Keanu Reeves is probably the most loved assassin in the entire film industry thanks to his convincing portrayal of John Wick. Not just physically, but also emotionally, he made audiences love this man turning the first film into an incredibly successful franchise instantly. Keanu’s first major action film sequel starts with “Point Break”, then “Speed”, and finally “The Matrix” franchise leading the pavement to “John Wick”. However, the success did not come easily. The actor had to undergo months of training from different areas in order to get ready for his challenging roles.
1. Boot Camp
In order to fulfill the demanding role, Keanu Reeves went through an intense workout camp that lasted for 3 months. The camp focused on the character’s distinctive tactical talents like guns, driving, knives, and fighting. In a recent interview he gave to “Page Six,” he talks about his exercises on shooting just before a scene.
He says he grabs his gun, starts walking around, and practicing on the angles. John Wick makes quick transitions from one weapon to another, reloading pistols and machine guns in seconds, and adjusting his footsteps to the bigger scenario. Keanu Reeves names this transition as “John Wick style” before the director says action.
2. Diet
Keanu Reeves understood the importance of taking care of his body when he filmed his first action film “Point Break” across Patrick Swayze. In daily life, he says he eats a lot of vegetables, pasta, chicken, and rice while trying not to overeat any of them. For his role as John Wick, he adopted a diet low in sodium and fat. In an interview with Men's Journal, he said he ate carbohydrates and proteins in balance and tried to focus on healthy fats enjoying a glass of wine or beer occasionally. An interesting fact, in order to feel “animalistic”, he admits to eating a delicious steak before a major action in “Matrix.”
3. Guns
What makes the “John Wick” sequel so successful is Keanu’s effortless portrayal of an assassin who is incredibly talented at using firearms. He doesn’t seem in control, he is in control. In order to prepare for the role, Keanu worked with Taran Butler, an American sports shooter who has won several shooting competitions as well as worked as a consultant for television shows and TV series for years. He spent a significant amount of time with him in Taran Tactical Innovations, a training and practice ground. When John Wick 2 was released on DVD, one of his training days was shared with the audience.
4. Driving
Keanu Reeves is known for his impressive collection of motorcycles and cars. In “John Wick”, he had the chance to drive Mustangs and Ferraris and got a lot of training to complete the scenes. Of course, he used a stunt driver whose name is Jeremy Fry in some dangerous and difficult scenes, however, he did most of the driving. His trainers said that his driving skills got better from the first film to the last. Keanu Reeves doesn’t only drive cars fast in the film, he also took horse riding lessons for “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” in order to get prepared for a scene trying to escape from the assassins surrounding him in New York City.
5. Martial Arts
Keanu Reeves has been trained in martial arts for both “Matrix” and “John Wick” franchises. Remember the time he says he knows Kung Fu in Matrix? Both films are full of impressive fight scenes that he perfected during the years. Some of the disciplines John Wick are judo, jiu-jitsu, and other grappling techniques to punish his enemies. The director of “John Wick” Chad Stahelski also benefited from these effortless fighting scenes in terms of time management. If the character fought with punches and kicks, the scenes would have taken longer to shoot. So, it was a tactical decision for the director, too.
6. Daily Workouts
It is one thing to train for a specific technique, it is another thing to train daily in order to preserve the shape and strength. Keanu Reeves simply changed his daily life routine in order to fulfill the technical requirements of the films. His trainer Patrick Murphy concentrated on strengthening his joints and muscle groups, trying to give balance and control to the actor’s body. When his age is taken into consideration, Keanu Reeves is amazing for a 50-year-old man. In order to shoot the choreographed action scenes, Keanu worked tirelessly daily and focused on proprioception.
7. Surfing
If it weren’t for “Point Break”, we would have never watched Keanu Reeves as today’s one of the best male action actors. Before the film, Keanu had never surfed, therefore he and his co-star Patrick Swayze started taking surfing lessons from world-class professional Dennis Jarvis. They stayed in Kauai for a month and surfed every day. Keanu loved surfing so much that he took it as a hobby and still surfs when he finds time. Keanu said that he learned a lot from Patrick Swayze too who broke ribs and skydived in “Point Break” refusing to use a stunt.
8. Vocal Exercises
In the early stages of his career, Keanu played Hamlet at the Manitoba Theatre Centre in 1995 sold out every day of the week, attracting crowds full of women who came to see this both talented and handsome Hamlet. Keanu worked on his voice for almost a year in order to do justice to the play’s long monologues and dialogs. He memorized more than 1500 lines for the play and recited them correctly. Keanu Reeves did not win any award for his role in the famous Shakespearean adaptation of the play, however, the production itself was a unique success in terms of culture- bringing Hollywood, Canada, and England together.
9. Motorcycles
Keanu Reeves took motorcycle lessons when he was filming at a studio in Germany. He took an instant liking and even bought one for himself when he got back to America. His favorite motorcycle is a 1973 Norton Commando on which he made thousands of miles. He admitted having a lot of accidents and hurting himself because of speeding. Breaking an ankle, losing teeth, road rashes, and rupturing the spleen are just some of them. Keanu founded Arch Motorcycles and started making custom motorcycles. The first release of the company was the KRGT-1, a US$78,000 chopper.
10. Sword Training
For the film “47 Ronin,” Keanu also took sword lessons from Tsuyoshi Abe. He co-starred with Hiroyuki Sanada who filmed more than 30 samurai films. He admits to learning a lot from Hiroyuki, too such as how to hold a “katana” in a correct way. The film was not a blockbuster hit like his other films. “Ronin” means “wanderer”, namely a samurai without a master or lord. The film tells the legend of 47 samurais and their journey after their master has been killed. Keanu also learned about Japanese culture during the film; such as social hierarchies, cuisine, and posture.
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