With the release of Bill & Ted Face The Music, Keanu Reeves brings back one of his first and most iconic roles as Ted “Theodore” Logan. When he and Alex Winter’s Bill S. Preston, Esquire, don't see their musical career go the way they had envisioned, they continue the search for a song to unite space and time in order to save existence. Although Reeves initially had a hard time breaking away from roles like Ted, due to Bill & Ted's immense success, he's since become one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Reeves' family moved to Toronto, Canada when he was still very young. As a high school student at De La Salle College and Etobicoke School for the Arts, he took a keen interest in drama and ice hockey. Drama won out, but the hockey skills landed him his first big role in 1986's Youngblood alongside Rob Lowe. Since, he's acquired more than 100 acting credits across a variety of genres and mediums.
In addition to appearing in front of the camera, Reeves is no stranger to voice acting. He reprised his role as Ted Logan in the Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures animated series (1990) and once again played Neo from The Matrix trilogy in The Animatrix (2003) and the video game Enter The Matrix (2003).
More recently, Reeves played Duke Caboom, a toy based on “Canada’s Greatest Stuntman,” in Toy Story 4. Caboom goes through a similar story arc to Buzz Lightyear in the first film: The existential crisis of learning he’s a toy. Not only does the Toronto-raised Reeves shine in the comedic aspects of the character, but he also successfully traverses Caboom's emotional journey.
Pixar animator Benjamin Su, who is also Canadian, describes Caboom as “a very sensitive, nice guy” who “sort of represents what Canadians are.” This mirrors Reeves’ reputation for being one of the nicest and most humble people in the film industry.
In the John Wick franchise, Reeves proves once again that he can lead an action franchise in addition to taking on roles in other genres, including romances and crime dramas. The anti-hero John Wick is a retired assassin for the Russian mob who tries to live a normal life when mobsters from the same syndicate interfere in his life.
For the physical aspects of the role, Reeves went through intense martial arts training, including Judo and both the Japanese and Brazilian styles of jiu-jitsu -- in his late 40s. The series has marked a major renaissance in Reeves' career and already has three installments, with the fourth and fifth movies in pre-production. They are intended to be filmed back-to-back.
Perhaps one of Reeves' most outlandish, yet well-received roles is in the 2019 comedy Always Be My Maybe. It stars comedian Ali Wong as Sasha, a celebrity chef from San Francisco who reconnects with her childhood friend, Marcus Kim, played by Fresh Off The Boat’s Randall Park, who is still in love with her.
Reeves' presence in the film creates an almost impossible hurdle for Marcus to overcome in his journey to rekindle a romance with Sasha. However, what makes his role so memorable is that his character is a fictionalized, narcissistic version of himself. Reeves plays the part so convincingly, it's easy to forget that he has a reputation for being authentically kind and gracious. He even gave permission to Park to write and perform “I Punched Keanu Reeves” for the movie and provided input for the song.
Although Reeves had to overcome some hurdles early in his career, he's proven to be one of the most versatile actors in the business.