Keanu Reeves has made a massive name for himself in Hollywood, especially in the field of action. He earned the tag of an action hero after starring in movies like Point Break and Speed. Although the actor starred in a wide variety of movies after that, he retained the tag of action hero after being a part of some of the most notable Matrix and John Wick franchises. But in reality, when Speed dropped, the actor liked to be called everything but an action hero.

Keanu Reeves

When Speed dropped in 1994, it provided a huge push to Keanu Reeves’ stardom. It established the star as an action hero to the critics and the audiences. This also led to him being compared with some of the most significant action heroes of all time which didn’t draw a positive response.

Why did Keanu Reeves hate the ‘action hero’ image?

Keanu Reeves starred as Officer Jack Traven in Speed which earned a gargantuan $350 million and proved to be one of the most notable parts of his career. But during a press interview, when the John Wick star was compared to names like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, he wasn’t very happy and concluded his character to be an “ensemble piece”.

Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in Speed

Names like Schwarzenegger and Stallone are an integral part of the action in Hollywood. This was also evident when Keanu Reeves’s name was taken along the lines of the Predator star. He responded:

“I know it’s a piece of fiction. It’s not my ambition and hopefully the film will be successful and people will go. I don’t think that the part really is that kind of turn. The part, to me, really feels like an ensemble piece. I think that’s the strength of the film. The character, the protagonist is not highlighted in such an important way. He’s part of it. He’s not in the prow of it.”

It is also to be noted that Speed was only the second action flick in the Youngblood debutant’s career after Point Break. Looks like Keanu Reeves didn’t want to establish himself in a particular niche and also went on to act in several kinds of movies in his career.

One of the other factors that made Keanu Reeves one of the biggest action names is due to his urge to perform his own stunts. But as The Devil’s Advocate actor said that he wanted to be involved in the action sequences as much as he could. On top of it, the emotional feelings behind those actions also brought him closer to his character of Jack Traven.

What are the upcoming projects of Keanu Reeves?

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Keanu Reeves is currently enjoying the success of his latest John Wick: Chapter 4 which became the highest-grosser in the franchise. It can’t be denied that the action thriller franchise is also one of the main highlights of Reeves’ career.

While the ending of the latest John Wick movie presented some doubts about the future of the character, looks like Keanu Reeves is going to return soon. Recently the fans of the Assassin franchise rejoiced after a Lionsgate executive confirmed that John Wick 5 is officially in the works. Although the 58-year-old is expected to have a cameo in the franchise’s spin-off Ballerina starring Ana De Armas, it is a prequel project.

It is evident that the collection of $431 million motivated the studio to plan more future projects. The studio executive Joe Drake also confirmed that the sequel will be organic. It will be hoped that it doesn’t end as a mere cash grab.

Speed can be streamed on Hulu whereas the John Wick movies can be streamed on Lionsgate Play.

Source: Showbiz Cheatsheet