The Heart of CONSTANTINE

By ERICA ANDERSEN

Keanu Reeves starring in a big, dark fantasy movie. Hmm, where have we seen that before? Well, there were JOHNNY MNEMONIC, BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA and THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE. And let’s not forget the smaller-scale THE GIFT and THE WATCHER. Oh, and how could we forget THE MATRIX and its sequels, RELOADED and REVOLUTIONS? Now Reeves is at it again with CONSTANTINE, based on the DC Comics/Vertigo series HELLBLAZER and opening from Warner Bros. February 18. Reeves stars as John Constantine, who’s dying of cancer and desperately trying to stave off his destiny: having attempted suicide in his youth, and actually dying for a couple of minutes, he’s doomed to hell. And so he’s on a crusade, dispatching the half-breed demons that breach our earthly plane back to where they came from.

However, all hell’s breaking loose on Earth. Demons, not just half-breeds, are trying to break through. A troubled but deeply religious woman, Isabel (Rachel Weisz), has just apparently committed suicide, and her sister, Los Angeles police detective Angela Dodson (also Weisz), doesn’t buy it. And so she and Constantine join forces—interacting along the way with Satan (Peter Stormare), Gabriel (Tilda Swinton), Balthazar (Gavin Rossdale) and other allies, enemies and freaky creatures—to save themselves and, quite possibly, mankind.

"I first came across the script when I was working on THE MATRIX in Sydney, Australia," Reeves says, "and I read it and really enjoyed it. I guess from my first reading to principal photography, it was over a year and a half. In terms of making choices, it’s about trying to have a kind of variety of genre and character. But I said yes to it while I was doing THE MATRIX because I didn’t feel I was repeating myself. John Constantine is a very extroverted role. And so much about it was very different to me from the experience I was having in [the MATRIX movies], but it was still a great script, a great idea and a great character."

Reeves goes on to note that pre-CONSTANTINE, he was not familiar with HELLBLAZER, and thus didn’t know that the comic was set in England or that Constantine himself was British. By the time he received the screenplay, those elements had already been changed. "When I read the script and then familiarized myself with the work, I saw that what was important was really the essence of Constantine, and we worked really hard to keep that aspect," Reeves explains. "He’s kind of hard-edged, hard-boiled, world-weary, cynical, fatalistic, nihilistic, self-interested—with a heart. And I think we preserved that. I mean, I hope so. I hope that fans of the comic don’t feel we sabotaged something that is so well-loved."

During publicity rounds on behalf of CONSTANTINE, several of Reeves’ co-stars have spoken of his preparation efforts and how he kept journals chronicling the various sides of spirituality. Reeves, however, guns down such chatter. "They have no idea what they’re talking about," he says. "It’s just in the process for me—writing things down, thoughts for working on the role. I wasn’t carrying around THE WAY OF THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR, in that sense. I believe the film speaks for itself in a way, and that’s really what I was working on. If I had anything like that, it was the script for CONSTANTINE and the journey that character takes, learning about this kind of curse that was given to him as a kid. ‘A gift,’ another character says, but Constantine doesn’t see it quite like that. Part of the journey is Constantine understanding his life and the circumstances, and he comes to a kind of ambivalent peace of sorts."

Helping him embody the character, Reeves explains, was his…outfit. He recalls visiting the wardrobe department, rifling through a rack of clothes and trying on assorted pants, shirts and shoes. "There was a concept for the piece," he says. "What clothes fit? It was like trying on the hat—‘It’s this one.’ And I found that moment. I remember putting on the jacket and the shoes and I felt a certain way: ‘Yeah, this is Constantine.’ When you go to rehearsal, you wear your wardrobe, and eventually I find that not only do I have a feel, but they seem kind of connected, natural. When that happens, it’s great.

"So I kind of knew his core, but in terms of embodying the character, I also lowered my register a little bit, working on the way he spoke," Reeves continues. "I was guided by Francis Lawrence, the director, in terms of wanting a kind of hardboiled feeling and guided by the comic itself—a kind of noir aspect. And that has certain traditions I wanted to utilize, especially with his humor, that kind of deadpan. When did I know [I’d nailed it]? It kind of happened a couple of days before I shot. The exorcism was the first scene, and that helped a lot, too. When I walked from the window and got on the bed—‘How do I get on this bed?’ And when Constantine stands up and walks over, it’s like he’s trying to step over a puddle. I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got it.’ "

Reeves is due next in the comedy/drama THUMBSUCKER, in which he has a supporting role. He’s also got his role in Richard Linklater’s A SCANNER DARKLY (an animated film based on the novel by Phillip K. Dick) in the can and a reunion with SPEED star Sandra Bullock in the works. At some point, if CONSTANTINE gives ’em hell at the box office, it would surprise no one to see CONSTANTINE 2 put in motion. Reeves, though he doesn’t mention the MATRIX follow-ups by name, knows full well that sequels don’t always live up to expectations. "Well, we’d better not do that because that would suck," he says. "You know, my contract didn’t have a second film [required], but myself and some of the producers and Francis Lawrence certainly would [consider another Constantine adventure] because we fell in love with the guy. I had one of the best times I’ve ever had working on a film, working on this particular project.

"So, we would talk about what we could do. ‘What happens to Constantine?’ He’s a heroin addict in Morocco. He’s got a spell. He’s killing people and he’s trying not to kill people, so he’s knocking himself out. Then [CONSTANTINE co-producer] Akiva Goldsman was like, ‘No, he wants to stop Revelations.’ So we would discuss those kinds of things. Ultimately it’s up to the audience, because that would mean that the studio would have the resources to go forward with it. But I would love to play Constantine again as long as I worked with the same people, Francis Lawrence and Akiva Goldsman and everyone involved in this project; I couldn’t imagine doing this without them involved. I love playing the guy."

Mention the possibility of a CONSTANTINE trilogy, however, and touch of sarcasm slips through. "Trilogy, why stop there?" Reeves jokes. "We could have SON OF CONSTANTINE. And I’ll play him too. CGI. Who knows? I mean, probably by the 30th [of February, after CONSTANTINE is out for a couple of weeks], we’ll know. But also, I’m sure that after this film, because he did such a remarkable job, we’re not going to be able to hire Francis again. He’s gone."

Keanu Reeves Battles Evil Again in 'Constantine'

Interview: Keanu Reeves
"Constantine"
Posted: Wednesday February 9th, 2005 5:50PM
Author: Paul Fischer
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Over the years that one has interviewed Keanu Reeves, it is apparent that this Hollywood star would rather be left alone than meet and greet the media. Not that he is a difficult interview by any means, but he has always been more closed off than most. However, promoting his new film, Constantine, Keanu was in good spirits, perhaps because early buzz on this new comic book adaptation was positive, but perhaps these days he seems more relaxed than this most reluctant of stars.

Reeves stars as John Constantine, a world-travelling, mage-like misfit who investigates supernatural mysteries and the like, walking a thin line between evil and good. Constantine teams up with a female police detective, Angela (Rachel Weisz), who seeks Constantine's help while investigating the suicide-like death of her twin sister. Does it have something to do with a mysterious group called "The First of the Fallen"? And what is it about Constantine that puts him in a position where he is making deals with representatives from both Heaven and Hell? In a wide ranging discussion, Reeves talked about his initial love of film back in Canada, Constantine, and everything in between.

Question: What was your familiarity with the comic books and what did you feel about some of the changes such as the fact he was changed from British to American?

Answer: I wasn't familiar with the character before I read the script, and when the script came to me, that aspect of the character - being based in London and being English - had changed already. So I wasn't aware of that. When I read the script and then familiarized myself with the work, I saw that what was important was really the essence of Constantine, and we worked really hard to keep that aspect of it, because it's really what it's all about. That kind of hard-edged, hard-boiled, world-weary cynical, fatalistic, nihilistic, self-interested - with a heart. I think we did, I mean I hope so. I hope that fans of the comic don't feel that we sabotaged something that is so well loved.

Question: Several roles you've played have had a very spiritual side to them?

Answer: Like The Gift (laughter)

Question: Some of the actors we talked to talked about your preparation and said that you kept a lot of journals about various sides of spirituality. Can you talk a little bit about the research?

Answer: They have no idea what they're talking about. In the process for me it's writing things down, thoughts... for working on the role. In terms of - I wasn't keeping - I wasn't carrying around the Path of the Peaceful Warrior in that sense. I think the film speaks for itself in a way, and that's really what I was working on. If I had anything that was like that, it was a script called Constantine and the journey that character takes - learning about this kind of curse that was given to him as a kid. "A gift," another character says, but Constantine doesn't see it quite like that. I think part of the journey is Constantine understanding his life and the circumstances, and he comes to a kind of ambivalent peace of sorts. So really in a way it was the script, and we were all part of that.

Question: You were in "Thumbsucker" at Sundance, and I was wondering whether or not it's important of you to try to mix and match... Going from a very small movie like that to a big one?

Answer: I've been really fortunate to be able to do different kinds of films in different scales - different genres, different kinds of roles, and that is important to me. Sometimes, you don't want to play the hero. You want to play another kind of character in another genre, and it's been something I've been trying to do if I can in my career so far, and it's something I hope to continue because it's interesting to me and you know, you get to do different things as an actor. There's a certain - for me - joy in the diversity of roles. It's something I like to do if I can.

Question: You've been Buddha, you've been Neo the Messiah, you've been Johnny Mnemonic the Messiah, you've been pitted against Satan (Al Pacino)... This one seems to have dug deepest into established religious tradition, all kinds of vocabularies & rituals. I'm wondering how much of that for you is make believe, means something to other people, and how deeply this spiritual conflict... resonates with you, if at all?

Answer: To answer your question - I'll start with Constantine. The aspect for me - I think of it as a kind of secular religiosity. The piece itself is using icons and a platform in a kind of catholic heaven-and-hell, god-and-the-devil, human souls, fighting for those. But I find that the piece itself - Constantine because of the fact that he knows - and I was hoping that these concepts could become a platform that are humanistic, that the journey of this particular hero is hopefully relatable to - even though they're such fantastic characters and situations - that it's still a man trying to figure it out. In terms of the other roles, I hope ultimately - not only are they interesting - I think that those kinds of journeys, a hero journey, or Siddartha - these are all kind of seeking aspects that have something of value in terms of - to our lives - that we can take with us - and hopefully in the works that are entertaining and - these kinds of journeys that I think all of us - especially in western traditions - relate to. I think these motifs of seekers, messiahs, of anti-heroes, heroes - all of these aspects are journeys that I think deal with things that we deal with in our day-to-day in a way, and are entertaining. They offer up - coming from where do you come from, what are you fighting for... and coming into a kind of - I don't mean it in a facile way but into a kind of life. I think they're worthwhile, and if we can make them all kinds of stories, story-telling, that is always couched in this kind of engaging entertaining manner, whether it is a shadow play, a circle, a storyteller, our literature... the mediums that we communicate these things often times.

Question: What do you get from acting at this point?

Answer: I really love it. it's my craft. When I was 15, I went up to my mother and said, is it okay if I'm an actor? She was like - whatever you want, dear. In three weeks I was enrolled in an acting class doing Uta Hagen's Respect For Acting. And acting itself. I think of it as kind of like - and I've heard Anthony Hopkins say this - you learn about doing it, and it's like painting, I would imagine. The craft of it, the skill of it, the way that you work the paint, the way that you can act. The more you do it, the more you know it, and for me, it's what I love. A good day on the set, creating the work, the piece, the collaboration, expression, is a hoot. I love it. I love it. And hopefully it will continue.

Question: John Constantine seems to be seeking redemption in the wrong way... trying to earn forgiveness... trying to buy off God. Do you think repentance is something he needs to do?

Answer: Repentance. I think the aspect of repentance is born and expressed in his final act when he asks from - as he calls Lucifer - Lou - that's his repentance, and I think any sacrifice and what goes on there - I think that's what gives him the shot of going upstairs. But there's also the Constantinian twist of - make the sacrifice so that he can go to heaven, or does he really mean it? But he does. Ultimately he does, so the man upstairs knows. He's just like Santa Claus.

Question: At what point did you feel you knew the character?

Answer: I really enjoyed the character, but in terms of embodying it - when seeking a costume, I went to the costumer and she had a rack of clothes and choices and shoes and stuff, and I was just trying things on. There was a concept for the piece. What clothes fit? It was like trying on the hat - it's this one. And I found that moment - I remember putting on the jacket and the shoes and I felt a certain way: Yeah, this is the Constantine. So going to rehearsal, you wear your wardrobe and eventually I find that not only do I have a feel but it seems that... they seem kind of connected natural... when that happens it's great and and... So I kind of knew his core but in terms of embodying the character - I worked on - I lowered my register a little bit, working on the way he spoke, I was guided by Francis Lawrence the director in terms of wanting a kind of hardboiled... (guided) by the comic itself, a kind of noir aspect. And that has certain traditions in it that I wanted to utilize, especially with his humor, that kind of deadpan humor... When did I know... yeah, it kind of happened a couple of days before I shot. The exorcism was the first scene and that helped a lot too. When I walked from the window and got on the bed - how to I get on this bed? And when Constantine stands up and walks over, it's like he's trying to walk over a puddle. I was like - okay, I've got it.

Question: Talk about the non kissing scenes with Rachel?

Answer: It's more fun. It's one of those things that you can see that in the couple that it can be there, and yet it can't be there because it's not the time or place. So there's a bit of a conceit to it, but I think it's part of the enjoyment of the piece, I hope. It's almost like the same thing as an editing choice, like when the car hits the man who finds the spear, hopefully it's enjoyable and it's something that I think is in the relationship. There's something with what they're going through or some - actually, I'm not going to go there, but yeah, I think it's there. It's there. They can't kiss, they want to kiss but they can't kiss so they kind of don't kiss but they wanna kiss. And at the end of the film they do say that they have an interest in seeing each other again, so it's romantic in that sense.

Question: How do you feel about the possibility of another franchise, risking a sequel not living up to expectations?

Answer: Well, we better not do that because that would suck. You know, my contract didn't have a second film, but myself and some of the producers and Francis Lawrence, the director, and I certainly would - because we fell in love with the guy. I fell in love with the guy. I had one of the best times I'd ever had working on a film working on this particular project. So, we would talk about what could we do? What happens to Constantine? He's a heroin addict in Morocco. He's got a spell, he's killing people and he's trying not to kill people so he's knocking himself out. Then Akiva Goldsman was like, 'No, he wants to stop Revelations.' So we would do these kinds of things and ultimately it is up to the audience because that would mean that the studio would have resources to go forward with it. But I would love to play Constantine again as long as I worked with the same people. I mean, definitely Francis Lawrence and Akiva Goldsman and everyone involved in this project because I could not imagine doing this with everyone involved. But I love playing the guy.

Question: A trilogy?

Answer: Trilogy, why stop there? We could have Son of Constantine. And I'll play him too. CGI. No, but it's a character just as how it exists in the graphic novel, so I would love to play him again. Who knows? I mean, February 18th, probably by the 30th we'll know. But also, I'm sure Francis Lawrence after this film, because he did such a remarkable job, we're not going to be able to hire that guy. He's gone. He's gone.

Question: He'll want to protect his baby.

Answer: Yeah.

Question: Are you more attracted to something serious? Why attracted to Constantine?

Answer: Well, I first came across the script when I was working on The Matrix in Sydney, Australia. I was working on working, so the script came to me and I read it and really enjoyed it. It took, I guess from my first reading to principal photography, it was over a year and a half. So, and in terms of making choices again, it's like what I said earlier, it's trying to have a kind of variety of genre and character. But I said yes to it while I was making The Matrix because I didn't feel that I was repeating myself. I didn't feel like - Constantine's a very extroverted role. And so much about it is very different to me than the experience I was having in Constantine but it was still a great script and a great idea and a great character.

Question: Did you have input into the spirituality of the character? Francis said nine months on the script.

Answer: Yeah, I had some great time. He's a wonderful collaborator. And I worked with Akiva Goldsman as well who's producing and writing, and met with Frank a couple of times in Sydney. In terms of my impact, the spirituality is a word that I really don't feel is something to apply to Constantine. And if it is, then it's a very humanistic approach as it always is obviously, but it's more flesh and blood somehow than spiritual. I feel like some kind of flesh and blood aspect of it. My impact in terms of what it was and what it became, one of the expressions is in the end of the film, he's like, "I guess there's a plan for all of us. I had to die twice just to figure that out. Like the book says, he works his works in mysterious ways. Some people like it, some people don't" is mine. That's mine. And that to me was the ground for where Constantine ends up. And there's still that ambivalence of some people like it and some people don't, but there's an acknowledgment and in that acknowledgment I feel that you're watching the character who's dealing with something that happened to him that he didn't understand. He was given this curse or this gift to be able to see the world beyond the world. And in despair as a young man overwhelmed, he takes his own life and he goes to hell. Comes back from hell, he has no idea why. And I think that search of his trying to orient like, [looks up] 'Hey, fella, I'm doin' all this work, what are you doing to me?' and with people. So that was how I felt, so that was my impact. I don't know if that's - it's not spiritual - but it's flesh and blood.

Question: Are you trying to affect the world in a positive way?

Answer: In my art. I'm making up for what I do in life. That's my penance.

Question: Tell us about that.

Answer: Oh yes, do tell. See, no one cares about heaven, they just want the dirt. Because we can relate to that.

Question: Is acting a vehicle to affect the world?

Answer: I think for me personally, I like that aspect in the work that I do because it's what I enjoy in art. I think to go watch a film and spend two hours, to go out or to be entertained, and this doesn't necessarily - I don't mind showing a negative side as well, like working in a film like The Gift. I didn't play - that's not a redeemer, that character. But it was part of a story that was about grief and about dealing with grief. So but that film had that element to it. So it's something that I don't want to go to a movie and not have something that I can come away with, that I can either think about that adds to something because if I don't, then it's like why do I want to spend my time for two hours with assholes? It's just like come on, man. Thanks. Thanks for the pedophilia. It's like, "Yeah, I know, we're fucked up, great." Unless of course it's like really good, like kind of anime, but even at the end of that they have transformation, big shooting light. But yeah, if it doesn't have that element to it, I don't really - it doesn't usually attract my interest. I might look at it and think of it as pornography and it's like oh, great. But it's not worthwhile enough for me to try. Unless of course I'm broke.

Question: Any tough physical stunt work you did yourself instead of stuntmen or CGI?

Answer: I don't think there are any CGI Constantines in this one. What did I have to do? I had to, when Constantine gets punched by the demon and he goes flying backwards, I got to do that. Chad Stahelski, a man I've worked with through The Matrix on stunts, he was helping me coordinate it. He's my double. He was just like, "When you land, taco." I said, "What do you mean?" He goes, "Relax, don't fight it." So when I launched, I almost went out of frame. I don't know if you see the film again, I almost go out of frame because I pushed off really. And I'm glad he gave me that information because I was just like [woosh]. But the stuff was pretty- - I mean, there was some wirework. Did that roll in the street when the car is coming, dove and stuff like that, but it's all pretty basic things. Nothing too like - it wasn't like a triple side kick or a wire deal. But it was fun. I like fake fights and doing all that kind of stuff.

Question: You asked your mom at 15 if you could do this?

Answer: I was a good boy. It wouldn't have mattered what she said by the way, but you know.

Question: What inspired you to want to be an actor?

Answer: I had an experience once in second grade. You know how people often talk about how they see a fireman or - often times it's mostly firemen or policemen. They see a fireman or a fighter pilot or something like that and they go, "Oh, I want to be that" and they don't know why. I remember this teacher and these two actors came from high school and they came to do a class with the second graders just to do improv's and theater games. And I remember I was looking up at them and I was like, "I want to do that." I have no idea what that means. Was it their bohemia? I don't know. Maybe. I mean, I'm sure I'm obviously reacting with my eyes but I don't know what it was about them.

Question: You must have enjoyed them being there.

Answer: I don't remember that part. My stepfather, I remember he's a director and I went to a couple of rehearsals when I was younger. I was a production assistant on a production he was doing. I was bringing soda to Lilian Gish when Star Wars was coming out. She's like, 'Cinema these days.' And I had read a book about D.W. Griffith when I was 14 so I was like, 'I know what you mean.' It was a great honor for me. She was a lovely, lovely lady. So I was always around it. I was going to theaters and rehearsals with my stepfather when I was a kid. So I guess it's probably my tradition.

Question: Did you go to movies all the time?

Answer: Yeah, I did. Sometimes instead of school.

Question: Instead of school?

Answer: Shhh. Yeah, but also the Toronto Film Festival, the first year I went was in 1983 when Blood Simple was there. That was the year I went. I remember I would write down all the films I saw that year and I think it was like 76 films.

Question: You missed school that week.

Answer: Well I was going to films and that, and I remember like, you know, there's a beautiful, wonderful cinema in Toronto called the Bloor Street Cinema. And I remember like, summer nights just like riding my bike and just going, getting, locking my bike up and going into a movie - I didn't even know what it was! But I would just go and they had salty good popcorn and I'd just chill out and..

Question: Keanu, as both you and Gavin are musicians, I was wondering if you guys talked shop and what it was like to do such adversarial scenes with him.

Answer: The adversarial scenes are good clean fun. You know, I like how Gavin had such an enjoyment, he's such a.you know, he's such a, he's one of those guys who you'd love to hate but you can't. You know, but he is such a gentleman in person and he's, you know. But in terms of terms of us acting them, it was like, I love that constant thing where you just can't . and he's like Aarrrrggg, and when you come close he'd be just like 'I'm going to stinkin' kill you'. So we had good, we had fun. It was really enjoyable and he was working on his album, that I believe he is almost finished, my god, I mean he is still making a recording, you know , we spoke a little bit about that and, but umm, umm, yeah.

Question: Did you 'jam'?

Answer: Pardon me?

Question: Did you 'jam'?

Answer: No, no, no.

Question: Did you play guitars at all?

Answer: No

Question: Does Dogstar still exist?

Answer: No it doesn't

Question: Do you know what you are doing next?

Answer: Yeah, hopefully I am working with Sandra Bullock on a film called.

Question: Speed 3?

Answer: well it's um.. (laugh) don't laugh, we might make that! Um.. what would that be? Sped. Yep, there it is! Ummm, Darn it. aaarrrggghhh.

Question: You got a role?

Answer: No, yeah hopefully working with Sandra Bullock, it's an adaptation of Il Mare and it is with Alejandro Agresti and it is just straight out romance.

Question: What is it called?

Answer: Well the titles are changing, it is not going to be Il Mare, the script that I, the last draft that I read it was called The Lake House.

Question: You mentioned before the ambivalent peace that you admire that he was able to seek.

Answer: Yeah

Question: The gift that he was given, there seems like there is a parallel with what you have to deal with. To find some sort of ambivalent peace with all of the fame and success versus the artistic work that you want to do.

Answer: No I don't think that those are two separate things...I mean those are not disconnected.. I mean if I have any kind of success per say it comes from the work that I do or am involved in, um. and so that, that is connected and in terms of the other aspects, I did Constantine with Warner Brothers, but they hired me and I don't know if they would have hired me to do this, if I, they hadn't had any success with a project that I was involved in, you know with Matrix or The Devils Advocate, the studios have shown, they have been a great supporter of the work I do and want to do. That aspect of star and fame is a by-product of you know, work that I have done or been involved in and people have enjoyed hopefully.

Question: So it doesn't get in the way, you put on a black suit and people say Matrix rather than the character that you are premiering?

Answer: Do they. I mean for me when I saw the film I was transported by the film and hopefully the film was engaging enough for the whole two hours and six minutes that you are not going he is wearing a black coat, he is wearing a black coat...he is wearing a black coat. You know I am sorry I don't mean to be flippant, but hopefully they are not. You know what I mean...and um, you know - wasn't he wearing a stethoscope before? And there is an aspect to it that I don't want to be personally. You now in that sense, you know a lot of people say why are you guarded. I'm not, I just want the character to be able to exist of the screen and trappings and anything things that I can not bring to that is, to just have the character to exist is my aim and hope and you know if they both wake up searching for worlds and or if they both have a similarity in costume that hopefully it does not get in the way of them getting engaged in the piece and enjoying it, you know.

Question: Keanu, the purpose of film is to connect with other people, obviously one of the major purposes, your character John Constantine seems very alienated both from other people and also from God --

Answer: No he is very connected with God, he just doesn't understand what is happening. He is very connected, his whole life is intertwined God.

Question: But there is a sense of in terms of he can't seem to get there and do what God wants him to do to get to heaven.

Answer: Right.

Question: How do you see this resonating in an alienated culture, how do you expect your audiences to connect with your character?

Answer: Well this is an alienated character in an alienated culture. I don't know what else to say and a part of that journey is about connecting, and he does connect, and so hopefully part of the film is about the worthwhile offering it can bring.

Question: What is the period like between when you finish your job on set and then go and have to wait for the first cut are you often surprised by what you see is it something and then you put it aside?

Answer: I tend to like to see things as soon as I can , but, like on this experience you know, you wait for the director's cut, you know, you might say Francis when are you cutting it? He like, he'll see. Um. it is always a developing process and Francis worked extremely and everyone involved worked extremely hard in editing this film and ah, and finding it. we did additional shooting, we did um, finding the character of it and working on it and ultimately we made the best film, Francis made the best film we could make and which I thank him for. Yeah I mean in the past there has been a couple of times that I saw a cut and I called the director up and I said can we meet but that has only happened a couple of times, in the past seven years before that, I remember this one film that I did called Young Blood and I played French and I played this character and I am like I'm gonna go see the movie, come on let's go see the movie and then I'm like where is my scenes? And that never goes away you know.

Question: But now you have the power to sort of influence how the final cut is going to be?

Answer: No, no, no, no, at least now they pretend to listen, before I couldn't even get into the room, but now, that is nonsense, you it depends, you know with who I am collaborating with you know it depends.

Question: How open they are to it?

Answer: No not how open they are to it, it is a process I would never presume to, you know like on a film like Thumbsucker, I have a small role, I am a character player in the piece and I would never presume to walk in the room, but in a film, where I am, where it is a lead character I might. I think that is in the relationship, you know. Related News || Return to Interviews Menu

Keanu Reeves Battles Evil Again in 'Constantine'

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'Constantine' Premieres In Paris ]

By Nichola Groom

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Keanu Reeves just wants to do good.

For the 40-year-old actor, who plays a demon-fighting supernatural detective in his latest movie "Constantine," a film must end with a positive transformation or redemption to pique his interest.

And, frankly that is something you might expect from an actor best known as humanity's savior in "The Matrix" series to say.

"I don't want to go to a movie and not have something that I can come away with to think about or that adds up to something," he told reporters recently.

"If it doesn't have that element to it it doesn't really attract me," Reeves added.

Helped by the use of ground-breaking special effects, the futuristic "Matrix" trilogy grossed over $1.6 billion in worldwide ticket sales, making it one of the most successful franchises in cinematic history.

The trilogy, whose last film was released in 2003, sapped Reeves' time and energy and might have convinced audiences that he was only a Messiah-like action hero.

Reeves's character in "Constantine," a 30-cigarette-a-day smoker with a terminal lung disease, tries to win God's favor -- and his way into heaven -- by sending Earth-roaming representatives of the devil back to hell.

He insisted that "Constantine," which opens on Feb. 18, had nothing to the do with "The Matrix." Its superhero fights demons from Hell, instead of machines as in "The Matrix."

It is his first starring role in a big-budget movie since "Matrix." Despite his assurances to the contrary, Reeves could not escape suggestions that black-trench-coat-wearing John Constantine would remind audiences of Neo, the darkly clad superhero in the "Matrix."

BLACK COAT AGAIN Continued ...

"Hopefully the film is engaging enough that for the whole two hours and six minutes the audience is not going, 'He's wearing a black coat, he's wearing a black coat, he's wearing a black coat,"' Reeves said.
"I said yes to (making "Constantine") while I was making 'The Matrix' because I didn't feel that I was repeating myself. Constantine is a very extroverted role and so much about it was very different to me than the experience I was having on 'The Matrix," he said.

In his post-"Matrix" existence, Reeves said he has made an effort to play a range of roles, including a sweet young doctor in the romantic comedy "Something's Gotta Give" and even something he described as a "Zen orthodontist" in the upcoming independent film "Thumbsucker."

"Sometimes you don't want to play the hero," said Reeves, who rose to superstar status after playing the protagonist cop in 1994's action-thriller "Speed."

In "Constantine" his character meets policewoman Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz), who is determined to prove her sister's death was not a suicide so she can give her a Catholic burial.

Constantine's journey takes him through a computer-generated world of demons and angels, but Reeves said the film is more about human struggles than spiritual ones.

"Even though they are such fantastical characters and situations, it's still a man trying to figure it out," Reeves said. "These motifs of messiahs and heroes and anti-heroes, these journeys are things that we deal with in our day to day."

Reeves adamantly declined to discuss his own religious beliefs, saying the topic is "very personal."

Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book "Hellblazer," "Constantine" is the feature-film directorial debut of Francis Lawrence, who previously directed videos for artists like Britney Spears, Will Smith, and Aerosmith.

Fearing the film would end up relying more on spectacle than the script's plot, Reeves said he was skeptical at first of working with a music video director.

"That came out of an uneducated bias," Reeves admitted, saying he would like to make a sequel to "Constantine," "as long as I worked with the same people."

In his next project, Reeves said he will be reunited with "Speed" co-star Sandra Bullock in a remake of the 1962 Italian romance "Il Mare" to be directed by Argentine filmmaker Alejandro Agresti.

Reeves said his nascent music career with a rock band called Becky ended because the demands of his acting career did not allow him the time to tour and pursue a recording contract.

"I don't play anymore," he said.

Telling Tales

Telling Tales
February 1, 2005

Keanu Reeves is playing yet another mysterious anti-hero -- this time, a detective in the supernatural thriller, "Constantine." "To play this man who is trapped, who is fatalistic, cynical, world weary, was a lot of fun," Reeves admitted.

At 40, Keanu remains one of Hollywood's most puzzling and private superstars, but that doesn't stop tongues from wagging about him, so when our special correspondent Terri Seymour sat down with him, it was time to set the record straight.

"Oh, I read some doozies," Keanu said. "The worst story I heard about myself? Well, one of the good ones was that I was swimming with Sharon Stone in the pool at the Chateau Marmont. That was kind of groovy."

"Now what was the one recently?" Keanu continued, laughing. "That I've been married a few times -- I'm a polygamist."

But Keanu doesn't joke around when it comes to acting. His "Constantine" co-star, Rachel Weisz, said Reeves went above and beyond to play John Constantine, a character who has been to hell and back.

"He gets deep in character, like deep, deep, deep" Rachel revealed. "Like, you might get scared sometimes, like 'Keanu!'"

"Yeah, that's only because I dig playing him so much," Reeves added. "I'd hang around with him."

"Constantine," based on the comic book "Hellblazer," blazes into theaters February 18th

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's ... Keanu Reeves?

02.08.2005 9:00 PM EST

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's ... Keanu Reeves?'Matrix' star says he was asked to play the Man of Steel.

Keanu Reeves (file)

Imagine putting on that bright red cape, the matching boots and the blue shirt with that giant "S" branded across the chest. Soaring into the air, you stick out one arm, let the other dangle by your side, and fly off to rid the world of

injustice.

Now imagine you're offered that opportunity and you turn it down flat. For most of us, this is a daydream as plausible as outrunning a speeding bullet; for Keanu Reeves, it's reality.

In late 2002, with the much-anticipated "Matrix" sequels on the way, Reeves was the hottest property this side of Broadway and Park Place. When the handsome, dark-haired savior stepped out of a phone booth and flew into the sky at the conclusion of "The Matrix," the role of Neo felt like a big-budget screen test for the most iconic of superheroes.

As Reeves took flight, director Brett Ratner (the "Rush Hour" movies) was sea

rching for the perfect Man of Steel for a big-budget film based on a script called "Superman: Last Son of Krypton," and the role of a lifetime was offered to Keanu. "When Superman came around," Reeves remembered, "I think I was one of 110,000 people who got asked to do that."

"Whoa," you're probably thinking to yourself, "a laid-back actor whose name translates as 'cool breeze over the mountains' playing the square-jawed last son of Krypton?" Keanu felt the same way, calling it one of the clearest cases of miscasting ever presented to him.

"When studios have a big film like that," the black-clad superstar insisted, "everyone wants to be a part of it, so it's kind of like this feeding frenzy, like raw meat thrown into the ocean. So yeah, I've been around those, but it's never been real. But it's nice to be asked."

Reeves said he's dreamed of playing superheroes ever since he first broke into acting at age 15. His pride in selecting offbeat roles, however, allowed him to suppress that desire despite numerous opportunities during the current comics-to-film explosion.

Now, with the Superman movie progressing under a different director and star, Reeves is beaming over his first comic-book adaptation in this month's "Constantine." Ripped from the pages of long-running DC/Vertigo "Hellblazer" series, demon fighter John Constantine is unlike all those other superheroes movie audiences are familiar with, Reeves said, calling him "hard-edged, hard-boiled, world-weary, cynical, fatalistic, nihilistic and self-interested ... with a heart."

Dodging kryptonite and polishing Lex Luthor's chrome dome, it turns out, isn't the only superhero fantasy the leading man has flirted with over the years. "It would be cool to be asked to play Batman," Keanu said, revealing some jealousy toward names like Keaton, Clooney, Kilmer and — soon — Bale (see "Holy Psycho Killers! Christian Bale Cast As Batman"). "That would be fun."

Between the chain-smoking Constantine and the revenge-fueled Batman, it's obvious Reeves prefers heroes who have issues — in both senses of the word. Dressed in black from head-to-toe, the man who stared down the ultimate demon in "The Devil's Advocate" admitted he enjoys exploring the darker side of humanity. This explains his answer when asked to name the comic-book hero he dreams of portraying more than any other.

"If I could, I'd like to do Wolverine," Reeves said, referring to the beer-swigging, Adamantium-clawed "X-Men" antihero recently incarnated by Hugh Jackman. "But that's taken already and done really well, so I think my luck ran out on that one."

Hey, bub, we're just two cool mutants, just hanging on the bus, OK?

For more from Keanu on making "Constantine," plus an exclusive peek at the film, catch "Never Before Scene" Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Check out everything we've got on "Constantine."

Visit Movies on MTV.com for more from Hollywood, including news, interviews, trailers and more.

— Larry Carroll

Hill concert will aid cancer Reeves hangs with exorcist

HONG KONG-- Hollywood star Keanu Reeves said he trained with an exorcist for his latest film, "Constantine," and he was relieved that no supernatural forces plagued the movie set.

"There were no paranormal events that took place on the film that I know of. Thank God!" said Reeves, 40, who plays the title character in "Constantine" -- a man who battles to send demons back to hell.

He described his character as a "world-weary" and "nihilistic guy with a heart of gold."

Adapted from a DC Comics series, the film will have its world premiere in Hong Kong Tuesday -- 10 days before its opening in the United States.

"I went with an exorcist for a bit. I just want to know really practical things, like how do you hold someone possessed by the devil," Reeves said.

トロントからの記事（抜粋）

キアヌは言う。「トロントにいた15歳の頃、母に俳優になってもいいかと聞いたんだ。そうしたら、母は好きにしたらいいよといってくれたんだ。その3週間後にはUta HagenのRespect For Actingをベースにした演技クラスに申し込みしていたんだ。」

また彼はトロントにあるプロダクションのアシスタントとしても働いていたのだが、その中でローカルの劇団で演技をしたり、いつも映画を見に行ったりもしていた。毎年9月にはトロント国際映画祭が開催されるがそれにも精力的に通っていたらしい。

「1983年、

The Demon Hunter

Date: 2005-Feb-7
From: Ｃａｎａｄａ.com
(The Detail is here)

The Demon Hunter

抜粋して訳を掲載します。

（これまでのキャリアについて）キアヌは言う。「トロントにいた15歳の頃、母に俳優になってもいいかと聞いたんだ。そうしたら、母は好きにしたらいいよといってくれたんだ。その3週間後にはUta HagenのRespect For Actingをベースにした演技クラスに申し込みしていたんだ。」

また彼はトロントにあるプロダクションのアシスタントとしても働いていたのだが、その中でローカルの劇団で演技をしたり、いつも映画を見に行ったりもしていた。毎年9月にはトロント国際映画祭が開催されるがそれにも精力的に通っていたらしい。

「1983年、

The Demon Hunter

Date: 2005-Feb-6
From: Canada.com
(The Detail is here)

The Demon Hunter

Keanu Reeves's Matrix character was a tool of destiny. In Constantine, he's the opposite -- 'hard-boiled, world-weary, cynical, fatalistic, nihilistic, self-interested'

Bob Thompson
National Post

February 5, 2005

Keanu Reeves used to be unsure and unfunny, and painfully uncomfortable when grilled by reporters. What a difference a decade makes. As he saunters into a press conference promoting his new movie, Constantine, it's the journalists who look uneasy.

The Toronto native, on the other hand, grins broadly when he spots an ornate, oversized chair awaiting him at the front of the crowded hotel room. But rather than sitting down, he stands beside it and grandly announces, with impeccable timing: "I need," he says in a pompous English accent, "a bigger chair."

He gets the laughs he was looking for, then sits down, secure in the knowledge that being a confident 41-year-old does have its advantages.

So does starring as Neo in the wildly successful Matrix series, which wrapped last year. It gave him A-list leading-man status and earned him the biggest paycheque of his career. What did he do with the US$30-million-plus? "I bought a bigger chair," he says to more laughs.

Jokes aside, Reeves had to make some serious career decisions about whether he should pursue the lead in Constantine, which opens in theatres across North America next Friday.

Based on the English DC Comic graphic novel, the movie concerns John Constantine (Reeves), a demon hunter trying to win a place in heaven by eliminating the devil's messengers on Earth. There's terror and action, propelled throughout by the brash and sarcastic central character. An introspective Neo he is decidedly not.

"Constantine is a very extroverted role on the whole," says Reeves, getting down to business. "So much about it is very different from the experience that I was having with Neo. Constantine's that hard-edged, hard-boiled, world-weary, cynical, fatalistic, nihilistic, self-interested guy," says the actor, then, grinning, adds, "but with a heart."

Typecasting was not an issue. Reeves says he was more concerned that "fans of the comic don't feel that we sabotaged something that is so well loved."

To that end, the actor spent nine months of preproduction immersing himself in the world of Constantine, working on the wardrobe and the lines with first-time director Francis Lawrence.

"Even before we had rehearsals," says Lawrence, "we had this clear idea of what we wanted, and how Keanu wanted to play it. He doesn't like to leave anything to chance."

Reeves's passion for his roles says as much about his love of acting as it does his detail-oriented personality. "When I was 15, I went up to my mother and I said, 'I'm an actor,' " says Reeves, recalling his early days in Toronto.

And what did his mom say? "She said, 'Whatever you want, Keanu.' Within three weeks I was enrolled in an acting class [doing] Uta Hagen's Respect For Acting."

He also worked as a Toronto production assistant, talked his way into roles in local plays and, to learn his craft, became an inveterate moviegoer -- compulsively so when the film festival came around every September.

"Sometimes I did that instead of school" he says. "The first year that I went was in '83 when Blood Simple was there. That was the year I would write down all the films that I saw -- like 76 movies that time, I think."

A few years later, he was co-starring in River's Edge. In 1989 the first Bill & Ted film adventure got him launched. But it was Speed in 1994 that made him a bona fide movie star, a job title he rejected when he refused to do the sequel. But the success of The Matrix in 1999 forced him to accept his lot.

On the personal front, Reeves has been less fortunate. Three years ago, Reeves and Jennifer Syme had a stillborn child. A year later, Syme died in a car crash. And the drug-overdose death of Reeves's friend and My Own Private Idaho co-star River Phoenix in 1993 is a subject he refuses to discuss.

He will talk about his world view, but only in generalities. As for religion? No way. It's a topic the film Constantine uses to great effect, but he refuses to reveal his own philosophy beyond saying, with a wicked smile, that "God is like Santa Claus. If you're naughty or nice, He knows.

"Like the book says -- the Constantine book -- 'He works his works in mysterious ways.' Some people like it, some people don't."

Career moves work in mysterious ways, too. Constantine looks like it has the potential to be another Reeves film franchise.

He shrugs. "I fell in love with the guy," he says smiling. "But why stop there? Let's do The Son of Constantine, and I'll play him too with CGI."

Seriously? Not really. He is serious about one thing, though. John Constantine and Keanu Reeves have a lot in common.

"He's an alienated character in an alienated world," says Reeves. "Part of his journey is about trying to connect, and eventually he does."

Typecasting has never been an issue throughout his career, says Keanu Reeves, but in choosing his latest role as John Constantine, Reeves was concerned that "fans of the comic don't feel we sabotaged something that is so well loved." Top row, from left: Reeves stars in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure; River's Edge; My Own Private Idaho. Middle: Point Break, Speed. Above: The Matrix: Reloaded.

Keanu's exorcist

Keanu Reeves said he trained with an exorcist for his latest film, Constantine, and he was relieved that no supernatural forces plagued the movie set, reports The Associated Press.

''There were no paranormal events that took place on the film that I know of. Thank God!'' said Reeves, 40, who plays the title character in Constantine -- a man who battles to send demons back to hell.

He described his character as a ''world-weary'' and ``nihilistic guy with a heart of gold.''

Adapted from a DC Comics series, the film will have its world premiere in Hong Kong Tuesday -- 10 days before its opening in the United States.

''I went with an exorcist for a bit. I just want to know really practical things, like how do you hold someone possessed by the devil,'' Reeves said.

Apparently it helped. Costar Rachel Weisz says she almost drowned during the filming of Constantine -- no thanks to Keanu.

It all got a bit too real when Keanu had to hold her down under the bath water, reports Ananova.com.

''The director said that he wanted Keanu not to go easy on me. He wanted it to look real,'' she said. ``So he was really holding me down. It was scary. I mean, there was a moment in which I was not acting any more.''

Keanu Reeves' Excellent Adventure

Actor Keanu Reeves has received a star on the Hollywood walk of fame, proving to thousands of struggling actors everywhere that life really is unfair.

When asked how he felt about the honor, Reeves responded, "Whoa."

Despite being panned by critics and laughed at by film buffs, Reeves has starred in a number of films over the past decade and a half. His film credits include Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Hardball, and Johnny Neumonic. And while the movies he made have been diverse and, well, interesting, one thing has remained constant: his horrible, horrible acting.

At the presentation ceremony Reeves credited his mother for allowing him to pursue acting. Following the presentation ceremony, critics blamed his mother for allowing him to pursue acting.

Reeves' latest film, Constantine, is based on the DC comic "Hellblazer" and will be released on Feb. 18th. Following the premiere, the city of Hollywood will most likely debate removing the star before he is able to embarrass them any further.

exorcism skills on 'Constantine'

Associated Press

Reeves

HONG KONG ・Hollywood star Keanu Reeves said he trained with an exorcist for his latest film, Constantine, and he was relieved that no supernatural forces plagued the movie set.

"There were no paranormal events that took place on the film that I know of. Thank God!" said Reeves, 40, who plays the title character in Constantine ・a man who battles to send demons back to hell.

He described his character as a "world-weary" and "nihilistic guy with a heart of gold."

Adapted from a DC Comics series, the film will have its world premiere in Hong Kong Tuesday ・10 days before its opening in the United States.

"I went with an exorcist for a bit. I just want to know really practical things, like how do you hold someone possessed by the devil," Reeves said.

The star of the Matrix and Speed action thrillers said his latest role also makes him less skeptical about the existence of hell.

"Constantine kind of knows it's fact. So I guess if I had any doubts before, I probably have a little few less doubts now," he said.

Keanu exorcised

February 4, 2005

Hollywood star Keanu Reeves trained with an exorcist for his latest film Constantine.

And while no supernatural forces plagued the movie set, his poor co-star Rachel Weisz almost drowned during filming when Keanu had to hold her down under the bath water.

The British actress revealed that the director, Francis Lawrence, got exactly what he wanted when the scene turned scarily real.

"The director said that he wanted Keanu not to go easy on me. He wanted it to look real.

"So he was really holding me down. It was scary. I mean, there was a moment in which I was not acting any more," she said.

Reeves plays the title character in Constantine, a man who battles to send demons back to hell.

He described his character as a "world-weary" and "nihilistic guy with a heart of gold."

Adapted from the comics series Hellblazer, the film will have its world premiere in Hong Kong next week, 10 days before its opening in the United States.

"I just wanted to know really practical things, like how do you hold someone possessed by the devil."

The star of action thrillers The Matrix and Speed, who said he enjoys playing saviour-like characters, said his latest role also makes him less sceptical about the existence of hell.

"Constantine kind of knows it's fact. So I guess if I had any doubts before, I probably have a few less doubts now," he said.

"They (Constantine and The Matrix) are pretty classic Western hero myth stories. They are fun to play. They offer something for people to think about," he said.

Asked how he felt about receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this month, Reeves said: "It was a great honour for me. I just hope to be able to continue the journey and continue to make films that I am interested in and that people like."

Agencies

He is the 'ONE' - Star status for Keanu Reeves

Posted on : 2005-02-02| Author : Helen SteeleNews Category : Entertainment

Keanu Reeves – famous for his Hollywood flicks like “Speed,” “Point Break,” “The Matrix,” “Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure,” has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

On Monday, Reeves (40) was honored with the star which was placed along Hollywood Boulevard near the spot where some action scenes in “Speed” were shot.

Rejoicing his honor Reeves said: “When I was 15 years old in Canada, I did a play called 'Romeo and Juliet.' I asked my mom if it was OK to be an actor, and she said, 'Whatever you want.' So thanks, Mom.”

He said: “I've been pleased to work with so many wonderful stars through the years. This has been an amazing journey. I hope it continues.”

The honor came just weeks before the release of his next movie, "Constantine," adapted from the DC Comics series. Reeves stars as the title character, a man with visions of angels and devils on Earth who battles to dispatch demons back to the underworld.

The Canadian born actor has had a prolific and varied career, with roles in a range of genres including romantic comedies (Something's Gotta Give), period dramas (Dangerous Liaisons), sports flicks (The Replacements), action thrillers (Point Break) and sci-fi (Johnny Mnemonic).

Director for Timberlake video takes on Keanu Reeves flick

Updated at 15:12 on February 3, 2005, EST.

LOS ANGELES (CP) - Canadian-raised actor Keanu Reeves admits he was reluctant at first to have Francis Lawrence, whose biggest claim to fame was Justin Timberlake's music video for Cry Me a River, direct his latest film Constantine.

"That came out of an uneducated bias," the 40-year-old actor admitted during a press conference in Los Angeles. He explained that after seeing some of Lawrence's videos, and talking to the filmmaker for two hours, they connected so well that he refuses to do a sequel unless it's with the same team.

"My contract didn't have a second film in it, but I certainly fell in love with the guy," Reeves said. "I had one of the best times that I've ever had working on a film, working on this particular project."

Reeves plays comic-book character John Constantine, whose special powers allow him to chase demons. The script, based on the popular British Hellblazer comics, came to the actor while he was making the Matrix sequels.

The Canadian Press, 2005

Keanu 'still an atheist'

Keanu 'still an atheist'
03/02/2005 12:48 - (SA)

Keanu Reeves plays an exorcist in the fantasy suspense drama Constantine. (Warner Bros Entertainment)

Related Articles
Keanu coached by exorcist

Keanu Reeves on Walk of Fame

Hong Kong - Hollywood movie star Keanu Reeves said the making of supernatural thriller Constantine has not changed his beliefs about religion but admitted he was now less sceptical about heaven and hell.

Currently on a three-day promotional tour for the film in Hong Kong, Reeves spoke of his love for his character, a chain-smoking exorcist who patrols the border of heaven and hell, fighting with half-breed angels and demons.

But the movie, an adaptation of the DC-Vertigo comic book, did not change his stance as an atheist.

"I wasn't raised in any special denominations and I haven't taken on any so far," he told reporters. "I used to have doubts (about heaven and hell) and now I doubt less," said the star of Matrix and Speed.

To prepare for the role, the 40-year-old screen heart-throb, who recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said he had to visit real-life exorcists to see them in action.

"I had to learn how to hold someone who is possessed with devils," he said.

The film will be released in South Africa on March 4 2005.

WEISZ ALMOST DROWNED BY REEVES

Hollywood beauty RACHEL WEISZ nearly drowned whilst filming new movie CONSTANTINE after co-star KEANU REEVES pinned her underwater in a bath.

The ABOUT A BOY star struggled to breathe after the MATRIX actor was deliberately instructed to hold her under water for longer than she could handle.

She says, "The director said that he wanted Keanu not to go easy on me. He wanted it to look real.

"So he was holding me down. It was really scary.

"I mean, there was a moment in which I was not acting any more."

Keanu: Flirting, Fighting & 'Constantine'

Date: 2005-Feb-2
From: et.tv.yahoo.com
(The Detail is here)

Keanu: Flirting, Fighting & 'Constantine'

January 31, 2005

He went to hell in 1991's 'Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey,' and now KEANU REEVES is making a return trip in the dark, supernatural thriller 'Constantine,' in theaters February 18. KEVIN FRAZIER caught up with Keanu as he talked about his new character (which he loved playing!), romance, private life -- and his aching knees!

Based on the DC Comics/Vertigo graphic novels, 'Constantine' stars Keanu in the title role as a man tormented by visions of demons and half-breed angels. Driven to take his life to escape these horrors, he is refused entry into heaven and cast back into the land of the living, cursed to walk the earthly border between heaven and hell. "It was an absolute blast, I had a really great time playing him," Keanu told Kevin. "He's world-weary -- fatalistic, he's cynical."

In an effort to earn his way to salvation, Constantine battles the forces of evil for a chance to make it to heaven. When skeptical L.A. police detective Angela Dodson's (RACHEL WEISZ) twin sister dies mysteriously, she enlists the help of Constantine to guide her through the world of demons and angels. Even though the characters clearly have a romantic spark between them, Keanu says it wouldn't have been appropriate for them to hook up amidst the movie chaos! "It's like, 'I really want to be with you, the demons are coming, but let's make out!' There was not time ... (but it was) one of the best flirtations."

Keanu and his co-stars had such an amazing time making the film -- they often talked about doing a sequel: "We would speak about it like, 'What would Constantine do next?'"

Movie-talk aside, Kevin also had to ask the star how he managed to keep his private life out of the tabloids: "I have no life and I don't answer personal questions ... who cares!!" Keanu joked.

The recently-turned-forty Keanu also said he was dealing well with the aging process. "My knees feel forty, I make those sounds in the morning when I get up and pick something up ... as you get older you get a better sense of humor, you can deal with these things."

Also starring TILDA SWINTON, GAVIN ROSSDALE, DJIMON HOUNSOU, SHIA LaBEOUF and PETER STORMARE, 'Constantine' is directed by celebrated music video helmer FRANCIS LAWRENCE (JENNIFER LOPEZ, BRITNEY SPEARS, AEROSMITH and more).

Watch ET for more with Keanu and the 'Constantine' crew!

Keanu Says His Band Days Are Over

Mon, Jan 31, 2005, 01:01 PM PTBy Mike SzymanskiLOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) -- Actor Keanu Reeves fans know that he has often moonlighted as a rock star with bands like Dogstar and Becky.But, at a press conference for "Constantine," the actor says his band days are pretty much over.

"I played with them for about a year," Reeves says about the band called Becky. "But they wanted to get some record deals and go on tour and I can't do that, so I bowed out."

Reeves, who used to sing and play bass guitar for the much-maligned Dogstar, says that band isn't touring anymore. When the press corps said, "ahh" in response, he sarcastically said, "Right, thanks."

Reeves says he didn't get to play on the set of "Constantine" with singer and Bush guitarist Gavin Rossdale (who plays his nemesis in the film noir supernatural thriller). "He was working on his album then that I believe that he's almost finished," Reeves says. "We spoke a little bit about that."

Keanu Reeves Gets Star on Hollywood Walk

LOS ANGELES Jan 31, 2005 — Keanu Reeves, who traveled through time in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" and took on humanity's machine conquerors in "The Matrix" flicks, has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Reeves, 40, was honored with the star Monday for a career that includes such films as the action thrillers "Speed" and "Point Break," the romances "Something's Gotta Give" and "A Walk in the Clouds" and the dramas "Little Buddha" and "My Own Private Idaho."

His star was placed along Hollywood Boulevard near the spot where some action scenes in "Speed" were filmed.

Reeves said he was proud "to be honored with stars from the past and present," and he acknowledged his mother, Patrick Reeves, who was at the ceremony.

FASCINATING FACT:

KEANU REEVES was added to the HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME yesterday (31JAN05). The modest star said, "It's lovely to be here with so many people who I've gone through this journey so far with - friends, people I've worked with... It's nice to be able to be here and share it."

Keanu Reeves given Hollywood star

Actor Keanu Reeves, best known for his role in the Matrix movies, has been awarded a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 40-year-old attended the unveiling of the star with his mother, Patricia, and thanked her for inspiring him to become an actor.

"When I was 15 years old I asked my mom if it was OK to be an actor," Reeves said. "She said: 'Whatever you want'."

His star is the 2,277th to be embedded in the pavement on Hollywood Boulevard.

Blockbusters

The actor, who was born in the Lebanese capital Beirut, also spoke of how he dropped out of school to pursue an acting career.

"Hollywood was calling," he said, "So I got in my car, a 1969 British racing green Volvo with holes in the floor and bricks holding up the seats. I was a young man full of hopes and dreams."

Reeves first found fame in the teen comedy Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and went on to combine such blockbusters as Speed, The Devil's Advocate and the Matrix series, with smaller films including My Own Private Idaho.

More recently he was seen in Something's Gotta Give alongside Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton.

His next film, the supernatural thriller Constantine, is released in the US later this month and opens in the UK in March.

Keanu Reeves on Walk of Fame

01/02/2005 09:13 - (SA)

Keanu Reeves displays his plaque during a ceremony where the actor was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. (Nick Ut, AP)

Los Angeles - Matrix movie star Keanu Reeves, who rose to fame in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, has been awarded a most excellent honour: his own star on Hollywood's prestigious Walk of Fame.

The 40-year-old screen heart-throb thanked his mother after the unveiling of his bronze-edged star which was the 2 277th to be embedded in the pavement where legends from Errol Flynn to Tom Hanks are also immortalised.

"When I was 15 years old and a kid in Canada, I was doing a play called Romeo and Juliet," Reeves said, turning toward his mother who attended the ceremony. "I asked my mom if it was okay to be an actor. She said: 'Whatever you want'. So thanks mom."

Keanu's rise to fame

Reeves, who was born in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in September 1964, and was raised in New York City and Toronto, was a star high school hockey goaltender who earned the nickname "The Wall" before dropping out of school to pursue an acting career.

"Hollywood was calling," Reeves told the crowd. "So I got in my car, a 1969 British racing green Volvo - holes in the floor, bricks holding up the seats. I was a young man full of hopes and dreams."

He launched his acting career in Toronto began his career on the Toronto stage before winning his first minor television roles.

His bug break came in 1986 when he landed a supporting role in the film Youngblood.

Later the same year he won critical acclaim for his performance in the film River's Edge, before winning his first starring role in 1989 as dim-witted teenage nerd Ted Logan, in the smash hit Excellent Adventure.

Big budget actor

He earned a reputation as a big budget movie action star with his role as policeman Jack Traven opposite Sandra Bullock in 1994's Speed, before becoming a mega-star after starring in 1999s The Matrix and its two sequels.

His other film credits include the 2003 Jack Nicholson-Diane Keaton comedy Something's Gotta Give, 1997s Devil's Advocate, opposite Al Pacino and My Own Private Idaho.

In his next film, Constantine, is scheduled for release in North America on February 18, Reeves plays the title role in the adaptation of the DC-Vertigo comic book of the same name.

Edited by Tori Foxcroft

Keanu Gets Walked On

Keanu Reeves can rest easy now, safe in the knowledge that he's made it.

The Matrix star is the latest actor to be given a star on the Walk Of Fame in Hollywood.

Keanu can now feel pleasure at people walking all over him after attending the ceremony which saw his star being laid on the famous piece of pavement.

The 40-year-old actor thanked his mother, who turned up to support him as he graciously accepted the honour.

"When I was 15 years old and a kid in Canada, I was doing a play called Romeo and Juliet...

"I asked my mum if it was OK to be an actor. She said: 'Whatever you want.' So thanks mum," he said.

Keanu's star on the pavementHe told the crowd gathered on the pavement how he opted for an acting career after growing up in New York and Toronto:

"Hollywood was calling," he said.

"So I got in my car, a 1969 British racing green Volvo - holes in the floor, bricks holding up the seats. I was a young man full of hopes and dreams."

Reeves has enjoyed enormous success as a result of playing Neo in The Matrix trilogy but his other notable films include Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure, My Own Private Idaho, Speed and more recently Something's Gotta Give.

Last Updated: 10:56 UK, Tuesday February 01, 2005