Keanu Reeves gave a classy response to Jada Pinkett Smith’s comments on his intense preparation for Neo.
Keanu Reeves is one of the leading action heroes in Hollywood. He starred in some of the best action films in each decade including Speed in the 90s, The Matrix films in the 2000s, and the John Wick films in the 2010s. He is known for his rigorous and dedicated preparation for his roles and he goes all out in doing most of the action sequences himself.
Actress Jada Pinkett Smith starred in the Matrix Sequels as Niobe and trained with Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss for the action sequences. Pinkett Smith saw the intense process Reeves went through to play Neo and was amused with the extremity of his preparation for the role.
Keanu Reeves Had A Classy Response To Jada Pinkett Smith’s Comments
Jada Pinkett Smith joined the sequel to the highly successful 1999 sci-fi action film The Matrix which created history in action filmmaking and visual effects. She played Niobe and got to train with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss who play Neo and Trinity in the film series.
Reeves is known to be a total professional and is highly committed to his work. He underwent an intense training process to play Neo and Pinkett Smith was especially surprised and amused when she saw Reeves relaxing himself by taking an ice bath. She recalled her conversation with Reeves saying, (via IMDB)
“I saw Keanu (Reeves) sitting in a tub of ice. And I’m looking at him like ‘You’re in that for…’ and he’s looking at me like ‘You’ll know one day.’”
The character of Neo remains one of Reeves’ most memorable roles in his entire career. The film series further established his reputation as a bonafide action hero. The John Wick series later elevated him to the next level and it proved to be his next career-defining film series since The Matrix.
John Wick Franchise Producer Says Next Installment Will Be A ‘Completely Different Book’
Keanu Reeves’ John Wick: Chapter 4 ended with the supposed death of the titular character which signaled the end of the film series at the time. However, a fifth film has already been announced and many are guessing how the franchise will move forward from the end of the fourth installment. Recently franchise producer Basil Iwanyk gave an update about the future of John Wick.
Iwanyk revealed that although they haven’t yet cracked the idea of a fifth film, they are still discussing and brainstorming ideas about the franchise’s future. He also talked about how the next film will feel like its told from a completely different book altogether. Iwanyk told Screen Rant,
“So I think that what I love about the end of John Wick 4 is, if this means that there’s never another John Wick movie, it’s a nice elegant way of ending it, right? If there is another John Wick movie, which I do believe there will be, we don’t know what it is yet, but I do believe.
I do feel like it will be a completely other book. If these movies were four chapters, you kind of blame it on the metaphor. The next John Wick will be another book. It won’t be like six months later from John Wick 4.”
It will be quite a while till we see the next John Wick film as Chad Stahelski is currently gearing up to start filming his Highlander reboot film with Henry Cavill. However, fans can still witness Reeves in action in next year’s Ana de Armas-led spin-off film Ballerina where he reprises his role as John Wick.