It had been less than 24 hours since most of the reporters assembled in a banquet room at the Four Seasons Hotel had seen the man in black exorcise a series of computer-generated demons from a slew of pretty young things.
Naturally, everyone was anxious to chat with Keanu Reeves about his role in “Constantine,” a comic-book thriller that opens Friday.
Naturally, the star was late.
But all was forgiven when Reeves, dressed in Neo black from head to toe, was ushered into the room. Sporting about a week’s worth of stubble on his face and probably about a quart of mousse in his spiked hair, Reeves was wonderfully engaging and entertaining.
“I want a bigger chair,” he said with an English accent when approaching the stage. “I want a bigger chair.”
On the chances of there being a “Speed 3”: “Don’t laugh, we might make that! Um, what would that be? ‘Sped.’ “
And when asked about the possibility of “Constantine” becoming another franchise like his “Matrix” movies, Reeves joked: “Trilogy, why stop there? We could have ‘Son of Constantine’ and I’ll play him too. CGI!”
But once he finished his comedy routine, the 40-year-old actor best known for his roles in the “Matrix” and “Bill & Ted” series, “Speed,” “Something’s Gotta Give” and most recently, “Thumbsucker,” was fairly cerebral when reflecting on his career and his latest film.
In “Constantine,” Reeves plays yet another dark, complicated, complex, “Matrix”-like character who finds himself dangling between hell and heaven, good and evil. John Constantine has already been to hell–he committed suicide as a teen–but for some reason he was evicted and sent back to Earth, where he spends his time exorcising demons.
He’s hoping that his good deeds–like helping a police detective (Rachel Weisz) investigate the mysterious death of her twin sister–will keep him from having to go back.
“I feel that you’re watching a character who’s dealing with something that happened to him that he doesn’t understand,” Reeves said. “He was given this curse of this gift to be able to see the world beyond the world and in despair–as a young man–he takes his own life and goes to hell. He comes back from hell, and he has no idea why.”
Although Reeves said he wasn’t familiar with the DC/Vertigo series “Hellblazer” on which this story is based, he was immediately smitten with the character.
To prepare for the role Reeves researched the subject matter extensively and kept journals about various aspects of spirituality. But it took a while for Reeves to feel comfortable in Constantine’s shoes. He initially worked with the film’s costume designer on a look for the character; once he got that settled, he began working on Constantine’s persona.
“I kind of knew his core, but in terms of embodying the character I lowered my register a little bit, working on the way he spoke,” Reeves said. “I was guided by Francis Lawrence–the director–in terms of wanting a kind of hard-boiled … a kind of noir aspect.”
Shia LaBeouf, who plays Constantine’s young protege in the film, admitted that he initially had some preconceived notions about working with Reeves. Like some of Reeves’ critics, LaBeouf wasn’t impressed with his co-star’s acting abilities. “He’s just the ‘whoa’ guy or the guy in ‘Speed.’ But the truth is he has one of the most elaborate resumes and has worked with the best actors in the business.
“When I first met him, the reason my whole notion changed was that I have never seen anyone prepare like Keanu in my life,” LaBeouf added. “Keanu really, really prepares.”
Also, he’s very hard on himself and is a really intense actor. He’s so un-jaded for a person who is in so many films. He still works on films like it’s his first movie.”
There’s a reason for that. Despite all of his hits, misses and disses, this hockey-loving, bass-thumping pretty boy truly digs what he does.
“I really love it,” Reeves said emphatically. “It’s my craft. 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.”
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