Keanu Reeves Talks Filming ‘John Wick 3’ Fight Scenes, Almost Changing His Name, More | Sunday TODAY

[0:00]30 years ago, two slackers named Bill and Ted traveled through time on an excellent adventure in a movie that became a surprise hit and launched the career of a young actor named Keanu Reeves. From there, the Hollywood adventure took Reeves through a range of roles in films like Parenthood, Point Break, My Own Private Idaho, Speed, The Devil's Advocate, Something's Got to Give, and of course, The Matrix movies where he dodged bullets in slow motion as Neo. But even as that multi-billion dollar resume has made Reeves famous around the world, he's remained private and not drawn to the spotlight that follows him. So we were very happy when Keanu agreed to get together this week for a Sunday sit down to talk about his life and career. Keanu, thanks for doing this. Oh, thank you for uh, the invitation and the opportunity to converse. When it comes to his work, Keanu Reeves likes to be at the center of the action. In his latest film, John Wick 3 Parabellum, Reeves returns as the grieving assassin looking for revenge. John Wick Chapter 3. Where do we pick up, John? At the end of Chapter 2, we saw John Wick running out of Central Park for his life. And in Chapter 3, we slam cut. New York Public Library. It's a little later. It's night. It's raining, and John Wick is still on the run. Made on a small for an action movie budget. John Wick. The first John Wick movie was a runaway hit that launched two sequels. Thanks in part to the series' innovative fight sequences. It makes sense, given the film's director was Keanu's stunt double in The Matrix films. But at 54 years old, the actor's moves are all his. I do all of the action. I mean, I'm 90% of what's happening there. I'm maintaining the connection with the audience and with the story. And if it's wacky, crazy stuff, then you're just like, "Oh my God, that just What did I just see?" There's it different to do an action scene today than it was 20 years ago in The Matrix? Uh, yes, absolutely. It's more about recovery. But with the experience, though, you become more efficient and hopefully you you get better at what you're doing. Because there's Judo, a little Jujitsu, all the weapons manipulations in Chapter 3, there's uh, and I keep calling that gun-fu. There's a motorcycle. So there's a motorcycle-fu. Yeah. It's with ninjas. Ninja Moto-fu. You get your money's worth. That's the whole shebang. It's, it's I have to say. I just said the whole shebang. Keanu Reeves's story begins in Beirut, Lebanon, where he was born in 1964 to a British mother and an American father. He moved around as a child before his family eventually settled in Toronto. I grew up in show biz. The whole shebang. The whole shebang. Let me color you a picture. My mother, my mother's a costume designer. She works for Anne Murray and Dolly Parton. True story. True story. Um and so then my mother says that I came to her when I was like 15 and I said, um, I want to be an actor. Is that okay? And she was like, "Of course, darling, whatever you'd like to do." And then I was really, um, self-motivated, so I started taking acting classes and improv. Reeves soon landed his first professional gigs, on stage and in commercials. Who's your coach? My dad. Coke is it! And when I was 20, I got in my car and I drove to Hollywood. And then when I got here, they wanted to change my name. I heard that. Keanu was a little confusing. And then I was kind of like, well, why don't you just call me Templeton or Chuck Spadina? That's the one I was thinking of. Chuck Spadina. And my agents were just like, when are we gonna get serious here? My middle name is Charles, so they were like, "Why don't we just call you K.C. Reeves?" My heart. That's still wounded. The "thous slings and arrows." I think that's an arrow. Even with a name like Keanu, Reeves picked up small roles in movies. And then, one excellent one. Whoa. I'm sure by now you're painfully aware of this, but it's been 30 years since Bill and Ted's. Right? That rock and dude to a new level of of stardom in Hollywood. Did it feel that way at the time? No. Really? Yeah. I mean. I mean, that was another film too that that almost in a kind of John Wick sense that was certainly under the radar. The success of that was different than anything that I had before. So successful, in fact, that more than three decades later, it looks like we might actually, hopefully, make a movie this summer. Bill and Ted 3: Face the Music. Bill and Ted is getting a third film in the franchise. Do out next year. Excellent! So why did you want to come back to that story all these years later? Um, because the writers had a good idea. I don't know what it's going to be like to play that role. Yeah, I was going to say, what's it going to be like in 30 years later? I have no idea. I'm scared. Strange things are afoot at the Circle K. That signature delivery helped to launch a career of defining roles in films like Point Break, I am an F.B.I. agent! Speed, and The Matrix. The way the world reacted to The Matrix in the trilogy, um, I'm a part of that and certainly that the scale of that film, I have no other film that is has had that appreciation for it. Despite leading a billion dollar action franchise, Reeves has managed to keep a relatively low profile. Is that something you work at or is that something that just happens? Yeah. I mean, I think uh, yeah, my my days are pretty normal. Over the years, Reeves has earned a devoted following, delighting fans by just how pretty normal he can be. In March, after his flight made an emergency landing hours from its destination, Reeves jumped into action. Even working with the airline to get a van to take him and his fellow passengers home. Even better, he won't boast or even talk about any of it. You also have a reputation for being a very generous guy. There are stories about you buying Harley-Davidsons for crews and. You know what I love about John Wick is like the cast that I'm working with. Can you imagine, like I got to work with Angelica Huston. Yes. A clever diversion from an action star who's always thinking about his next move. Including where John Wick goes from here. Wick and the whole shebang. That's the next movie. Chapter 4. Wick and the whole shebang. And the whole shebang. In 4D. In VR. In incredible Raw Ma. We'll wait for part 4. But for now, John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum hits theaters this coming Friday, May 17th. Our thanks to Hakan restaurant here in New York for hosting that conversation. By the way, this summer Keanu will lend his voice to a motorcycle riding character named Duke Caboom in the animated movie Toy Story 4. To hear Keanu talk about the real-life motorcycle company he runs, and what he loves about being out on the road alone, check out our web extras at today.com/sunday. And don't forget to subscribe to the Sunday Sitdown podcast to hear the entire unedited interview with Keanu Reeves. You can find that on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get yours.