Chapter 04 - Keanu’s Choice

Though in his mid-twenties, his face and by-now expert mannerisms still allowed him to play a moody adolescent with some aplomb - but this, aside from the inevitable Bill And Ted sequel, would be the last time he did it. It wasn’t just his age that brought about this change. Having been acting for over a decade, Reeves was not happy to find himself cast in the minds of many as a mopey, lunkheaded teen. Many, in fact, believed that the success of Bill and Ted was partly down to Keanu and Alex Winter simply playing themselves. “I used to have nightmares”, said Reeves later “that they would put ‘He played Ted’ on my tombstone”. To break the pattern, he strove to vary his roles so drastically no one could deny his efforts.

First came "I Love You To Death", made with now best friend River Phoenix. After this came Aunt Julia And The Scriptwriter. And so, he had the opportunity to make something then different, a romantic role in Tune In Tomorrow. Although always dedicated, Keanu had some difficult filming, arriving in the sets all hurt due to one more of their infamous motorcycle accidents. In that film Keanu appeared very different from their previous characters, with very short hair and time clothes.

Johnny Utah in "Point Break"

Reeves is actually seen by many these days as a bona fide action star but, strangely, he’s only ever made four such pictures (not including Matrix sequels). It’s just that three of them were such enormous hits. The first of these came now, in 1991, with Point Break. Directed by Kathryn “Near Dark” Bigelow, this saw Keanu as FBI agent Johnny Utah, infiltrating an extreme sports gang suspecting of armed robbery. Head of the gang is Bodhi, played by Patrick Swayze (Keanu’s Youngblood co-star) who, it turns out, is stealing money to fund his quest for spiritual enlightenment. Thus the film became a neat combination of cod philosophy and some of the most stirring action sequences ever shot. The skydiving scenes in particular were stunning and surely brought about the making of both Drop Zone and Terminal Velocity.

Keanu finished filming Point Break and was direct for Portland to begin his next project, beside the best friend River Phoenix: My Own Private Idaho, an independent film directed by Gus Van Sant. That was a role that demanded a lot from Keanu as actor and he received many praises from the critic and it increased the number of gay fans, that they were already many, elevating the rumours on his sexual orientation.

Keanu and River, promoting "IMOPI"

The chemistry between Keanu and River worked and both passed a lot of time together, living at Van Sant’s house in Portland. Among the films they played in a band with the whole cast, leaving the night and joining at parties. Although the film has been a mark in both’s career, for reviews and for turning a cult, also marked the both personal life: it was when River Phoenix began to use heroine. Determinated in going more into the character’s disturbed universe, River addicted and, unhappily, the gravity of his disease would only be discovered three years later in a tragic Halloween night.

Right after Idaho Keanu goes direct for the sets of Bill & Ted’s sequence, “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey.” In a certain way it went a retreat to him, since he already getting to leave the "air head" image back. But the challenge of doing Ted again (a character that he always liked) was larger, and he accepted to return to the sets beside Alex Winter. However the work were not easy, with a stressed Keanu coming of many works in sequence, that disappeared from the sets and arrived late in the other day. The things went badly, but will still very worse. One day Keanu fainted in his trailer and he had to be taken semi-unconscious to the hospital. Although the official information pointed to an infection, the rumours were that Keanu was using drugs since Idaho and he had a begin of overdose. Keanu denies it later, telling that he had already used drugs since his eitghteen, but that was a moment where he was only addicted in motorcycles.

Without stop working, Keanu left a classic role to another, but not for the best reasons. He accepted making Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Still in his disturbed phase, full of insecurities and acting beside great names as Anthony Hopkins and Gary Oldman, Keanu didn’t get to find the character’s right tone. It was not just for Keanu, but during the filmings many problems happened, as the Oldman’s allergy to Conde Dracula make-up. Everybody thought the film would be a failure, the previews had been terrible, but the film was an enormous box office success. However he brought Keanu the worst critics of his career.

"Freaked" and "Rush, Rush"

Having made four following (Point Break, Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, My Own Private Idaho and Dracula) films without rest, a drop in pace was inevitable, but his need to be always in movement impelled him to do a cameo in Alex Winter’s crazy comedy Freaked (as Ortiz the Dog Boy). In that time he also participated in Paula Abdul’s clip, Rush Rush, where he spot as James Dean.

Reeves moved on to more Shakespeare with Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing as the baleful Don John - Kenneth used to say that he will pay to see Keanu in tight leather pants. In sequel, besides Uma Thurman, came Gus Van Sant’s Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. But what would come to next would surprise fans and critics, and it would turn an outstanding work in Keanu’s career.