Me and my motors: Keanu Reeves

February 27, 2005

Me and my motors: Keanu Reeves
By Nick Rufford of The Sunday Times
Last of the wild ones

CLAUDIO CAPRI/CORBIS

Reeves�fs first name means �gcool breeze over the mountains�h in Hawaiian. The 40-year-old actor was born in Beirut but spent his teenage years in Canada. He starred in My Own Private Idaho and the box office smashes Speed and The Matrix. He plays bass for his band Dogstar and enjoys ballroom dancing

Hollywood stars are meek things these days. Colin Farrell might put away a drink or two and Russell Crowe may swear a lot but when it comes to true recklessness none can seriously be compared to the icons of old, such as James Dean, who died driving his Porsche in 1955. Except, perhaps, one.

Keanu Reeves turned 40 last year but still has the seize-the-moment restlessness of an adolescent. He shuns the mollycoddling afforded most superstars by studios anxious that no harm come to their most prized assets and instead lives life the old Hollywood way: dangerously.

He has twice cheated death in motorbike crashes, one requiring his spleen to be removed. His only concession to studio bosses who were concerned that Reeves might be prematurely immortalised like Dean was to buy a car. But even that was seen as a gesture of defiance. He bought a Porsche — �gIt was the closest thing I could get on four wheels to a motorcycle,�h says Reeves.

His unconventional nature and lack of pretentiousness were in evidence when I met him in London at an awards ceremony. He was dressed in a dinner jacket and coal-black tie that matched his eyes, but he looked ill at ease amid the formality. His publicist was hovering nearby, anxious to keep the interview short. But Reeves was more than happy to chat at length about cars and bikes.

�gThe Porsche I call �ethe Sled�f because it holds the road so well. It�fs a black C4 (Carrera 4). I love to drive it and I use it just to go to the store — to buy milk or something. I live in Los Angeles and there are great drives along Mulholland (Highway) and down Sunset (Boulevard) to the beach. It still gives me a thrill.�h

Despite his accidents he still loves his bikes. In the past he owned Moto Guzzis — �gI called one of them Guzzi Moto, like Quasimodo because it was so big and heavy�h — and Harley-Davidsons like the one he rode while filming The Prince of Pennsylvania in 1988, a story of teenage alienation. �gI used to like to ride through the woods near Pittsburgh at night with the lights off, with maybe two other people on the back, and we�fd tell each other what we saw. It was very cool.�h

But none of them compares to his current bike. �gIt�fs a beautiful British 850cc 1974 Norton Commando,�h he says. �gThere�fs something about British bikes of that era that is special.�h

His appetite for biking apparently undiminished by his crashes, he takes it for long rides in the desert and along the coast road between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

He bought another Norton Commando, a 1972 Combat version, while filming Hardball in 2001 (a baseball movie in which he plays a coach). Reeves spotted it while browsing in a store called British Cycle Parts Chicago, which specialises in UK machines. �gA lot of our celebrity customers like the anonymity they get with a bike,�h said Marshall Hagy, the store�fs owner. �gThey put the helmet and the leathers on and no one knows who they are. Unfortunately, one of the local gossip columnists got hold of the story about Keanu�fs Norton, so he didn�ft enjoy that advantage for very long.�h

That Reeves has an appreciation for British bikes should come as no surprise — his mother Patricia was a British-born designer of theatrical costumes. There is also a long history of Hollywood stars riding British bikes — although in the past they were always Triumphs. Marlon Brando rode a Triumph in The Wild One, Steve McQueen tried to leap a fence on one he supposedly stole from a German soldier in The Great Escape (purists pointed out that German soldiers were issued with BMWs) and Richard Gere rode one in An Officer and a Gentleman.

With the exception perhaps of McQueen, who performed his own stunts, none rode as wildly as Reeves. He admits that the accidents — one in 1988 where he broke some ribs and ruptured his spleen, the second in 1996 that left him with a broken ankle and a curved scar on his leg — have made him more cautious and perhaps slowed him down a little. �gMy body�fs a wreck,�h he says.

If anyone was born to be wild it was Reeves. His mother was �gseriously bohemian�h and his upbringing was footloose. He moved from Lebanon to Australia and New York and spent his teen years in Toronto, where his hobby was building go-karts with names like Fireball 500. He had three stepfathers. His father, a geologist of Hawaiian-Chinese descent, had walked out on the family while Reeves was still a small boy.

Keanu Reeves Is Constantine

by Tim Nasson, Special to 365Gay.com

(Los Angeles) It�fs hard to believe that six years has gone by since Neo took the world by storm in the first Matrix movie, and two subsequent sequels. What might be harder to comprehend is that it has been nearly twenty years since the now forty-one year old Keanu Reeves graced the movie-loving world with his bravura performance as the only decent character in a group of kids, one who has killed his girlfriend and proudly shows off the corpse on The River�fs Edge.

It was 1989 that the world got the look of the comedic side of Keanu when he played opposite Bill, in Bill & Ted�fs Excellent Adventure and as one of the brood of kids in Ron Howard�fs Parenthood.

With the exception of those films, Reeves remained a monotone, unfunny actor, appearing in forgettable films, until Speed, in 1994, and then fell, again, into less than stellar roles in films such as Johnny Mnemonic, A Walk In the Clouds, Feeling Minnesota and The Devil�fs Advocate.

The first time I sat with Reeves was at an impromptu interview that Warner Bros. set up for me while I was in LA covering another movie, Pushing Tin. Their first Matrix was coming out in a couple of weeks, and since I and a few of my colleagues were there, they decided, what the hell? Let�fs set up some interviews for The Matrix, I hadn�ft even seen the movie when I interviewed Reeves, but was intrigued by him and his decision to star in a movie by the directors of Bound, a lesbian murder mystery.

The scruffy Reeves, back then, in 1999, walked into the suite at The Ritz Carlton in Pasedena wearing a suit, shirt, no tie, and sported a pair of fingernails painted in black polish. I left the interview thinking, this dude has probably made his last film and will never work in Hollywood again.

Who would have guessed that The Matrix, especially after arriving on DVD, would become one of the most talked about movies of the 1990s and turn Reeves into an international superstar?

Fast forward to the present. The second Matrix did very well, the third did fair, at the theatrical box office, (to this day I have not seen any of them in their entirety), yet Keanu is still an A-list actor.

Where did he come from, though, you may ask? �gI was born in Lebanon,�h he answers, when I ask where he was born. Come to find out, his mother was a showgirl, his father a geologist. His parents�f marriage dissolved and it was off to NYC, for him and his mother, and after that, Toronto. All before he was out of high school. It�fs hard to imagine Reeves not hitting it big.

�gI had a strange upbringing,�h he says, �gBut, really, who hasn�ft? Who has had the perfect childhood? It�fs all what you make of your life that matters,�h he says.

His newest movie, a sort of combination of two of his previous films, The Devil�fs Advocate and The Matrix series, is Constantine. He plays the title character. John Constantine. A man with visions. Half exorcist, half rebel. The devil wants him in hell, but he wants to go to heaven. What a dilemma.

His character in Constantine is a chain smoker. �gI guess he smokes too much. Yeah, it's kind of a - I guess it's a character trait that the character has, and I guess he's dealing with a lot and it's a kind of tool to help him numb himself.�h

Unlike some actors, such as Matt Damon, or Colin Farrell who couldn�ft care les about anti-smoking laws in Los Angeles, New York and Boston, Keanu does not light up in the hotel. �gYes, I smoke, but I don�ft always need a cigarette in my mouth,�h he laughs.

Constantine is based on a British comic, yet Reeves explains how he wasn�ft forced to use an accent. �gI 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. And 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.�h

Reeves goes on to explain the philosophical aspects of many of his films, when pressed. �gI'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 of hopefully - 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.�h

About acting, he reminisces, �gI 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.�h

How bout another trilogy? �gTrilogy,�h he laughs. �gWhy stop there? We could have Son of Constantine. And I�fll play him too. CGI. No, but it�fs 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�fll know whether there will be a sequel.�h

©365Gay.com 2005

REEVES' ENCOUNTER WITH THE DEVIL

Hollywood KEANU REEVES' most terrifying real-life motorbike experience occurred when he pulled up alongside a car - and noticed a Satan-like figure in the driver's seat.

The actor - who has confronted the supernatural in a fictional sense in films like DEVIL'S ADVOCATE and CONSTANTINE - recalls with horror the moment he starred into the face of true evil.

He says, "I was on my motorbike when I drew up alongside a car at an intersection. I looked over at this guy and I was like, 'Oh, my f**king God!'

"I was looking at the darkest thing - I was looking at darkness. I felt like I had looked at a wraith, like I'd looked at the devil."

WHERE'S LABEOUF?

According to Shia LaBeouf, a dark menace visited the set of Constantine where he plays Keanu Reeves chauffeur and sidekick.

"It was in the mausoleum set," insists LaBeouf whose films include Holes, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, I, Robot and The Battle of Shaker Heights.

"There was a corner that was dimly lit. Anyone who spent any amount of time there just seemed to lose their energy. People got sick. People got depressed if they spent too much time in that area."

LaBeouf, 17, stayed his distance and so has only happy memories of his time filming Constantine.

"I think that's because Keanu was so into being his character, and that proved to be a dark place. Djimon Hounsou is naturally intense, and Tilda Swinton is a classically trained actress who's very serious about everything she's doing. That left me as this little guy running around being the most human character and, therefore, the eyes of the audience."

LaBeouf auditioned for the role of Clark Kent's sidekick Jimmy Olsen in Superman Returns but lost to Sam Huntington, 22, the star of Jungle 2 Jungle and Sleepover.

LaBeouf hasn't had time to mourn that loss.

He's been busy perfecting his golf swing for the movie The Greatest Game Ever Played, in which he plays Francis Ouimet, the first amateur to win the U.S. Open.

"Bill Paxton is directing. I had to train for six months before we began shooting," recalls LaBeouf.

VCD On Keanu Reeves�EBanned 'Constantine' Selling Like Hot Cakes

By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Bandar Seri Begawan - Bootleg VCDs of the banned film "Constantine" starring Keanu Reeves were found to be sold openly at many outlets in Brunei.

Some salesgirls told the Borneo Bulletin that the VCDs arrived in their shops on Tuesday evening and have since been selling like hot cakes

"We need to order more copies as you can see only one VCD is left. We have not seen the story but by the way it is going, it must be a good one," said the salesgirls.

They alleged that they were not aware that the film was banned from public showing by the Brunei censor board last week.

"We don't know it is banned and we were only asked to sell, they claimed.

"Constantine" has been banned here in accordance with the guidelines of the censor board, Dato Paduka Hj Ahmad bin Kadi, the secretary, told the Borneo Bulletin last week.

He added that the film was deemed unsuitable for public viewing.

"Constantine" is an apocalyptic thriller that depicts demonic possessions, visions of hell and a renegade angel.

It features Reeves as a chain-smoking exorcist, who dispatches demons to the underworld in the hope of erasing a mortal sin he once

Keanu keeps going

By Mike Szymanski
February 24, 2005
From:

Mystery man ... Keanu Reeves. KEANU Reeves comes across as mysterious even to the people who know him well.

Rachel Weisz got to know him when they co-starred in the 1996 film Chain Reaction, so she half expected there would be a bit of a shorthand with him when they filmed new thriller Constantine."He's still a very mysterious and enigmatic guy but he's the same one," Weisz says, explaining she half expected him to have a lot of attitude after his Matrix hits.

"He isn't trying to be mysterious, he just is. It's probably what makes him this gigantic star."

When he walks into a press conference wearing an all black tux and shirt, and sporting a thick beard and moustache like his evil character in The Gift, the 40-year-old baby-faced Reeves appears as confident as his comic book character who chases demons, John Constantine.

Yet he's not facing demons from hell, only the press.

And when pressed about how he contributed to the script of the dark film noir character, he says he added the lines:

"He works his works in mysterious ways. Some people like it, some people don't," Reeves smiles.

"That's mine. That to me was the ground for where Constantine ends up."

He wasn't looking for another superhero film franchise but the script based on the popular British Hellblazer comics came to Reeves while he was making the Matrix sequels. And although the stylish outfits and subtle humour may seem reminiscent of Neo, Reeves sees Constantine as a very different, more adult character.

"Constantine is a very extroverted role on the whole. So much about it is very different from the experience that I was having then (with Neo)," Reeves says.

Nevertheless, he seems drawn to spiritual-themed films like Little Buddha, The Devil's Advocate and the Matrix series.

Even Bill & Ted visited hell in one of their excellent adventures. But he really doesn't want to talk about his own spiritual beliefs.

"Please don't, really, no, it's something that I take very personally and it's something that is private," Reeves says.

But the film is steeped in Catholicism. "The piece is using icons and a platform from a kind of Catholic heaven and hell, God and the devil.

I think that these motifs of seekers and messiahs, anti-heroes and heroes, are journeys that we deal with in our day-to-day ways."

Constantine has supernatural powers that he doesn't understand at first but he's an anti-hero.

"He's very connected to God, he just doesn't understand what's happening. His whole life is intertwined with God."

But his character is killing himself by smoking a lot, and Reeves admits he does that in real life.

"Too much, too much," Reeves says about his smoking. "It's a character trait the character has.

I guess he's dealing with a lot and it's a tool to kind of numb himself."

Reeves says he doesn't want everyone to be aware of him as a star, which is why he stays private.

"Hopefully, the film is engaging enough that for the two hours and six minutes, they're not going, 'Wasn't he wearing a stethoscope before?'," says Reeves, referring to his role as a doctor in the comedy Something's Gotta Give.

"I've been really fortunate to be able to do different kinds of films on different scales, different genres," he says, pointing out that an independent film he's in, Thumbsucker, played at the Sundance Film Festival recently.

For now, he's happy playing a character who has enough nerve to address the devil as Lu.

"He's a hard-edged, hardboiled, world-weary, cynical, fatalistic, nihilistic, self-interested guy with a heart," he laughs.

"I hope that fans of the comic don't feel that we sabotaged something that is so well-loved."

At first, Reeves turned down director Francis Lawrence, whose biggest claim to fame was Justin Timberlake's music video Cry Me A River, but admits he was wrong.

"That came out of an uneducated bias," Reeves says.

Then he saw some of Lawrence's videos, and when they met they talked for two hours. They connected so well that Reeves doesn't want 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 says about doing a follow-up.

"I had one of the best times that I've ever had working on a film, working on this particular project.

"So we would talk about what happens to Constantine.

What could we do next? Maybe he's a heroin addict in Morocco. Or he's killing people and he's trying not to kill people so he's knocking himself out. Ultimately, though, it is up to the audience."

Rewind: Keanu's Constantine Latest In Long Line of Miscast Comic-Book Heroes

Director Francis Lawrence, better known for making award-winning music videos for the likes of Britney Spears, Will Smith, Janet Jackson, Aerosmith, etc. hits the major Hollywood league after he landed in Warner Bros. big new year salvo "Constantine" starring the "straight-faced Messiah" Keanu Reeves.

By virtue of his big visual presentations that spoke of his unconventional style and sentivity, Lawrence has smitten the favors of "Constantine" producers, as well as the movie�fs lead star who even confessed to agreeing only to a possible sequel if it would be Lawrence who will direct it again.

The young director, whom we met in person during the press junket for this film in Hong Kong a couple of weeks back, impressed the Asian journalists who attended the event with his knowledge and grasp of his medium. He understands his craft and is not afraid to "experiment" and show the world about this "unconventional" style that emanates from his background.

Francis Lawrence took on the responsibility of filming the movie version of the DC Comics/Vertigo series graphic novel "Hellblazer" whose main character is John Constantine, an anti-hero, who is a world-travelling magelike misfit who investigates supernatural mysteries and the like. The film tackles the controversial subject of heaven and hell.

Lawrence impressed us with his visual representation of what hell must be like by creating familiar sight consumed by fire and deterioration. He explains, "my idea of hell is that every place we have here on earth has a hell version. So, in this same room, there is an exact hell version of this place, only it will be something that is in a condition very far from being comfortable."

Read on and discover the many other aspects in his Francis Lawrence�fs character.

Q: Did you specifically use a Filipina actress in the movie?

A: Yeah. We hired a Filipina actress by the name of Jhoanna Trias. It was a scene in downtown Los Angeles where mostly Asian people reside. I really wanted to capture the essence of the real Los Angeles and that part was as real as any other place in Los Angeles. The idea is that this Asian family lives there, their girl gets possessed by the devil and Keanu, as Constantine comes to drive the demon out when Father Hennessy, (one of Constantine�fs very few friends) failed to do so.

Q: How important is that scene?

A: That scene was the first scene where we showed the character of Constantine driving out a demon in a girl. It is an important scene because that�fs when Constantine discovers that the balance is being disturbed already. That the wager between God and the devil is being disturbed because it was a real devil that Constantine finds in her. It wasn�ft supposed to be like that at all. In the wager, God and the devil must not come directly in contact with human beings.

Q: Did you realize that she spoke in Tagalog in that scene also?

A: Oh yeah! I specifically asked her to translate in her own language the message she wants to deliver to Constantine. Remember that the devil speaks in tongues. In this scene, the demon�fs language is Filipino. (chuckles)

Q: So you made her say, "we will kill them all" in Tagalog?

A: Really? Is that what she said? Wow! This is the first time I�fm hearing that she changed the lines after all. (laughs) She was supposed to say to Constantine to look at what both of them could do to her, the possessed girl. Not to kill them all. But I guess that worked out fine as well.

Q: So how come that the girl speaks in Tagalog, her mother speaks Mandarin and that particular scene presented them to be a Mexican family?A: That part about the mother speaking in Mandarin was a mistake. The scene when Constantine finished the flushing out of the demon, there were background conversation that had not been supervised by us. We call that loop rope and that was left into the hands of the technical people during post production. I didn�ft realize that they let a Chinese guy dub the background loop rope.

Q: Was the decision to Americanize "Constantine" entirely yours?

A: No. I came into the picture after six-to-seven years already. When I came on board, the decision has already been made to make Constantine American, well, it was understood. We have Keanu Reeves in the title role. The decision is to just come up with an adaptation that definitely captures the heart of Constantine, who he is. Never mind that he is unlike the original cartoon character John Constantine, a blonde Englishman and all. We have captured essentially who he is and I think that settled that issue that raged among DC Comics fanatics of the series.

Q: How was it like working with Keanu?

A: He is an actor that is great to work with. He is a professional. Highly devoted to the role, to the character he is playing. We had a full year together before we started filming and we had numerous discussions about the script and the scenes before we actually began shooting the film.

Q: How does it feel to be actually hired by Keanu for this film, considering this is your very first movie?

A: It was great. He was on before I was in this film and definitely he was one of the deciding factors who will be the director to helm the project. He just came back from shooting "Matrix" and he was the last person whom I spoke with about my plans for the film. I gave him the same big visual presentation that I gave to the producers of the movie. Essentially, he hired me.

Q: Was this a lifelong dream of yours? To direct a film?

A: Yes. I have always dreamt of this time when I could. I have waited for this chance since I graduated, I was 21 years old then. I actually filmed my first movie soon after graduation but it was nothing fancy at all. And then I got the chance to do what I have been doing for the past 10 years, directing music videos for the biggest singers in the US.

Q: How different is movie directing from music video directing?

A: Except for the fact that movies are longer, and takes more time to prepare for, the psychology is the same. The concept of time, pressure, the tools you use for the trade, the facts, dealing with personalities, all are the same.

Q: How does it feel being entrusted by Warner Studio with this much responsibility for your first film?

A: It is great! The studio has great expectations for the film. They were hoping for a big hit in this film. Originally, the playdate they wanted for "Constantine" was in fall of 2004. But when they saw the footage of the product, they targetted September of 2004 to have it released. But since there were already several huge releases for the studio in that period, the studio altogether decided to move the playdate to 2005, which makes "Constantine" the first big release of the studio for the new year.

Q: The ending of the film can be read as somewhat open-ended, does this mean that there will be a sequel sometime soon?

A: I don�ft actually think that it was open-ended. It�fs just a statement that John Constantine is still around, and that he will be with us in the days to come. But to answer that question. Yeah, I would love to do a sequel to it.

Q: Was it a conscious decision for you to come up with a film noir feel to "Constantine?"

A: Sort of. Yes, the reference tone is somewhat akin to "The Maltese Falcon" and LA is a noir city. So I guess, the details all came together to impress that film noir effect. I was conscious with creating a tone that is different, a mixture maybe of genre — horror, supernatural, thriller. I am actually happy with the result.

Q: Is it safe to say that you are actually setting a trend in Hollywood movies with "Constantine?"

A: If that�fs what they will say. I also want to be known as a non-conformist director, somebody unconventional.

Q: What are the movies that had great effect on you?

A: The original "King Kong" is first. I saw it as a kid and I was just blown away by it. "Star Wars" is another, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Martin Scorsese�fs "After Hours" and "Raising Arizona" that last one made me decide what I wanted to become when I grow up. More importantly, I want to create a movie that has real characters and story. Something that would make me create a world based in reality but at the same time will have a surreal magic to it.

When adapting comics to film, it's usually better to go with an unknown.

Keanu Reeves in "Constantine"

Whenever a character from well-known literature is cast into flesh, there are going to be grumblings. The old chestnut is that no film can match the movie in our head as we read a novel ourselves, visualizing the characters so that they match our own

perspectives and experiences. A completely personal take on the words on page occurs, and few people envision Tom Cruise as the vampire Lestat.

Rabid fans of Robert James Waller's novel "The Bridges of Madison County" felt that Clint Eastwood was two decades too old to play the worldly photographer who shows Meryl Streep a passion she'd never known in the 1995 film version.

Literary purists chafed as much at Demi Moore's casting as Hester Prynne in "The Scarlet Letter" (1995) as they did at the rewritten happy ending to Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel about the hypocrisy of Puritan New England. And many felt that Harvey Keitel's Judas in 1988's "The Last Temptation of Christ" was straight outta Brooklyn.

But when it comes to adapting literature that already includes Editor's Picks: Mighty Miscasts "Daredevil"

"X-Men"

"Batman & Robin"

"Batman Forever"

"Dick Tracy"

�eKeanu Reeves hired me�f – �eConstantine�f director

Director Francis Lawrence, better known for making award-winning music videos for the likes of Britney Spears, Will Smith, Janet Jackson, Aerosmith, etc. hits the major Hollywood league after he landed in Warner Bros. big new year salvo "Constantine" starring the "straight-faced Messiah" Keanu Reeves.

By virtue of his big visual presentations that spoke of his unconventional style and sentivity, Lawrence has smitten the favors of "Constantine" producers, as well as the movie�fs lead star who even confessed to agreeing only to a possible sequel if it would be Lawrence who will direct it again.

The young director, whom we met in person during the press junket for this film in Hong Kong a couple of weeks back, impressed the Asian journalists who attended the event with his knowledge and grasp of his medium. He understands his craft and is not afraid to "experiment" and show the world about this "unconventional" style that emanates from his background.

Francis Lawrence took on the responsibility of filming the movie version of the DC Comics/Vertigo series graphic novel "Hellblazer" whose main character is John Constantine, an anti-hero, who is a world-travelling magelike misfit who investigates supernatural mysteries and the like. The film tackles the controversial subject of heaven and hell.

Lawrence impressed us with his visual representation of what hell must be like by creating familiar sight consumed by fire and deterioration. He explains, "my idea of hell is that every place we have here on earth has a hell version. So, in this same room, there is an exact hell version of this place, only it will be something that is in a condition very far from being comfortable."

Read on and discover the many other aspects in his Francis Lawrence�fs character.

Q: Did you specifically use a Filipina actress in the movie?

A: Yeah. We hired a Filipina actress by the name of Jhoanna Trias. It was a scene in downtown Los Angeles where mostly Asian people reside. I really wanted to capture the essence of the real Los Angeles and that part was as real as any other place in Los Angeles. The idea is that this Asian family lives there, their girl gets possessed by the devil and Keanu, as Constantine comes to drive the demon out when Father Hennessy, (one of Constantine�fs very few friends) failed to do so.

Q: How important is that scene?

A: That scene was the first scene where we showed the character of Constantine driving out a demon in a girl. It is an important scene because that�fs when Constantine discovers that the balance is being disturbed already. That the wager between God and the devil is being disturbed because it was a real devil that Constantine finds in her. It wasn�ft supposed to be like that at all. In the wager, God and the devil must not come directly in contact with human beings.

Q: Did you realize that she spoke in Tagalog in that scene also?

A: Oh yeah! I specifically asked her to translate in her own language the message she wants to deliver to Constantine. Remember that the devil speaks in tongues. In this scene, the demon�fs language is Filipino. (chuckles)

Q: So you made her say, "we will kill them all" in Tagalog?

A: Really? Is that what she said? Wow! This is the first time I�fm hearing that she changed the lines after all. (laughs) She was supposed to say to Constantine to look at what both of them could do to her, the possessed girl. Not to kill them all. But I guess that worked out fine as well.

Q: So how come that the girl speaks in Tagalog, her mother speaks Mandarin and that particular scene presented them to be a Mexican family?A: That part about the mother speaking in Mandarin was a mistake. The scene when Constantine finished the flushing out of the demon, there were background conversation that had not been supervised by us. We call that loop rope and that was left into the hands of the technical people during post production. I didn�ft realize that they let a Chinese guy dub the background loop rope.

Q: Was the decision to Americanize "Constantine" entirely yours?

A: No. I came into the picture after six-to-seven years already. When I came on board, the decision has already been made to make Constantine American, well, it was understood. We have Keanu Reeves in the title role. The decision is to just come up with an adaptation that definitely captures the heart of Constantine, who he is. Never mind that he is unlike the original cartoon character John Constantine, a blonde Englishman and all. We have captured essentially who he is and I think that settled that issue that raged among DC Comics fanatics of the series.

Q: How was it like working with Keanu?

A: He is an actor that is great to work with. He is a professional. Highly devoted to the role, to the character he is playing. We had a full year together before we started filming and we had numerous discussions about the script and the scenes before we actually began shooting the film.

Q: How does it feel to be actually hired by Keanu for this film, considering this is your very first movie?

A: It was great. He was on before I was in this film and definitely he was one of the deciding factors who will be the director to helm the project. He just came back from shooting "Matrix" and he was the last person whom I spoke with about my plans for the film. I gave him the same big visual presentation that I gave to the producers of the movie. Essentially, he hired me.

Q: Was this a lifelong dream of yours? To direct a film?

A: Yes. I have always dreamt of this time when I could. I have waited for this chance since I graduated, I was 21 years old then. I actually filmed my first movie soon after graduation but it was nothing fancy at all. And then I got the chance to do what I have been doing for the past 10 years, directing music videos for the biggest singers in the US.

Q: How different is movie directing from music video directing?

A: Except for the fact that movies are longer, and takes more time to prepare for, the psychology is the same. The concept of time, pressure, the tools you use for the trade, the facts, dealing with personalities, all are the same.

Q: How does it feel being entrusted by Warner Studio with this much responsibility for your first film?

A: It is great! The studio has great expectations for the film. They were hoping for a big hit in this film. Originally, the playdate they wanted for "Constantine" was in fall of 2004. But when they saw the footage of the product, they targetted September of 2004 to have it released. But since there were already several huge releases for the studio in that period, the studio altogether decided to move the playdate to 2005, which makes "Constantine" the first big release of the studio for the new year.

Q: The ending of the film can be read as somewhat open-ended, does this mean that there will be a sequel sometime soon?

A: I don�ft actually think that it was open-ended. It�fs just a statement that John Constantine is still around, and that he will be with us in the days to come. But to answer that question. Yeah, I would love to do a sequel to it.

Q: Was it a conscious decision for you to come up with a film noir feel to "Constantine?"

A: Sort of. Yes, the reference tone is somewhat akin to "The Maltese Falcon" and LA is a noir city. So I guess, the details all came together to impress that film noir effect. I was conscious with creating a tone that is different, a mixture maybe of genre — horror, supernatural, thriller. I am actually happy with the result.

Q: Is it safe to say that you are actually setting a trend in Hollywood movies with "Constantine?"

A: If that�fs what they will say. I also want to be known as a non-conformist director, somebody unconventional.

Q: What are the movies that had great effect on you?

A: The original "King Kong" is first. I saw it as a kid and I was just blown away by it. "Star Wars" is another, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Martin Scorsese�fs "After Hours" and "Raising Arizona" that last one made me decide what I wanted to become when I grow up. More importantly, I want to create a movie that has real characters and story. Something that would make me create a world based in reality but at the same time will have a surreal magic to it.

Interview : Keanu Reeves

Posted on Fri, 11-Feb-2005

Over the years that one has interviewed Keanu Reeves, it is apparent that this Hollywood star would rather be left alone that 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. But 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.

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 U.K. TO U.S.?

Keanu: 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. (laughter). And 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.

Several roles you've played have had a very spiritual side to them.

Keanu: Like The Gift (laughter)

And 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?

Keanu: 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 for his kinda - 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.

I saw 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 . . .

Keanu: 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 the 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.

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...

Keanu: And a little Buddha as well. 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.

Keanu: (Pause)...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 of hopefully - 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.

What do you get from acting at this point?

Keanu: 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 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.

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?

Keanu: 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 (next bit inaudible because of laughter)

At what point did you feel you knew the character?

Keanu: 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 �E . . (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.

Talk about the non kissing scenes with Rachel?

Keanu: 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 filmmaker having- - 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 of destiny, 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 just for- - 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.

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

Keanu: 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.

A trilogy?

Keanu: 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.

He'll want to protect his baby.

Keanu: Yeah.

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

Keanu: 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.

Did you have input into the spirituality of the character? Francis said 9 months on the script.

Keanu: 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 a- - 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 acknowledgement and in that acknowledgement 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, '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 sp[iritual]- - but it's flesh and blood.

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

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

Tell us about that.

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

Is acting a vehicle to affect the world?

Keanu: 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.

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

Keanu: I don't think there are any CGI Constantine's 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.

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

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

What inspired you to want to be an actor?

Keanu: I had an experience once in second grade. You know how people often talk about how they see a fireman or- - oftentimes it's mostly firemen or policemen. They see a fireman and they go- - 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.

You must have enjoyed them being there.

Keanu: Yeah, I don't remember that part. I remember just how- - maybe I was there- - I don't know. And also 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.

Did you go to movies all the time?

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

Instead of school?

Keanu: 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.

You missed school that week.

Keanu: 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....

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.

Keanu: 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.

Did you 'jam'?

Keanu : Pardon me?

Did you 'jam'?

Keanu: No, no, no.

Did you play guitars at all?

Keanu: No

Does Dogstar still exist?

Keanu: No it doesn't

Do you know what you are doing next?

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

Speed 3?

Keanu: 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.

You got a role?

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

What is it called?

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

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

Keanu: Yeah

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.

Keanu: 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.

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?

Keanu: Do they...I hope, I mean you know I think the film is so, 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...um, 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, I just don't wanna, I just want, I 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...um, kinda...you know hopefully it does not get in the way of them getting engaged in the piece and enjoying it, you know.

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 ---

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

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.

Keanu: Right.

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

Keanu: 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...the... the worthwhile offering it can bring...

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?

Keanu: 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 this 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.

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

Keanu: 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.

How open they are to it?

Keanu: 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 to, you know, 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.

- PAUL FISCHER

Keanu Reeves: Eternal Valentine for the spotless mind

Hollywood loves comic-book-based fantasies but Warner Bros.�f latest addition to this genre, Constantine, stands out, says director Francis Lawrence, because it is not �ghyper-real and super-stylized.�h Instead it is �grooted in a gritty reality.�h

That approach was on display at one of the movie�fs �grealistic�h sets when a group of journalists visited it during filming in April last year. The crew and a dozen or so cast members were working in a room that was built to look like a gym. This was part of a larger set called the Hydrotherapy Room with an institutional-looking tile pool inside a hospital.

On the set, the journalists talked to Keanu Reeves, who stars in the movie as irreverent supernatural detective John Constantine. In the scene being filmed, Constantine sets a trap for demonic characters disguised as humans by putting holy water in a sprinkler in order to destroy them. The demons move between exercise machines, dangling from cables and wires in one of the movie�fs climactic fight sequences while water sprays on them. In each take, Reeves�fs stunt double stands in for him during the action as Reeves watches from behind the camera.

Fans of the classic DC Comics/Vertigo Hellblazer graphic novel series, which is set in London, may be surprised that the movie is set in Los Angeles, but Lawrence says he is confident that they�fve captured the tone of the original comics.

�gI feel that the heart of the character is in this movie and I think that�fs important,�h Lawrence says.

Lawrence says LA is �ga classically noir city�h and a good match for a story with elements from various Hellblazer stories. He feels that Constantine is a universal story that�fs not tied to one place. �gIt�fs not just a story that takes place in London,�h the director says, which is why he played up the movie�fs gritty realism by avoiding famous LA landmarks in favor of more ethnic, realistic settings.

Like the comics, the movie is set between the world and the afterlife. Constantine, who has literally been to hell and back, is dying of cancer and tries to buy his way into heaven.

In the story, Constantine teams up with policewoman Angela Dodson, played by Rachel Weisz, to solve the unexplained suicide of her twin sister. They go to the hospital where Dodson�fs sister was being treated because she saw ghosts. Eventually their investigation leads them into a supernatural world of demons and angels that exists beyond the setting of contemporary LA, bringing together elements of horror, film noir, fantasy and action.

�gThe character has a history that I�fm interested in,�h Reeves says about his desire to be faithful to the original concept. But the actor says he stopped short of taking on an accent and dying his hair like the original Constantine. �gI�fm not English and I�fm not blonde, but hopefully the internal sensibility will remain intact,�h says Reeves.

At the time of the shoot Reeves was starring in the US alongside Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton in the romantic comedy Something�fs Gotta Give after coming off his long involvement in the blockbuster trilogy The Matrix.

�gI�fve always hoped to be able to work in different kinds of genres and do different kinds of roles,�h says Reeves, who revealed that he was especially attracted to his character�fs unconventional qualities.

�gI like the journey of the character -- of trying to find himself, of trying to find his way in the world,�h Reeves says. �gIn one of the lines in the movie, [Constantine] says, �eGod has a plan for all of us.�c Some people like it, some people don�ft.�f I like that idea of just trying to come to terms with your life.�h

But Reeves did undergo a visible transformation by losing weight to bring to life the sickly antihero. He also took on some other of the character�fs distinguishing traits by wearing a black raincoat and tie. This look, Reeves says, helped him capture some of the original character�fs irreverence and wryness.

At a press conference at the annual comic-book convention Comic-Con, Reeves told the audience that he was a fan of comics like X-Men and Spider-Man. However, for the part of Constantine, he did additional research into the Hellblazer series, paying attention to the visual style and tone. But, ultimately, it was the script written by Kevin Brodbin, Mark Bomback and Frank Capello that informed him about how he should play the character, Reeves says.

Reeves also notes that it was important for him to be working with a director like Francis Lawrence, who has won awards for directing music videos for Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears, among others. Lawrence is �greally story-oriented, as well as having a really keen visual style,�h says Reeves. According to Reeves, Lawrence, who is directing his first feature but has been making music videos for more than 15 years, is also very assured and confident.

Lawrence told convention audience that his approach to Constantine, �gfrom the beginning, was never to shoot it like a comic-book movie.�h

Lawrence says, �gI think that�fs been done before. It was done very, very well with Tim Burton�fs original Batman and from then, I don�ft think anybody�fs really topped that�c. What I wanted to do, and what I�fve always loved about [Hellblazer], was to keep it rooted in a reality and in real places.�h

During the 85-day shoot, the filmmakers moved around several locations in the city. These included an old art-deco building downtown, which was converted into Midnite�fs Club. Played by actor Djimon Hounsou, Midnite is a mysterious witch doctor who collects sacred relics and antiquities such as crosses and Virgin Mary relics, adding to the movie�fs occult aesthetic.

Other settings included an old diner in Hollywood and Angela�fs Abbey, a 1920s church in the Compton area east of the city. Also downtown, the filmmakers created Constantine�fs apartment above a bowling alley called Shatto 39. Exteriors for the hydrotherapy set at Warner Bros. were shot at Saint Mary�fs Hospital in Long Beach, a coastal town south of the city.

Like all good comic-book adaptations, Constantine is also full of visual effects, with around 420 effects shots that have a wide range of sophistication.

�gIt goes from the simplest rig and dot removals, to complete environments that we built,�h Lawrence says. There are various demonic creatures, including the dozen half-demon, half-human characters that Constantine confronts at the hydrotherapy set. When the holy water touches them, their skin melts off, revealing the demons underneath. The action sequences with cables and wires were carefully choreographed as the demons attack Constantine and then fall back. In the scene, Constantine also brandishes an improvised shotgun that has a cross attached to it, which he uses to finish off the demons.

Reeves describes most of the action as being thrown against walls and throwing punches. Unlike the elaborate martial-arts training Reeves undertook for The Matrix, the actor says he did not have to do any prior physical preparation for this role, although it did demand a considerable amount of physicality.

�gHe�fs getting thrown, choked, stomped on, punched and hit,�h Reeves says. �gHe brushes himself off and keeps going, which is great.�h The actor adds the effects are �gvery dynamic�h because of the way Lawrence filmed them. In the gym sequence, Reeves points out the wires that allow the actors to fly in and out of the shot. �gThe way [the filmmakers] are using light and moving the camera is good stuff,�h he adds.

At the end of a day on set, the visitors got a feel for the various elements that have gone into the making of Constantine with its film noir and occult aesthetic and its mix of realism and comic-book action.

�gWe�fre trying to make a film here that is mixing genres and telling a real story so that, hopefully, people can come away with something,�h says Reeves.

�gWhat�fs interesting about this movie -- and something I�fm really proud of, too -- is that it�fs not really genre specific,�h Lawrence agrees. �gIt�fs not a �esupernatural thriller.�f It�fs not just a �ehorror film.�f It�fs not four kids in a van getting chopped up by an ax murderer. It�fs not just �efantasy.�f It�fs this weird blend of all these things and I think it really works.�h

Ultimately, these diverse elements, Reeves says, are what attracted him to the role. And the filmmakers hope that�fs what will appeal to audiences and maybe also win over fans of the original graphic novels.

Keanu Goes to Hell

It turns out the actor is plagued by demons on & off screen

By LOUIS B. HOBSON

Keanu Reeves has grappled with his share of demons on and off camera. His philosophy is that "you have to believe that your personal trials make you a better person."

And he's definitely had his share of potential character-building traumas.

He was deeply affected by the death of his friend River Phoenix to a drug overdose in 1993. The two had met on Parenthood and reteamed for My Own Private Idaho.

Then, in 1988, Reeves crashed his motorcycle into a cliffside in Topanga Canyon and broke several ribs and ruptured his spleen.

He was purposely driving without the headlight on in what he has described as a "demon ride."

It didn't stop there: In 1999, his child with girlfriend Jennifer Syme was stillborn -- and, 18 months later, Syme was killed instantly in an automobile crash in Los Angeles.

On top of all this, for the past several years, Reeves has been the financial and emotional rock for his sister who is battling leukemia.

In such films as Little Buddha, the Matrix trilogy and now the dark comic-book adventure Constantine -- opening Friday -- Reeves has specialized in playing characters who embark on spiritual journeys.

He's eager to discuss those journeys -- but ask him about his own journey and he'll pass off the question with a joke or a plea. "Spirituality is something very personal that should be kept private," he says, refusing to elaborate, before adding slyly, "But let's just say that, in my art, I make up for what I do in my life.

"Movies are my penitence."

If this is the case, Reeves, 40, has been seeking some kind of personal salvation for the past 25 years. He was 15 and attending school in Toronto when he told his mother he wanted to be an actor. Luckily for him, the first of his three stepfathers was Paul Aaron, a film and stage director. "I worked as a gopher on several of his shows," says Reeves, who recalls one of his more memorable assignments was "bringing cold sodas to Lillian Gish.

"I knew that early I only wanted to act."

He struggled through disappointments, such as having most of his scenes cut from the 1986 Rob Lowe hockey movie Youngblood and getting labeled a space cadet on and off screen after starring in teen flicks like Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

Then came Speed and the Matrix trilogy, which morphed him into a box-office titan.

"What I can honestly say is that I really love acting," Reeves says.

"Anthony Hopkins says that actors learn by doing and the box-office success of some of my films has given me that wonderful opportunity to act as much or as little as I like. Hopefully, this will continue."

In Constantine, Reeves plays a man who has been granted a reprieve from his damnation in Hell. He is hoping he can do as much good on Earth during this hiatus to have his sentence reversed.

Constantine's aim is to kill as many of the demons who are masquerading as humans as he can before Satan comes to reclaim his soul.

Constantine is based on the series of DC graphic novels. The character is a kind of rock-and-roll executioner.

"I had never read any of the books so I had no idea the character had been changed to a dark-haired American," insists Reeves, who says he received the script and offer to star in Constantine while he working on The Matrix Revolutions.

"I just liked the character and thought he was different enough from my Matrix character to warrant my saying yes."

Constantine reunites Reeves with Rachel Weisz, his leading lady from the 1996 espionage thriller Chain Reaction. Weisz says this time around, she and Reeves "are both a little older and wiser."

She says what impressed her most was that "fame has changed Keanu so little.

"He's still the same enigmatic, mysterious guy he was before the Matrix films. That image is not an act. That's who Keanu is. That's his personality."

Shia LaBeouf, who plays Constantine's sidekick Chas Chandler, knows "the fans of the comic books are going to have problems with our movie because the character is not blond or British or a rock star.

"Fans always feel the character is theirs but, as an actor, Keanu kicks butt on screen so it doesn't really matter what the character looks like."

Reeves' director, Francis Lawrence, insists the character of Constantine fits Reeves like a glove. But the actor prefers to think it's the character's coat that does it for him.

"It was not until I put on the jacket and shoes that I knew I was Constantine. It was such a comfortable and natural feel," he says. He adds, "It also helped that we filmed the big exorcism scene first. That really helped me get into character. I suddenly knew exactly what to do physically in that scene."

Reeves says Constantine is such a natural fit he would be excited about spinning the character off into a franchise as he did with The Matrix.

"My contract doesn't have a sequel in it but some of the producers and I fell in love with this guy. We have discussed the possibility of one or two more films but, ultimately, that's up to audiences."

Reeves Goes Noir For 'Constantine'

Keanu Reeves Admits That He Had Never Read The Comic Books Before The Script For The Film Landed On His Lap After Nic Cage Dropped Out Of The Project. February 8, 2005 By Vanessa Sibbald, Zap2It.com

Looking at Keanu Reeves, who's wearing a black suit with a white shirt under a black trench, it almost seems as if he's switched sides and is taking a stab at playing "The Matrix's" Agent Smith.

That's before Reeves picks up a huge ornate silver pistol (the "Holy Shotgun" as it's dubbed in the film), reveals scorch marks on his white shirt and smiles a wry smile.

All of a sudden, there's no doubt that he's John Constantine, the main character in a new Warner Bros. film of the same last name based off of the comic book series "Hellblazer."

In between shooting scenes on the set of the film, Reeves takes a moment to update us on his newest project, in which he plays a cynical mage who chases down half-breeds, beings that are half human, half demon, before finding out that he is dying from lung cancer and may end up in Hell himself. Reeves admits that he had never read the comic books before the script for the film landed on his lap after Nic Cage dropped out of the project following the departure of director Tarsem Singh ("The Cell"), who left over creative differences. Now helmed by music video director Francis Lawrence, whose credits include the Aerosmith videos "Jaded" and "Don't Want to Miss a Thing," as well as Pink's "Just Like a Pill," Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" and Britney Spear's "I'm a Slave 4 You," the film has a new look and feel.

"We're kind of doing a hard-boiled kind of take on the piece," Reeves tells Zap2it.com. "Kind of a more Gothic aspect."

"Constantine" is expected to fetch a PG-13 rating, therefore a lot of the darkness will likely be insinuated instead of acted out, but Reeves, who has a penchant for quoting lines from the film off camera, says the finished product isn't going to be kid's stuff.

"Well, I mean he's not the nicest guy all the time. I don't know if he's immoral, but it's something that he's negotiating with," Reeves says of his character. "It's serious and hopefully funny at the same time. Again, go back to that hard-boiled motif: Constantine in this film is in a hospital and he finds out he's dying of lung cancer, lights a cigarette up inside the doctor's office and she says, 'That's a good idea.'; He gets into an elevator and this character comes by and the elevator doors closing and the person says, 'Going down?' and he says, 'Not if I can help it.' The next scene is he's in bed with a half-breed demon drinking whiskey with scratches on his back and the scene ends with her tail kind of swishing underneath the sheets laughing, going, 'Lung cancer? Ha. That's funny, John.'"

"So hopefully we have the spirit of the Constantinian factor," Reeves adds. "I'm always asking, 'Is that Constantinian enough?' 'I think I need more Constantine in my Constantine.'"

It was this dark humor that first attracted Reeves and led him to sign on for the part.

"I was looking for a good script and this kind of came my way and I really liked the writing and the character itself and what happened in the piece," he says. "And ultimately there's a line in it where Constantine says, 'God has a plan for all of us. I had to die twice just to figure that out. Some people like it, some people don't.'"

With all the dying, also comes Hell, which as depicted in the film will be a very "orangey" and dusty place.

"One of the things that we came up with, and you'll see this a couple of times, is that when someone dies and they go to Hell, part of Hell is just at the moment when they die and I guess you're seeking release, these scavenger demons come in and they just eat you. Part of these empty skull folks is that they have these really huge maws with teeth and so instead of getting release, you get consumed and then instantly you're back to just about where you were going to die again and then come in and get you again," Reeves explains.

"There's one [scene] where I walk out onto a Hell freeway, coming out of this character's apartment where it transforms from a real world to a Hell apartment and that is just basically, you know, there's rubble and decay. Everything's broken down. Cars on the freeway have almost melted and there's just these demons with these people screaming being consumed and then they're back and then screaming and consumed and screaming"