweed jacket with a toothpaste stain on it. He looked fantastic.

To break the ice I asked him if he knew that there were 28 million rats in New York, four for every resident. His reply was total Keanu: "Ah, but how many ants for every rat? How many birds for every beetle? Ecosystems, you know."

Another journalist asked him what his favourite fish was. A dumb question but he considered it carefully: "Do you mean to eat, or to look at?"

The thing that stayed with me was his love of life. Talking about doing Shakespeare on stage, he said, "It's fun." On preparing for his role by spending time in court: "That was fun." Playing with his rock band? "It's fun." All this promotion? "Fun."

I say, let other actors win the awards; Keanu Reeves is . . . woah, you're ahead of me.

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Comments

  • Posted on 04 November 2009
  • at 10:21pm
  • by jen

be sure to check out Keanu Reeves in the new film Pippa Lee only @ www.facebook.com/pippaleemovie http://www.youtube.com/pippalee2009

  • Posted on 13 January 2009
  • at 8:54pm
  • by Mark

How come he's impossible to hate? Because in life he seems to be a really cool guy. He's not the typical Hollywood hotshot who is clamouring for glory and fame. No, it's a job to him, a job that he seems to enjoy and appreciate a great deal. He doesn't take himself too seriously, and that's why he's lovable. He's never going to be the greatest actor in the world, maybe he knows this himself but does it really matter to him? Probably not. As long as he can riff with his bandmates or ride his motocycle he's happy. Don't listen to Michelle here Keanu, stay young at heart :).

  • Posted on 10 January 2009
  • at 10:00am
  • by michelle

It seems to me that personally, Keanu has not matured yet in life in accordance with his age (hence the popularity with the MTV crowd and thinking it's still cool to have dropped out of school, take drugs and go to hollywood.) When will he take a hold of his glorious achievements and mature into the man he should become. Maybe some time would be well spent hanging out with some older actors like John Travolta, Harrison Ford, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, just to get a taste of how to enjoy life properly. But I positively disagree with you about his acting ability... he seems to be an absolute professional when it comes to his work and is very creative. He always delivers the perfect amount, not too heavy, not too light.

  • Posted on 09 January 2009
  • at 6:48pm
  • by MazY

Aside from the fact that, as you state, he's not a very good actor, he also has the most monotone and dull voice. It's this latter issue which makes him unwatchable for me.

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