WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.759 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today, we're really 00:00:02.759 --> 00:00:06.120 digging into the whole architecture of enduring 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:09.160 fame, looking specifically at the career of Keanu 00:00:09.160 --> 00:00:11.720 Charles Reeves. Yeah, it's quite a story. We've 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:14.140 got this huge stack of information covering, 00:00:14.359 --> 00:00:17.059 well, everything. A professional journey filled 00:00:17.059 --> 00:00:19.879 with massive blockbusters, sure, but also this 00:00:19.879 --> 00:00:23.440 deep personal integrity and honestly, some truly... 00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:26.339 baffling career risks. It really does feel like 00:00:26.339 --> 00:00:28.539 a deep dive into an anomaly, doesn't it? I mean, 00:00:28.539 --> 00:00:30.760 sustaining a career over four decades is one 00:00:30.760 --> 00:00:34.219 thing. Right. But the way he's done it. It's 00:00:34.219 --> 00:00:38.259 so cyclical. Multiple massive hits, then flops 00:00:38.259 --> 00:00:40.600 that would sink other actors walking away from, 00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:42.380 you know, staggering amounts of money. And then 00:00:42.380 --> 00:00:44.840 bouncing back stronger than ever, sometimes defining 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:47.240 whole genres. Exactly. He's almost like a textbook 00:00:47.240 --> 00:00:49.359 case study in building longevity. It seems to 00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:52.380 be built on this mix of artistic diversity and, 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:55.299 well, just impeccable personal conduct. Absolutely. 00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:57.500 And just to frame his impact, it's not just about 00:00:57.500 --> 00:00:59.929 the box office, is it? Not at all. You look at 00:00:59.929 --> 00:01:02.329 the critical side. In 2020, the New York Times 00:01:02.329 --> 00:01:05.269 ranked him the fourth greatest actor of the 21st 00:01:05.269 --> 00:01:08.629 century. I mean, fourth. That's huge. That's 00:01:08.629 --> 00:01:11.810 serious critical weight. And then just two years 00:01:11.810 --> 00:01:14.709 later, Time magazine puts him on their list of 00:01:14.709 --> 00:01:16.409 the 100 most influential people in the world. 00:01:16.670 --> 00:01:19.209 So it's gone beyond just being a movie star. 00:01:19.469 --> 00:01:22.709 It's cultural resonance, real respect. So our 00:01:22.709 --> 00:01:25.730 mission today really is to unpack how he pulled 00:01:25.730 --> 00:01:28.150 that off. How did he manage that? Yeah, we're 00:01:28.150 --> 00:01:33.230 going to trace it all from his complex, globetrotting 00:01:33.230 --> 00:01:36.230 childhood and those early struggles with school. 00:01:36.230 --> 00:01:39.269 Right. Through The Matrix, which was just, you 00:01:39.269 --> 00:01:41.469 know, a phenomenon. His financial decisions, 00:01:41.530 --> 00:01:43.209 which are fascinating in themselves. Integrity 00:01:43.209 --> 00:01:45.629 piece, yeah. His other ventures, directing comics, 00:01:45.790 --> 00:01:49.049 even custom motorcycles. And then finally, try 00:01:49.049 --> 00:01:52.129 to understand that unique public. Yeah. The whole 00:01:52.129 --> 00:01:54.310 internet's boyfriend thing. How does it all connect? 00:01:54.510 --> 00:01:55.909 We're looking for those structural decisions, 00:01:56.069 --> 00:01:58.390 those threads that made his fame stick, that 00:01:58.390 --> 00:02:00.629 made it permanent. Exactly. The architecture, 00:02:00.810 --> 00:02:02.530 like you said. Okay, let's start right at the 00:02:02.530 --> 00:02:05.709 beginning. The foundations. His background. Keanu 00:02:05.709 --> 00:02:08.930 Reeves, born in Beirut, Lebanon, 1964. Right 00:02:08.930 --> 00:02:11.229 off the bat, it's international. Even the name 00:02:11.229 --> 00:02:13.860 Keanu, it's Hawaiian. means cool breeze over 00:02:13.860 --> 00:02:16.300 the mountains. Which perfectly signals that really 00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:18.620 diverse heritage he has. Oh, absolutely. It's 00:02:18.620 --> 00:02:21.139 an incredible blend. His mother, Patricia Taylor, 00:02:21.319 --> 00:02:24.099 she's English, from Essex, a costume designer. 00:02:24.259 --> 00:02:27.479 Okay. And his father, Samuel Nowlin Reeves Jr., 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:31.460 American, from Hawaii. But his ancestry is this 00:02:31.460 --> 00:02:36.680 amazing mix, native Hawaiian. Chinese, English, 00:02:36.979 --> 00:02:39.919 Portuguese. Wow. And we know specifically his 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:42.039 paternal grandmother was of Hawaiian and Chinese 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:44.740 descent. So it's a real tapestry. His parents 00:02:44.740 --> 00:02:46.979 divorced pretty young, right? In 1966. Yeah, 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:49.319 very young. And his mother eventually knew the 00:02:49.319 --> 00:02:51.199 family around quite a bit before settling mostly 00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:53.860 in Toronto in the Yorkville neighborhood. So 00:02:53.860 --> 00:02:56.240 how did all these sort of diverse cultural threads 00:02:56.240 --> 00:02:58.819 shape him growing up? Well, you can see the direct 00:02:58.819 --> 00:03:01.199 influences. He talks about being raised with 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:04.120 a strong sense of English manners, which comes 00:03:04.120 --> 00:03:05.620 from his mother. Okay, the British influence. 00:03:06.020 --> 00:03:08.919 But at the same time, his grandmother's heritage 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:12.460 meant he grew up surrounded by Chinese art, furniture, 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:16.840 even the cuisine. So you have this mix of disciplined 00:03:16.840 --> 00:03:20.599 British etiquette and this East Asian cultural 00:03:20.599 --> 00:03:23.159 exposure. That's a really interesting combination. 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:25.819 You think that plays out later. I think so. It 00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:28.159 creates this kind of global sensibility, maybe 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:30.580 an openness. You definitely see echoes of it 00:03:30.580 --> 00:03:32.780 later in his career choices, especially things 00:03:32.780 --> 00:03:35.419 like the martial arts focus or his directing. 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:37.819 Makes sense. But before he found his footing 00:03:37.819 --> 00:03:40.240 professionally, school was a real struggle for 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:42.340 him. Yeah, the information we have points to 00:03:42.340 --> 00:03:44.500 that. He's described himself as a private kid, 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:47.639 and he really battled with dyslexia. Which must 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:50.080 have made traditional schooling incredibly difficult. 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:52.360 Hugely. I mean, he attended four different high 00:03:52.360 --> 00:03:53.919 schools. That tells you something about the struggle 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:57.289 to find it. fit. Four. Wow. Yeah. And he was 00:03:57.289 --> 00:03:59.150 even expelled from one, the Toby Cook School 00:03:59.150 --> 00:04:02.110 of the Arts, apparently for being too rambunctious, 00:04:02.270 --> 00:04:05.389 maybe speaking out of turn too often. Sounds 00:04:05.389 --> 00:04:07.689 like maybe some restless energy, perhaps frustration 00:04:07.689 --> 00:04:10.810 from the learning difficulties. Could be. It 00:04:10.810 --> 00:04:13.210 all led to him dropping out completely at 17, 00:04:13.409 --> 00:04:15.770 just leaving school behind. And that energy, 00:04:15.830 --> 00:04:18.449 it needed an outlet. Before acting really took 00:04:18.449 --> 00:04:20.550 hold, it was sports, wasn't it? Specifically 00:04:20.550 --> 00:04:24.129 hockey. Yes. He was seriously good. An ice hockey 00:04:24.129 --> 00:04:26.810 goalkeeper, they called him The Wall. Played 00:04:26.810 --> 00:04:29.449 at De La Salle College. Was apparently an OHL 00:04:29.449 --> 00:04:32.509 prospect. OHL. Ontario Hockey League. That's 00:04:32.509 --> 00:04:35.170 serious stuff. Very serious. He actually had 00:04:35.170 --> 00:04:36.930 ambitions of playing for the Canadian Olympic 00:04:36.930 --> 00:04:40.449 team. That kind of intense focus, the discipline 00:04:40.449 --> 00:04:43.430 needed for a goalie. You see that pop up again 00:04:43.430 --> 00:04:45.410 later, I think. In the training for his roles, 00:04:45.550 --> 00:04:47.970 maybe? Exactly. But that hockey dream, it ended 00:04:47.970 --> 00:04:51.329 early. Injury. Ah. Okay, so that door closes, 00:04:51.389 --> 00:04:54.310 and then he turns to acting. Round 15. Yeah, 00:04:54.350 --> 00:04:56.850 makes the decision. Round 15. Gets his first 00:04:56.850 --> 00:04:59.990 TV gig in 84 on a Canadian show called Hang Him 00:04:59.990 --> 00:05:02.629 In. Does some theater, too, like playing Mercutio 00:05:02.629 --> 00:05:04.990 in Romeo and Juliet. But even then, right at 00:05:04.990 --> 00:05:07.290 the start, the industry tried to push back against, 00:05:07.449 --> 00:05:10.310 well, him. Against his name. It's a fascinating 00:05:10.310 --> 00:05:12.589 little detail, isn't it? When he was trying to 00:05:12.589 --> 00:05:15.269 get agents in the mid -80s, they literally told 00:05:15.269 --> 00:05:17.569 him to change his name. Why, too? Burt Howe is 00:05:17.569 --> 00:05:21.540 new. Ethnic. Apparently, yeah. Keanu was considered 00:05:21.540 --> 00:05:24.459 too ethnic or too exotic for mainstream American 00:05:24.459 --> 00:05:28.040 audiences at the time. He actually briefly used 00:05:28.040 --> 00:05:30.740 Casey Reeves or Casey Reeves for some auditions. 00:05:30.779 --> 00:05:33.899 No way, T .C. Reeves. Yeah. But thankfully, he 00:05:33.899 --> 00:05:36.160 didn't stick with it, went back to Keanu. And, 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:37.980 you know, that little act of resistance holding 00:05:37.980 --> 00:05:40.319 on to his identity even then, it feels like an 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:42.399 early sign of that integrity people talk about. 00:05:42.540 --> 00:05:44.560 Definitely. He starts getting noticed more seriously 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:48.009 in the late 80s, though. Right. 1986, he's in 00:05:48.009 --> 00:05:50.250 River's Edge. And critics start paying attention. 00:05:51.329 --> 00:05:53.709 Janet Maslin at the Times called his performance 00:05:53.709 --> 00:05:56.029 affecting and sympathetic. It showed there was 00:05:56.029 --> 00:05:58.269 depth there. More than just a teen actor vibe. 00:05:58.550 --> 00:06:00.930 Exactly. Then he follows it up with a supporting 00:06:00.930 --> 00:06:03.990 part in Dangerous Liaisons in 88, which won Oscars. 00:06:04.089 --> 00:06:06.610 That showed more dramatic range again. But let's 00:06:06.610 --> 00:06:09.170 be real. The role that absolutely defined his 00:06:09.170 --> 00:06:11.430 early image, the one that created the persona 00:06:11.430 --> 00:06:14.509 he'd spent years trying to evolve past, that 00:06:14.509 --> 00:06:17.420 was Ted Logan. Oh, yeah. Bill and Ted's Excellent 00:06:17.420 --> 00:06:20.620 Adventure, 1989. Yeah. Instant mainstream fame. 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:23.420 That charmingly goofy, whoa, airhead persona 00:06:23.420 --> 00:06:26.120 was born. Most excellent. And the sequel, Bill 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:28.920 and Ted's Bogus Journey in 91, actually got good 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:33.160 reviews too. Roger Ebert loved its visual creativity. 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:36.420 So the big question then becomes, is he stuck 00:06:36.420 --> 00:06:39.899 being Ted? Or can he actually pivot? Can he show 00:06:39.899 --> 00:06:41.920 more? That was the strategic challenge right 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:43.639 out of the gate. And he tackled that challenge 00:06:43.639 --> 00:06:46.269 head on. almost immediately after Bill and Ted. 00:06:46.509 --> 00:06:49.170 The shift to more mature stuff was surprisingly 00:06:49.170 --> 00:06:52.569 quick. It really was. And the key move there, 00:06:52.730 --> 00:06:56.170 strategically, was choosing Gus Van Sant's independent 00:06:56.170 --> 00:07:00.730 drama, My Own Private Idaho, in 1991, co -starring 00:07:00.730 --> 00:07:03.730 River Phoenix. Playing a street hustler, a world 00:07:03.730 --> 00:07:06.129 away from Ted. Totally. It was a deliberate signal 00:07:06.129 --> 00:07:08.050 to the industry, to critics, that he had more 00:07:08.050 --> 00:07:10.639 range. And it worked. The New York Times praised 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:12.779 both him and Phoenix, saying their performances 00:07:12.779 --> 00:07:15.300 were insightful, not judgmental. It proved he 00:07:15.300 --> 00:07:17.379 could handle serious drama. And right around 00:07:17.379 --> 00:07:19.240 the same time, he basically helps define the 00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:21.560 look and feel of the 90s action hero. That would 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:24.740 be Point Break. 1991 again. Playing Johnny Utah, 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:27.639 the undercover FBI agent infiltrating those surfing 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:30.550 bank robbers. Patrick Swayze, Lori Petty. Classic. 00:07:31.430 --> 00:07:33.610 And it wasn't just a fluke hit either, right? 00:07:33.689 --> 00:07:36.170 It did decent business. Yeah, respectable numbers. 00:07:36.350 --> 00:07:40.990 About $83 .5 million. More importantly, it cemented 00:07:40.990 --> 00:07:44.589 him as a viable action lead. And he really committed 00:07:44.589 --> 00:07:47.629 physically for that role. Extensive surfing lessons 00:07:47.629 --> 00:07:50.370 in Hawaii wanted it to look authentic. You see 00:07:50.370 --> 00:07:52.730 that dedication again and again. And the critics 00:07:52.730 --> 00:07:55.790 noticed the range, too. They did. The Times, 00:07:55.850 --> 00:07:58.550 again, noted his considerable discipline, how 00:07:58.550 --> 00:08:02.189 he could switch between the button -down FBI 00:08:02.189 --> 00:08:05.149 agent and the loose, jointed manner of his comedic 00:08:05.149 --> 00:08:07.209 roles. That versatility was getting recognized. 00:08:07.329 --> 00:08:10.189 He won that MTV Movie Award in 92, Most Desirable 00:08:10.189 --> 00:08:12.829 Male. His star was definitely rising. For sure. 00:08:12.949 --> 00:08:15.069 But then comes that volatility, that willingness 00:08:15.069 --> 00:08:17.569 to take risks that sometimes, well, didn't quite 00:08:17.569 --> 00:08:20.089 pay off. Like taking on Jonathan Harker in Popol 00:08:20.089 --> 00:08:22.649 as Bram Stoker's Dracula in 92. Okay, commercially, 00:08:22.790 --> 00:08:24.569 that movie was huge. Made over $200 million. 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:27.839 $115 million globally. Massive hit. Huge hit. 00:08:27.899 --> 00:08:30.959 But critically. Yeah. Oh, boy. It's almost entirely 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:32.679 remembered for one thing when it comes to Reeves. 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:35.539 The accent. The English accent. The accent. Yeah. 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:38.879 It got absolutely savaged. Just ridiculed. One 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:41.100 review called it painful and hilarious at the 00:08:41.100 --> 00:08:44.259 same time. Ouch. Did Kopel ever comment on it? 00:08:44.299 --> 00:08:47.580 He did. Later. Said Reeves tried so hard. But 00:08:47.580 --> 00:08:49.799 you can almost see the strain, you know. Made 00:08:49.799 --> 00:08:51.659 the performance feel stiff. So a big commercial 00:08:51.659 --> 00:08:54.039 hit, but a critical stumble for him personally. 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:56.299 And he tried Shakespeare again after that. He 00:08:56.299 --> 00:09:00.200 did. Much Ado About Nothing in 1993. Kenneth 00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:03.000 Brenna's version. The film itself did well. Great 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:06.419 ensemble. But Reeves, he actually got a Razzie 00:09:06.419 --> 00:09:08.240 nomination for Worst Supporting Actor for that 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:10.779 one. A Razzie nom after Dracula. That's rough. 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:13.779 So after taking hits for the period stuff, the 00:09:13.779 --> 00:09:17.120 accents, the Shakespeare. What's the next move? 00:09:17.200 --> 00:09:19.259 How does he fix that perception? He needed something 00:09:19.259 --> 00:09:22.100 raw, kinetic, totally contemporary, something 00:09:22.100 --> 00:09:24.440 American. And that's exactly what Speed delivered 00:09:24.440 --> 00:09:27.679 in 1994. Speed with Sandra Bullock, the bus that 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:29.779 couldn't slow down. Iconic, absolutely iconic. 00:09:29.860 --> 00:09:32.480 And it was a monster hit. Critically acclaimed, 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:36.639 commercially massive, $350 million gross on just 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:40.100 a $30 million budget. Unbelievable return. And 00:09:40.100 --> 00:09:42.669 the director, Jan de Bont. cast him specifically 00:09:42.669 --> 00:09:45.610 because of Point Break. Yeah, he saw that physicality, 00:09:45.610 --> 00:09:48.110 that intensity in Point Break and knew Reeves 00:09:48.110 --> 00:09:50.570 could anchor speed. And again, total commitment 00:09:50.570 --> 00:09:53.769 from Reeves. Shaved head, months in the gym. 00:09:53.970 --> 00:09:57.129 Totally prepped. Yeah. And it showed. Gene Siskel 00:09:57.129 --> 00:09:59.269 said he was absolutely charismatic, that his 00:09:59.269 --> 00:10:02.289 performance was juiced with joy. He completely 00:10:02.289 --> 00:10:04.809 flipped the narrative back. Yeah. Bankable action 00:10:04.809 --> 00:10:08.690 hero. full stop amazing turnaround and while 00:10:08.690 --> 00:10:11.230 all this is happening this massive film career 00:10:11.230 --> 00:10:14.549 taking off he's also playing bass in a rock band 00:10:14.549 --> 00:10:17.029 yeah right alongside point break in the bill 00:10:17.029 --> 00:10:19.950 and ted sequel hitting theaters in 91 he co -founds 00:10:19.950 --> 00:10:22.820 this alternative rock band dog star He's on bass 00:10:22.820 --> 00:10:25.379 guitar. That's wild. Juggling action stardom 00:10:25.379 --> 00:10:27.639 and indie rock gigs. It really shows that early 00:10:27.639 --> 00:10:29.679 refusal to be put in a box, doesn't it? Even 00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:31.759 when he's hitting peak commercial success, he's 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:33.820 pursuing these other distinct creative outlets. 00:10:34.019 --> 00:10:36.159 It sets a pattern for his whole career, really. 00:10:36.379 --> 00:10:38.679 Okay, so after Speed, you'd think the path would 00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:41.539 be clear, right? More huge action movies, bigger 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:44.940 paychecks. But looking at the timeline, there's 00:10:44.940 --> 00:10:49.620 this distinct dip between 95 and 98. A period 00:10:49.620 --> 00:10:51.700 people kind of forget. Yeah, it's a really crucial 00:10:51.700 --> 00:10:53.740 period for understanding his resilience later 00:10:53.740 --> 00:10:57.700 on. That post -speed phase had some major stumbles. 00:10:57.700 --> 00:10:59.759 Remember Johnny Mnemonic? Oh yeah, the cyberpunk 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:02.860 one. Didn't land well, did it? Not at all. Reviews 00:11:02.860 --> 00:11:05.279 were harsh. Critics said he was woefully miscast. 00:11:05.639 --> 00:11:07.899 It completely failed to build on the speed momentum. 00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:10.860 Then chain reaction came out. And that was dismissed 00:11:10.860 --> 00:11:13.870 as just... Generic action formula. So just a 00:11:13.870 --> 00:11:15.669 couple of years after being the star of one of 00:11:15.669 --> 00:11:17.330 the biggest movies of the decade, his career 00:11:17.330 --> 00:11:20.649 is genuinely looking a bit shaky. Exactly. Which 00:11:20.649 --> 00:11:22.870 makes his next movie even more fascinating and 00:11:22.870 --> 00:11:26.110 maybe baffling. The Hamlet Detour. Right. In 00:11:26.110 --> 00:11:29.090 95, he just disappears from Hollywood to do Shakespeare. 00:11:29.309 --> 00:11:31.570 Not just Shakespeare, but Prince Hamlet. And 00:11:31.570 --> 00:11:34.330 not on Broadway or London's West End. He does 00:11:34.330 --> 00:11:37.330 it in a small theater production way up in Winnipeg, 00:11:37.330 --> 00:11:40.500 Manitoba. Winnipeg. While Hollywood is probably 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:43.019 wondering if he can still open a movie. That 00:11:43.019 --> 00:11:45.840 seems like a massive creative risk, maybe even 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:48.019 commercially foolish at that moment. It sounds 00:11:48.019 --> 00:11:50.559 crazy on paper, right? Instead of chasing the 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:53.120 next blockbuster, he goes completely off -grid 00:11:53.120 --> 00:11:57.059 for serious theater. But artistically, it paid 00:11:57.059 --> 00:12:00.299 off. How so? How was it received? Well, the most 00:12:00.299 --> 00:12:02.340 significant review came from the UK's Sunday 00:12:02.340 --> 00:12:05.860 Times. The critic called his Hamlet one of the 00:12:05.860 --> 00:12:09.379 top three Hamlets I have seen. praised its splendid 00:12:09.379 --> 00:12:12.919 fury and animal grace. Wow, top three Hamlets. 00:12:12.940 --> 00:12:15.940 That's high praise. Huge praise. And Reeves himself 00:12:15.940 --> 00:12:18.860 connected it to personal stuff, like anger related 00:12:18.860 --> 00:12:21.299 to his mother's life experiences. So it proved 00:12:21.299 --> 00:12:23.740 this deep commitment to the craft itself, separate 00:12:23.740 --> 00:12:25.799 from the box office game, precisely when his 00:12:25.799 --> 00:12:27.820 commercial standing was kind of wobbly. And that 00:12:27.820 --> 00:12:30.139 theme, prioritizing integrity or the project 00:12:30.139 --> 00:12:32.460 over the easy money, it really comes into sharp 00:12:32.460 --> 00:12:34.779 focus with the whole Speed sequel situation. 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:37.490 Oh, absolutely. The Speed 2. Cruise control decision. 00:12:37.730 --> 00:12:40.490 He was reportedly offered $12 million to come 00:12:40.490 --> 00:12:43.009 back for the sequel. $12 million? In the mid 00:12:43.009 --> 00:12:45.549 -90s? That's an insane amount of money to turn 00:12:45.549 --> 00:12:49.070 down. Astronomical. And his reason. He wanted 00:12:49.070 --> 00:12:52.409 to tour with his band, Dogstar. And he wanted 00:12:52.409 --> 00:12:55.389 to do The Devil's Advocate instead, a much whiskier 00:12:55.389 --> 00:12:58.230 supernatural horror film. From the studio's perspective, 00:12:58.629 --> 00:13:01.029 turning down $12 million to go play bass and 00:13:01.029 --> 00:13:03.700 do a horror movie must have seemed like... career 00:13:03.700 --> 00:13:06.120 suicide or just completely irrational yeah and 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:08.379 there were consequences big ones 20th century 00:13:08.379 --> 00:13:11.200 fox the studio behind speed basically cut ties 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:13.740 with him for almost 10 years blacklisted him 00:13:13.740 --> 00:13:16.620 essentially wow so how did he survive that kind 00:13:16.620 --> 00:13:20.230 of studio alienation well Partly because he followed 00:13:20.230 --> 00:13:22.450 up that rejection with another act of financial 00:13:22.450 --> 00:13:25.149 sort of sacrifice on the devil's advocate, the 00:13:25.149 --> 00:13:27.389 Al Pacino thing. Ah, right. He took a pay cut 00:13:27.389 --> 00:13:29.710 so they could afford Pacino. A big one. Several 00:13:29.710 --> 00:13:31.710 million dollars less than his quote, apparently. 00:13:31.909 --> 00:13:34.490 So the studio had the budget to bring in Pacino, 00:13:34.610 --> 00:13:37.230 this absolute legend. So you see this pattern 00:13:37.230 --> 00:13:40.370 emerging. He uses his financial leverage not 00:13:40.370 --> 00:13:42.669 just to get richer, but to improve the project 00:13:42.669 --> 00:13:45.230 or work with people he respects. Consistently. 00:13:45.610 --> 00:13:47.090 It's about the quality or the collaboration. 00:13:47.389 --> 00:13:49.429 And it worked out that time. The devil's advocate 00:13:49.429 --> 00:13:51.730 did well, critically and commercially. And it 00:13:51.730 --> 00:13:55.090 perfectly positioned him for the absolute seismic 00:13:55.090 --> 00:13:58.730 shift that came just two years later. 1999. The 00:13:58.730 --> 00:14:02.070 Matrix. Neo. The One. Everything changes. It 00:14:02.070 --> 00:14:05.710 becomes this instant global cultural touchstone. 00:14:05.830 --> 00:14:08.879 And the preparation for that. It wasn't just 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:11.320 physical, was it? Though the martial arts training 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:13.919 must have been intense. Oh, months and months 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:17.159 of incredibly demanding, highly choreographed 00:14:17.159 --> 00:14:20.659 training with the legendary Yuan Wuping. But 00:14:20.659 --> 00:14:22.779 yeah, beyond the physical, he dove deep into 00:14:22.779 --> 00:14:24.639 the ideas. What kind of stuff was he reading? 00:14:24.779 --> 00:14:28.100 He was reading complex stuff on evolutionary 00:14:28.100 --> 00:14:31.000 psychology, systems theory, like Kevin Kelly's 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:33.059 Out of Control. He really wanted to understand 00:14:33.059 --> 00:14:34.980 the philosophical underpinnings of the story. 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:37.100 So he wasn't just showing up to do the fights. 00:14:37.179 --> 00:14:39.379 He was trying to embody those dense concepts. 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:42.299 Which is probably why the film resonated so deeply. 00:14:42.419 --> 00:14:44.779 It wasn't just cool action. It had ideas. And 00:14:44.779 --> 00:14:47.000 it won four Oscars, became the sci -fi classic. 00:14:47.179 --> 00:14:49.960 And financially, The Matrix just catapulted him 00:14:49.960 --> 00:14:52.220 into the stratosphere. For the sequels, Reloaded 00:14:52.220 --> 00:14:54.639 and Revolutions in 2003, he became the highest 00:14:54.639 --> 00:14:57.200 paid actor ever for a single production at that 00:14:57.200 --> 00:15:00.399 time. He did. And this is where those famous 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:02.600 stories about him giving away millions come from. 00:15:03.059 --> 00:15:05.639 But... We need to be clear about what actually 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:09.100 happened because the reality is maybe even more 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:11.899 telling than the embellished rumors. Okay, so 00:15:11.899 --> 00:15:13.860 what's the real story? He didn't just hand out 00:15:13.860 --> 00:15:17.460 $100 million. Not exactly. The sources suggest 00:15:17.460 --> 00:15:19.980 he negotiated a smaller upfront payment for the 00:15:19.980 --> 00:15:23.379 sequels. And crucially, he gave up his contractual 00:15:23.379 --> 00:15:26.100 right to a percentage of the profits, the back 00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:27.879 -end points, which could have been worth tens, 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:31.080 maybe hundreds of millions. Okay. Why would he 00:15:31.080 --> 00:15:32.659 do that? Where did that money effectively go? 00:15:32.899 --> 00:15:34.919 He redirected it. You wanted that money to go 00:15:34.919 --> 00:15:36.820 towards the budget for the special effects and 00:15:36.820 --> 00:15:39.019 the costume departments. So wait, he gave up 00:15:39.019 --> 00:15:42.019 potentially massive personal earnings for better 00:15:42.019 --> 00:15:45.100 costumes and VFX? Essentially, yes. It wasn't 00:15:45.100 --> 00:15:47.419 charity in the traditional sense. It was him 00:15:47.419 --> 00:15:50.240 using his star power to ensure the film had the 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:53.039 resources it needed. He was investing his own 00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:55.419 potential earnings back into the artistic quality 00:15:55.419 --> 00:15:57.980 of the production. That's incredibly rare. Unheard 00:15:57.980 --> 00:16:00.480 of, really. And his generosity didn't stop there, 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:02.759 right? That's where the reputation really solidifies. 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:06.440 Exactly. He famously bought brand new Harley 00:16:06.440 --> 00:16:09.519 Davidson motorcycles for all 12 members of the 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:12.299 main stunt team on Reloaded, said it was a bigger 00:16:12.299 --> 00:16:14.980 thank you. Wow. And there's that other well -known 00:16:14.980 --> 00:16:17.580 story about him finding out a set builder on 00:16:17.580 --> 00:16:20.399 the Matrix was having serious family financial 00:16:20.399 --> 00:16:23.259 trouble, and he just quietly gave the guy a $20 00:16:23.259 --> 00:16:25.440 ,000 Christmas bonus. And these weren't things 00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:28.080 he announced publicly. They just got out. Right. 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:30.539 He built his reputation from within the industry, 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:33.080 from the crew level up. People saw it happen. 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:35.179 Even at this peak of fame, though, he's still 00:16:35.179 --> 00:16:38.240 making some interesting choices. He took another 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:41.340 pay cut for The Replacements, the football comedy. 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:43.620 Yeah, did that in 2000 so they could afford Gene 00:16:43.620 --> 00:16:45.899 Hackman. Same pattern. But then there was The 00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:48.179 Watcher, that thriller that didn't do well. What 00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:50.879 was the story there? He seemed miscast as a serial 00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:52.740 killer. He claimed later he never even wanted 00:16:52.740 --> 00:16:54.980 to do it. Said a friend forged his signature 00:16:54.980 --> 00:16:57.600 on the contract. And he only did the film to 00:16:57.600 --> 00:17:00.259 avoid a messy legal battle. Forced into a movie, 00:17:00.340 --> 00:17:03.379 even as Neo. That shows even huge stars aren't 00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:05.420 immune to the industry's pressures. Definitely 00:17:05.420 --> 00:17:09.019 not. And on the artistic side, his band Dogstar 00:17:09.019 --> 00:17:12.720 called it quits in 2002. But spiritually, something 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:15.160 really important had taken root earlier from 00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:17.869 making the film Little Buddha back in 1993. Where 00:17:17.869 --> 00:17:20.569 he played Prince Siddhartha. Right. He said that 00:17:20.569 --> 00:17:23.109 film taught him a lasting lesson about old age, 00:17:23.250 --> 00:17:26.490 sickness, and death. About the Buddhist concept 00:17:26.490 --> 00:17:29.369 of impermanence. That everything changes, nothing 00:17:29.369 --> 00:17:32.369 lasts forever. And that stuck with him. Deeply, 00:17:32.369 --> 00:17:34.890 it seems. He doesn't formally practice Buddhism, 00:17:35.069 --> 00:17:38.829 but describes himself as very spiritual. And 00:17:38.829 --> 00:17:40.890 you can really see how that idea impermanence 00:17:40.890 --> 00:17:43.150 of appreciating things while they're here informs 00:17:43.150 --> 00:17:45.329 his whole perspective, his empathy, his public 00:17:45.329 --> 00:17:48.109 persona later on. OK, so the Matrix trilogy wraps 00:17:48.109 --> 00:17:51.329 up. What happens next? The mid to late 2000s 00:17:51.329 --> 00:17:53.470 seem like a period where he's doing more specialized 00:17:53.470 --> 00:17:56.529 roles, maybe expanding beyond just acting. Yeah, 00:17:56.609 --> 00:17:57.970 that's a good way to put it. He wasn't chasing 00:17:57.970 --> 00:18:01.009 the giant blockbusters in the same way. In 2005, 00:18:01.289 --> 00:18:03.150 he starred in Constantine, playing the occult 00:18:03.150 --> 00:18:05.390 detective. That was actually a pretty solid back 00:18:05.390 --> 00:18:07.900 office hit. Made around $230 million worldwide. 00:18:08.339 --> 00:18:11.440 Right, the DC Comics character. Exactly. But 00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:13.339 maybe a more artistically interesting choice 00:18:13.339 --> 00:18:16.819 from that time was A Scanner Darkly in 2006. 00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:20.000 His collaboration with Richard Linklater. Oh, 00:18:20.079 --> 00:18:22.660 the rotoscoped one. Based on the Philip K. Dick 00:18:22.660 --> 00:18:24.799 novel, can you remind us what rotoscoping is? 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:28.099 Sure. It's this animation technique where animators 00:18:28.099 --> 00:18:31.000 literally trace over live action footage frame 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:33.599 by frame. It gives it this really unique, kind 00:18:33.599 --> 00:18:36.460 of dreamy, unstable look. Perfect for a Philip 00:18:36.460 --> 00:18:39.619 K. Dick story about paranoia and drugs. Totally 00:18:39.619 --> 00:18:42.079 suited the material. Now, the film itself didn't 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:44.819 make much money as a box office flop, but it 00:18:44.819 --> 00:18:47.359 got pretty good reviews for its style, its faithfulness 00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:50.039 to Dick. It showed Reeves was still willing to 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:52.240 experiment, even if some critics felt Robert 00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:54.640 Downey Jr. kind of stole the show. And we see 00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:57.140 him dip back into romance, too, right? He reunited 00:18:57.140 --> 00:18:59.079 with Sandra Bullock for The Lake House in 2007. 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:01.339 He did, yeah. Though that one didn't get great 00:19:01.339 --> 00:19:04.000 reviews. But what's really defining about this 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:06.480 period, I think, is his deeper engagement with 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:08.500 the actual business and craft of filmmaking. 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:11.119 Well, he co -founded a production company, Company 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:14.740 Films. But more significantly... He produced 00:19:14.740 --> 00:19:17.599 and hosted this fantastic documentary in 2012 00:19:17.599 --> 00:19:20.319 called Side by Side. Oh, I remember that. About 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:23.299 the shift from film to digital. Exactly. He interviewed 00:19:23.299 --> 00:19:25.940 everyone, James Cameron, George Lucas, Scorsese, 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:28.220 Christopher Nolan, about this massive technological 00:19:28.220 --> 00:19:30.960 change happening in cinema. He wasn't just starring 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:33.680 in movies. He was actively exploring how movies 00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:36.400 were made. That shows a real intellectual curiosity 00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:39.160 about his industry. And his passions went beyond 00:19:39.160 --> 00:19:41.039 film, too, leading to a pretty major venture 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:43.950 outside Hollywood. Right. ARCH Motorcycle Company. 00:19:44.210 --> 00:19:47.289 He co -founded it in 2011 with a custom bike 00:19:47.289 --> 00:19:49.549 builder named Gard Hollinger. And this isn't 00:19:49.549 --> 00:19:51.190 just slapping his name on some merchandises. 00:19:51.309 --> 00:19:54.410 Not at all. ARCH makes high -end, bespoke custom 00:19:54.410 --> 00:19:57.309 motorcycles. It's a serious manufacturing business. 00:19:57.549 --> 00:19:59.829 It really speaks to that same dedication and 00:19:59.829 --> 00:20:01.549 craftsmanship you see in his acting preparation, 00:20:01.829 --> 00:20:04.049 but applied to building these incredible machines. 00:20:04.509 --> 00:20:07.329 He put real time and money into this niche business 00:20:07.329 --> 00:20:09.849 during a quieter period in his acting career. 00:20:10.220 --> 00:20:13.400 So producer, documentarian, motorcycle manufacturer, 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:16.839 and writer. He started publishing books around 00:20:16.839 --> 00:20:18.839 this time, too. Yeah, starting with this sort 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:21.460 of quirky adult picture book called Ode to Happiness 00:20:21.460 --> 00:20:24.180 in 2011. That was his first collaboration with 00:20:24.180 --> 00:20:26.480 the artist Alexandra Grant. Who would later become 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:29.150 his partner. Exactly. They followed it up with 00:20:29.150 --> 00:20:32.529 another book, Shadows, in 2014. So you see this 00:20:32.529 --> 00:20:35.569 pattern. When maybe the film roles weren't as 00:20:35.569 --> 00:20:38.230 high profile, he was actively building these 00:20:38.230 --> 00:20:40.569 other creative identities. Producer, writer, 00:20:40.809 --> 00:20:44.390 entrepreneur, diversifying. But the biggest creative 00:20:44.390 --> 00:20:47.009 swing during this phase, the biggest risk, had 00:20:47.009 --> 00:20:48.950 to be stepping behind the camera himself. His 00:20:48.950 --> 00:20:51.289 directorial debut, yeah. The martial arts film 00:20:51.289 --> 00:20:53.950 Man of Tai Chi. released in 2013. This felt like 00:20:53.950 --> 00:20:56.450 a real passion project. Totally. It was inspired 00:20:56.450 --> 00:20:59.130 partly by his friendship with Tiger Chen, a stuntman 00:20:59.130 --> 00:21:01.309 he knew from The Matrix, and he brought back 00:21:01.309 --> 00:21:04.009 his Matrix choreographer, Yuen Woo -Ping, to 00:21:04.009 --> 00:21:06.369 work on the action. How did it go down, critically? 00:21:06.430 --> 00:21:09.130 Actually, pretty well, critically speaking. People 00:21:09.130 --> 00:21:11.069 like the legendary director John Woo praised 00:21:11.069 --> 00:21:14.019 it. Critics noted that Reeves' directing style 00:21:14.019 --> 00:21:16.579 was surprisingly restrained and focused. They 00:21:16.579 --> 00:21:19.079 liked that the fight choreography felt grounded, 00:21:19.259 --> 00:21:21.299 not totally over the top like some Hollywood 00:21:21.299 --> 00:21:25.180 action. Commercial disaster. Made only about 00:21:25.180 --> 00:21:29.220 $5 .5 million worldwide on a $25 million budget. 00:21:29.380 --> 00:21:32.180 A huge flop. And that wasn't the only flop around 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:34.440 that time, was it? No, it was immediately followed 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:36.339 by another massive financial disappointment. 00:21:36.859 --> 00:21:40.039 The big budget fantasy film 47 Ronin in 2013. 00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:43.059 It struggled badly, both with critics and at 00:21:43.059 --> 00:21:45.779 the box office. So two major commercial failures 00:21:45.779 --> 00:21:49.819 back to back. Director debut tanks, big fantasy 00:21:49.819 --> 00:21:52.559 epic tanks. He must have been in another significant 00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:55.519 career slump right then. Absolutely. It really 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:57.579 underscores that theme of impermanence again, 00:21:57.700 --> 00:22:00.480 doesn't it? Yeah. Just before he pivots. Yet 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:02.940 again. That cycle of fluctuation is just incredible 00:22:02.940 --> 00:22:05.180 because right after those big flops, Man of Tai 00:22:05.180 --> 00:22:08.500 Chi, 47 Ronin, he stages probably the most impressive 00:22:08.500 --> 00:22:11.480 and durable comeback we've seen in Hollywood 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:14.859 recently. Enter John Wick. John Wick, 2014. It 00:22:14.859 --> 00:22:17.220 was like the perfect alignment of star and material. 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:19.700 It drew on his action history, his commitment 00:22:19.700 --> 00:22:22.480 to training, but also tapped into that underlying 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:25.160 empathy people feel from him. Playing the grieving 00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:28.740 hitman out for revenge. Over his puppy. And his 00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:30.839 car. But yeah, the puppy connection was key. 00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:34.380 The film just clicked. Immediate hit. $86 million 00:22:34.380 --> 00:22:37.599 worldwide. Great reviews. Critics talked about 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:39.880 his effortless return to action. But with this 00:22:39.880 --> 00:22:42.619 added layer of world -weary gravitas. And unlike 00:22:42.619 --> 00:22:44.619 Speed, where he famously refused the sequel. 00:22:44.799 --> 00:22:48.480 This time. He leaned in. Hard. He absolutely 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:51.000 embraced the John Wick universe. And the franchise 00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:54.279 just grew and grew. Chapter 2 in 2017 made more. 00:22:54.420 --> 00:22:57.519 Chapter 3 Parabellum in 2019 grossed over $170 00:22:57.519 --> 00:23:00.440 million just in the U .S. alone. Became a genuine 00:23:00.440 --> 00:23:02.119 phenomenon. Totally. And by the time Chapter 00:23:02.119 --> 00:23:04.619 4 came out in 2023, you had serious critics calling 00:23:04.619 --> 00:23:07.039 the series one of the greatest action franchises 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:09.140 ever made. It was the culmination of everything 00:23:09.140 --> 00:23:11.279 he'd been building since Point Break, but taken 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:13.059 to a whole new level of style and execution. 00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:15.579 What's so interesting strategically about this 00:23:15.579 --> 00:23:17.980 current era, though, is that the comeback wasn't 00:23:17.980 --> 00:23:21.000 just John Wick. He diversified his presence across 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:23.859 every form of modern media. That's a really key 00:23:23.859 --> 00:23:26.420 point. He showed his range wasn't just dramatic 00:23:26.420 --> 00:23:29.259 versus action. He jumped into major voice acting 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:32.900 roles. Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4 in 2019. Canada's 00:23:32.900 --> 00:23:35.440 greatest stuntman. He was hilarious. So good. 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:38.849 And he voiced Sage. the wise tumbleweed in the 00:23:38.849 --> 00:23:41.970 SpongeBob movie in 2020. He was willing to lend 00:23:41.970 --> 00:23:44.970 that distinctive voice to huge beloved family 00:23:44.970 --> 00:23:47.950 franchises. That broadens his appeal massively. 00:23:48.170 --> 00:23:50.769 And then the leap into gaming, which is just 00:23:50.769 --> 00:23:53.230 a colossal platform now, reaching a whole different 00:23:53.230 --> 00:23:55.529 younger audience constantly. Yeah, playing Johnny 00:23:55.529 --> 00:23:59.529 Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020. Yeah. And 00:23:59.529 --> 00:24:02.430 the Phantom Liberty expansion in 2023. That was 00:24:02.430 --> 00:24:04.470 huge. He wasn't just a cameo. He was a central 00:24:04.470 --> 00:24:07.369 character. His likeness, his voice. They were 00:24:07.369 --> 00:24:09.809 integral to this massive, culturally dominant 00:24:09.809 --> 00:24:12.309 game. It kept him incredibly relevant. But maybe 00:24:12.309 --> 00:24:14.349 the most surprising creative venture was stepping 00:24:14.349 --> 00:24:18.029 into the comic book world as a creator. BRZRKR. 00:24:18.150 --> 00:24:20.849 Yeah, co -creating and co -writing this comic 00:24:20.849 --> 00:24:23.650 book franchise starting in 2021. And it wasn't 00:24:23.650 --> 00:24:26.369 just some vanity project. It was a genuine publishing 00:24:26.369 --> 00:24:28.950 event. How big are we talking? Issue hashtag 00:24:28.950 --> 00:24:32.990 one sold over 615 ,000 copies. That's an insane 00:24:32.990 --> 00:24:36.250 number. for a single comic issue, the best -selling 00:24:36.250 --> 00:24:39.470 first issue since 2015, apparently. It showed 00:24:39.470 --> 00:24:41.869 a real commitment to storytelling in that medium, 00:24:42.049 --> 00:24:45.029 and it's expanded into spinoffs and even a novel 00:24:45.029 --> 00:24:47.289 he co -wrote, The Book of Elsewhere. It's like 00:24:47.289 --> 00:24:49.269 he's building his own interconnected universe 00:24:49.269 --> 00:24:51.930 across platforms, and the story loops back around 00:24:51.930 --> 00:24:54.779 again with his band. Dogstar. They got back together 00:24:54.779 --> 00:24:57.460 during the pandemic, put out a new album in 2023, 00:24:57.779 --> 00:24:59.839 somewhere between the Powerlines and Palm Trees, 00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:02.119 and started touring again. So he's literally 00:25:02.119 --> 00:25:05.180 headlining global action blockbusters and playing 00:25:05.180 --> 00:25:07.740 club gigs with his indie rock band. The contrast 00:25:07.740 --> 00:25:10.509 is amazing. It really is. And he keeps exploring. 00:25:10.710 --> 00:25:13.150 He executive produced and hosted that Formula 00:25:13.150 --> 00:25:16.589 One documentary, Braun, in 2023. He even made 00:25:16.589 --> 00:25:18.849 his actual motorsport debut in the Toyota GR 00:25:18.849 --> 00:25:21.710 Cup Race series in 2024. He's just constantly 00:25:21.710 --> 00:25:24.089 learning, constantly trying new things. And the 00:25:24.089 --> 00:25:26.450 future looks just as varied. Totally. He's voicing 00:25:26.450 --> 00:25:28.910 Shadow the Hedgehog in the next Sonic movie later 00:25:28.910 --> 00:25:32.269 this year. More franchise work. Okay. But then, 00:25:32.369 --> 00:25:37.299 maybe the most meta moment of all. He's planning 00:25:37.299 --> 00:25:40.920 his Broadway debut for 2025, starring in Samuel 00:25:40.920 --> 00:25:43.700 Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Waiting for Godot. 00:25:43.700 --> 00:25:46.400 That's heavy stuff. Another huge theatrical risk. 00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:49.680 Massive. And get this. He's doing it alongside 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:53.380 Alex Winter. His Bill and Ted co -star. No way. 00:25:53.480 --> 00:25:56.519 Yes. Bill and Ted together again tackling existential 00:25:56.519 --> 00:25:58.980 despair on Broadway. You couldn't write it. It's 00:25:58.980 --> 00:26:01.460 the perfect full circle. That's incredible. But 00:26:01.460 --> 00:26:03.000 we also have to touch on the fact that being 00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:06.000 this level of global icon, it comes with real 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:08.460 world political dimensions now. Yeah. That incident 00:26:08.460 --> 00:26:11.319 in 2022, his films were reportedly pulled from 00:26:11.319 --> 00:26:13.980 streaming platforms in China. What is that? It 00:26:13.980 --> 00:26:15.859 was after he participated in a virtual benefit 00:26:15.859 --> 00:26:18.539 concert for Tibet House US, which is an organization 00:26:18.539 --> 00:26:20.859 associated with the Dalai Lama. It shows how 00:26:20.859 --> 00:26:23.440 in today's world, even seemingly small personal 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:26.160 choices like supporting a charity can have significant 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:28.660 geopolitical and professional fallout for a global 00:26:28.660 --> 00:26:31.160 star. Which brings us nicely to the man himself, 00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:33.759 because so much of his enduring appeal, his longevity 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:36.619 seems tied to his public image, the perception 00:26:36.619 --> 00:26:39.319 of who he is as a person, universally liked, 00:26:39.359 --> 00:26:43.400 it seems. But his personal life, it's been marked 00:26:43.400 --> 00:26:46.720 by just immense tragedy. Refound sorrow, yeah. 00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:49.960 Yeah. It's important context. In 1999, his then 00:26:49.960 --> 00:26:52.680 partner, Jennifer Sein, gave birth to their child, 00:26:52.859 --> 00:26:56.029 Ava, still born at eight months. Oh, that's heartbreaking. 00:26:56.329 --> 00:26:58.970 Just devastating. They reportedly broke up under 00:26:58.970 --> 00:27:01.789 the strain but had reconciled later. And then, 00:27:01.890 --> 00:27:04.390 only about 18 months after losing their daughter 00:27:04.390 --> 00:27:07.269 in 2001, Jennifer Syme tragically died in a car 00:27:07.269 --> 00:27:09.569 accident. Unimaginable loss. And he was dealing 00:27:09.569 --> 00:27:12.440 with this while making The Matrix sequels. the 00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:14.160 biggest movies in the world at the time. Yes, 00:27:14.220 --> 00:27:17.000 he was a pallbearer at her funeral. Accounts 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:19.279 from that time say he just needed peace and time 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:21.180 before he could even face going back to work 00:27:21.180 --> 00:27:23.680 on those films. To carry that grief under that 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:26.319 kind of global spotlight, it's hard to comprehend. 00:27:26.700 --> 00:27:29.000 Yet somehow, through it all, he seems to maintain 00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:31.200 these really solid long -term relationships. 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:34.559 He does, like his friendship with Winona Ryder. 00:27:34.599 --> 00:27:37.180 It's legendary. They still joke about being husband 00:27:37.180 --> 00:27:39.680 and wife. Because apparently a real Romanian 00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:42.079 priest performed their wedding scene in Dracula. 00:27:42.400 --> 00:27:45.079 Yeah, that's amazing. And then, of course, his 00:27:45.079 --> 00:27:47.000 relationship with the artist Alexandra Grant. 00:27:47.180 --> 00:27:49.740 They were collaborators for years, starting with 00:27:49.740 --> 00:27:52.460 those books back in 2011, before they went public 00:27:52.460 --> 00:27:55.880 as a couple around 2019. It seems like a very 00:27:55.880 --> 00:27:58.579 grounded, mutually supportive partnership built 00:27:58.579 --> 00:28:01.299 on shared creativity. And you get the sense that 00:28:01.299 --> 00:28:03.859 this personal history, the losses and the stable 00:28:03.859 --> 00:28:06.779 connections, has maybe shaped his whole perspective 00:28:06.779 --> 00:28:11.420 on life, on mortality. It feels very earned. 00:28:11.740 --> 00:28:14.180 I think so. He talked about death recently in 00:28:14.180 --> 00:28:16.839 2024, saying something like, I'm thinking about 00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:19.059 death all the time. That's a good thing. Not 00:28:19.059 --> 00:28:21.900 in a morbid way, but hopefully it makes us appreciate 00:28:21.900 --> 00:28:23.700 the breath we have, the relationships we have. 00:28:23.900 --> 00:28:26.440 That idea of impermanence again from Little Buddha, 00:28:26.579 --> 00:28:29.180 it seems central to him. It really does. It feels 00:28:29.180 --> 00:28:31.200 like it informs his outlook, maybe contributes 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:33.559 to that sense of grace people perceive in him. 00:28:33.660 --> 00:28:36.559 And that grace, that perspective, it seems to 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:39.640 directly fuel his philanthropy, which is legendary, 00:28:39.640 --> 00:28:42.980 but also incredibly private. Very private. He 00:28:42.980 --> 00:28:45.410 set up a private cancer foundation. years ago. 00:28:45.549 --> 00:28:48.269 It supports children's hospitals, cancer research. 00:28:48.589 --> 00:28:51.369 This was driven in part by his own sister Kim's 00:28:51.369 --> 00:28:53.849 long battle with leukemia. But he doesn't put 00:28:53.849 --> 00:28:57.289 his name on it. No. He specifically chooses not 00:28:57.289 --> 00:28:59.390 to attach his name publicly to the foundation 00:28:59.390 --> 00:29:02.630 or many of his donations, which really emphasizes 00:29:02.630 --> 00:29:05.630 that it's not about PR. It's just genuine. His 00:29:05.630 --> 00:29:07.470 whole attitude towards money seems secondary. 00:29:07.650 --> 00:29:10.230 He famously said, money is the last thing I think 00:29:10.230 --> 00:29:12.670 about. I could live on what I have already made 00:29:12.670 --> 00:29:14.809 for the next few centuries. And the gifts he 00:29:14.809 --> 00:29:17.650 gives to people he works with are just next level. 00:29:17.710 --> 00:29:19.450 We talked about the Harleys for the Matrix stunt 00:29:19.450 --> 00:29:21.869 guys. He kept that going. Oh, yeah. For John 00:29:21.869 --> 00:29:24.349 Wick. Chapter four, he gave his core personal 00:29:24.349 --> 00:29:27.309 stunt team these beautiful custom engraved Rolex 00:29:27.309 --> 00:29:30.369 Submariner watches. Rolexes for the stunt team. 00:29:30.549 --> 00:29:33.349 Yeah. And it's not just the big flashy gifts. 00:29:33.829 --> 00:29:37.170 For the wider crew on chapter four, he apparently 00:29:37.170 --> 00:29:40.690 gave them all personalized T -shirts that tallied 00:29:40.690 --> 00:29:42.750 how many times the character they played as an 00:29:42.750 --> 00:29:46.369 extra. died in the movie huh that's brilliant 00:29:46.369 --> 00:29:49.210 it's those kinds of things witnessed by hundreds 00:29:49.210 --> 00:29:52.410 on set that build that reputation exactly it's 00:29:52.410 --> 00:29:54.809 why colleagues like lawrence fishburne consistently 00:29:54.809 --> 00:29:58.529 describe him as this very gentle highly intelligent 00:29:58.529 --> 00:30:01.630 man one of the kindest people in hollywood it 00:30:01.630 --> 00:30:03.950 feels authentic because it's backed up by countless 00:30:03.950 --> 00:30:06.609 small consistent actions which is why that whole 00:30:06.609 --> 00:30:08.730 internet's boyfriend thing has stuck isn't it 00:30:08.730 --> 00:30:12.099 it feels earned validated by these real moments 00:30:12.099 --> 00:30:14.539 that somehow go viral. Totally. Like that story 00:30:14.539 --> 00:30:16.460 about his United flight getting grounded on the 00:30:16.460 --> 00:30:18.619 way to L .A. from San Francisco. Ended up stuck 00:30:18.619 --> 00:30:20.440 in Bakersfield. Oh yeah, I heard about this. 00:30:20.480 --> 00:30:22.380 What did he do? Instead of just getting a private 00:30:22.380 --> 00:30:25.180 car, he apparently helped organize a van for 00:30:25.180 --> 00:30:27.079 a bunch of the stranded passengers to drive the 00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:29.539 rest of the way. And then, during the drive, 00:30:29.720 --> 00:30:32.079 he's reading them fun facts about Bakersfield 00:30:32.079 --> 00:30:35.079 off his phone, playing local country music from 00:30:35.079 --> 00:30:38.069 the 50s via YouTube to entertain everyone. That 00:30:38.069 --> 00:30:41.009 sounds almost too wholesome to be true. Is the 00:30:41.009 --> 00:30:44.450 consensus that this stuff is genuine or is it 00:30:44.450 --> 00:30:46.809 a calculated persona? Everything points to it 00:30:46.809 --> 00:30:49.490 being genuinely him. Yeah. Which is why the persona 00:30:49.490 --> 00:30:53.569 works, why it endures. It's not an act. Even 00:30:53.569 --> 00:30:56.069 the sad Keanu meme back in 2010. The picture 00:30:56.069 --> 00:30:58.430 of him on the park bench looking melancholic. 00:30:58.569 --> 00:31:01.529 Right. It resonated because he looked genuinely 00:31:01.529 --> 00:31:04.470 thoughtful, maybe a bit vulnerable. He brushed 00:31:04.470 --> 00:31:08.039 it off later, just said, I was hungry. But fans 00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:10.960 created Cheer Up Keanu Day because of it. There's 00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:12.920 this protective instinct people feel towards 00:31:12.920 --> 00:31:15.180 him. But maybe the most defining public moment, 00:31:15.319 --> 00:31:17.900 the one that really crystallized that perception 00:31:17.900 --> 00:31:20.019 of his grace and thoughtfulness, was on Stephen 00:31:20.019 --> 00:31:22.240 Colbert's show. Oh, absolutely. Colbert asked 00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:24.640 him that big existential question. What do you 00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:26.200 think happens when we die, Keanu Reeves? And 00:31:26.200 --> 00:31:29.660 his answer was just perfect. So simple, so profound. 00:31:29.799 --> 00:31:32.740 He just paused, looked up, and said, I know that 00:31:32.740 --> 00:31:36.170 the ones who love us will miss us. Just wow. 00:31:36.430 --> 00:31:38.109 Right. The New Yorker wrote about it saying it 00:31:38.109 --> 00:31:41.130 was so wise, so genuinely thoughtful. It felt 00:31:41.130 --> 00:31:43.509 like a rebuke to the usual empty celebrity chat. 00:31:43.710 --> 00:31:46.569 That ability to meet intense public scrutiny 00:31:46.569 --> 00:31:50.410 with quiet sincerity. That's rare. It makes him 00:31:50.410 --> 00:31:52.569 feel like more than just a star. He's a cultural 00:31:52.569 --> 00:31:55.349 fixture. Definitely. He got his star on the Hollywood 00:31:55.349 --> 00:31:58.910 Walk of Fame way back in 2005. And just last 00:31:58.910 --> 00:32:02.839 year. In 2023, scientists actually named a newly 00:32:02.839 --> 00:32:07.279 discovered compound that kills fungi. Quinamycin. 00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:09.619 Quinamycin. That's amazing. He's literally fighting 00:32:09.619 --> 00:32:12.240 fungus now. Apparently it's that effective. And 00:32:12.240 --> 00:32:14.599 we can't forget the whole secretly immortal meme. 00:32:14.759 --> 00:32:17.160 The comparisons to historical figures like that 00:32:17.160 --> 00:32:19.680 French actor Paul Monet or even Charlemagne. 00:32:19.799 --> 00:32:21.539 At least he doesn't seem to age. Exactly. He's 00:32:21.539 --> 00:32:23.819 even joked about it, acknowledging the resemblance 00:32:23.819 --> 00:32:26.299 in the eyes, the nose. It adds to this mythic 00:32:26.299 --> 00:32:29.089 quality. He seems almost timeless, yet he constantly 00:32:29.089 --> 00:32:31.970 projects this very real, very human kindness. 00:32:32.269 --> 00:32:35.009 Hashtag tag it out, Trey. So if we try to pull 00:32:35.009 --> 00:32:36.789 it all together, these four decades, what's the 00:32:36.789 --> 00:32:39.170 pattern? It seems like Keanu Reeves navigated 00:32:39.170 --> 00:32:41.089 these incredible professional highs and lows. 00:32:41.250 --> 00:32:43.809 Huge risks, yeah. Turning down massive paydays, 00:32:43.990 --> 00:32:46.369 going up to do theater in Winnipeg, directing 00:32:46.369 --> 00:32:49.460 a movie that flopped. And enduring just... devastating 00:32:49.460 --> 00:32:51.799 personal losses. By staying incredibly dedicated 00:32:51.799 --> 00:32:54.619 to what? Artistic creation in all its forms, 00:32:54.819 --> 00:32:57.940 discipline, and this remarkable quiet generosity. 00:32:58.440 --> 00:33:01.019 I think that's it. He fundamentally seemed to 00:33:01.019 --> 00:33:04.720 choose connection, quality. integrity over just 00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:08.000 maximizing profit or playing it safe. Launching 00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:11.180 ARCH Motorcycle, creating BRZ RKR, producing 00:33:11.180 --> 00:33:13.960 documentaries alongside the constant physical 00:33:13.960 --> 00:33:16.099 training and taking those big theatrical risks. 00:33:16.279 --> 00:33:18.940 His whole career feels like a testament to doing 00:33:18.940 --> 00:33:21.789 things his own way with integrity. And that integrity, 00:33:21.869 --> 00:33:24.029 that way of navigating his career, it brings 00:33:24.029 --> 00:33:26.170 us back to that core idea we talked about earlier, 00:33:26.369 --> 00:33:28.869 that lesson of impermanence he learned from Little 00:33:28.869 --> 00:33:30.869 Buddha. Yeah, it's such a paradox, isn't it? 00:33:30.950 --> 00:33:33.809 He plays Neo, this iconic, seemingly immortal 00:33:33.809 --> 00:33:36.849 hero. Yet his actual career path has been anything 00:33:36.849 --> 00:33:39.210 but stable. It's been this constant cycle of 00:33:39.210 --> 00:33:41.750 ups and downs, massive hits followed by quiet 00:33:41.750 --> 00:33:44.349 periods or outright flops. It perfectly mirrors 00:33:44.349 --> 00:33:46.789 that transient nature of life he seems so aware 00:33:46.789 --> 00:33:48.589 of. So what's the final thought for you, the 00:33:48.589 --> 00:33:50.369 listener, thinking about all this? Maybe his... 00:33:53.590 --> 00:33:57.369 Could be. He projects this image of blockbuster 00:33:57.369 --> 00:34:01.549 immortality. John Wick, Neo Dark. but simultaneously 00:34:01.549 --> 00:34:04.809 embodies this deep vulnerability, this awareness 00:34:04.809 --> 00:34:07.269 of mortality. He's the guy who thinks about death 00:34:07.269 --> 00:34:09.610 all the time, who accepts the downswings as part 00:34:09.610 --> 00:34:12.590 of the ride. So has Keanu Reeves almost unintentionally 00:34:12.590 --> 00:34:15.070 become this perfect empathetic avatar for how 00:34:15.070 --> 00:34:18.469 we all experience modern life? Trying to balance 00:34:18.469 --> 00:34:20.469 the extraordinary with the ordinary, the legendary 00:34:20.469 --> 00:34:23.050 with the genuinely humble, the successes with 00:34:23.050 --> 00:34:24.929 the inevitable setbacks. Maybe that's the real 00:34:24.929 --> 00:34:26.869 secret to his staying power. It's definitely 00:34:26.869 --> 00:34:29.269 something to think about. the anomaly who somehow 00:34:29.269 --> 00:34:30.650 became universally relatable.