"I'm just the boy next door"
So reckons Keanu Reeves.
Huh, we wish he lived up our street!
by Anne M. Raso
The latest news from across the pond is that Keanu is now girlf-less. So when we were offered the chance to speak to his hunksomeness we set out to discover the truth behind the scurrilous rumours. Read on...
You don't talk about your private life much do you?
No, I don't, because if you have to live in the public eye in terms of your career, you don't really want your private life out there too. I don't like getting dumped in the same category as all those club kids in LA 'cause I'm not a real party animal. Just because I occasionally go to clubs such as the Viper Room (Johnny Depp's club) or the Roxy, people automatically think I'm a right raver. Journalists seem to always want to fill in between the lines. I live a pretty normal life. I live in an average-sized house, own only one car and try to stay as 'normal' as possible. My only vice is collecting hundreds of pairs of jeans, some of which are in total tatters and should be thrown out - but is that so weird?
What type of chickstrel do you go for?
The qualities I look for most are patience, a good sense of humour, warmth and intelligence. And I like a woman to understand my line of work, the fact that I'm away most of the time - although if she doesn't, I can still care about her. Likewise, if she's an actress or model, I have to respect her needing space to do her job and have some private time.
News here at Teen Towers is that you have an actress girlf who's just dumped you to move to New York...
Hmmm, that's one of those questions that isn't anybody's business. Next!
Tell us about Sandra Bullock, your co-star in Speed. How did you get on?
Really well! She's tons of fun to be with, and very sarcastic all the time. It was great to work with someone who had a sense of humour and who isn't full of themselves. She's not a vanity case like a lot of other actresses. She's just one of the boys and I don't think success will spoil her!
She sounds quite like her character in Speed. Are you anything like Jack Traven?
I wish I was as brave as Jack. If I was a policeman in charge of tracking down a madman bomber I'd be really scared. Let me tell you, there's no way I'd have got on a bus with a bomb on it, and there's no way I'd have hung on underneath trying to dismantle it, either.
You look particularly hunksome in Speed.
I was told by the producers to beef myself up a bit. I guess they thought a cop should be burly and not a skinny wimp, which is what I am (wanna bet? - J17 girlies). It scared me at first because I gained 30 pounds by exercising and my face looked totally different. I didn't have a neck anymore! My head was just resting on my body without anything in between, and my face looked rounder, which made my eyes look smaller. But, people have told me I looked good, and I've kinda got used to it.
Do you still exercise now?
Well I'm very lazy! I can work all day on a movie set. That means I've channelled all my energy into it, and I have to force myself to go to the gym in the morning. I'm not still weight training. Someone told me that since Speed I've become a stud. I wouldn't say I'm that. I'm more like the boy next door!
Speed was an excellent movie. Are you offered many atrocious scripts?
Yeah I am! To be honest, I thought Bill & Ted would never do anything - especially after the film company went out of business in the States. The movie was in the can, and sat around for ages until Tri-Star Pictures picked it up. Fortunately, Tri-Star knew how to promote the project and put up the big marketing dollars. That pretty much launched my career, even if some people thought it was silly. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey also did well, even though Alex and I felt we had outgrown the parts when we did it. I was tired of playing a teenager, but the movie at least kept me in the public eye.
Which of your films is your favourite?
My favourite project to date has been My Own Private Idaho. I miss River Phoenix so much, it was incredible working with him! To think about him not being with us anymore blows my mind. Gus Van Sant (arty director who did My Own Private Idaho) was brilliant to work with too. I loved his film Drugstore Cowboy because it was almost surreal, and that's why I wanted to work on one of his projects. He deals with the filthy underbelly of American society.
Were you scared that playing a gay prostitute in My Own Private Idaho could damage your career?
No, because I'm not trying to be a star, I'm trying to be an actor. There's a big difference. You have to put your love of the craft before fame or money. Fame can ruin you in a lot of ways. It can influence you to make bad decisions. You have to think with your head and not let anything else influence you.
Why do you think you're such a successful actor?
Well, if there's a secret, it's throwing yourself into a movie and giving it 100 per cent of your energy. You need to research a part really well too. So if that means living on the streets for a few days, that's what you do.
Do you have a message for any Just Seventeenies who haven't seen Speed yet?
Well, you won't be failing asleep in your seat when you do see it, and you'll probably leave the theatre totally energised. It's one of those action-packed pictures where you completely throw yourself into the plot. You can't stay removed from it - you're not just an observer. Oh, and one other thing, you might never ride a bus again!