Keanu: childhood, youth and the moments of glory. Book #1. Yevgeniya Sikhimbayeva
Yes, I’m reading five books that I don’t completely understand and I can’t speak about, but I’ve read them.11» And he really read everything (from Dostoevsky, because generally speaking it is somehow embarrassing not to read it) to physicist Stephen Hawking («one heavy dude»12).
He attended evening theater courses at the theater of improvisations The Second City. (51 Mercer St.) «I kinda had a potpourri. «I went to night classes at a place called the Homemade Theatre. You’d walk up these rickety stairs, you’d go into this room and you’d lie on the ground. Then you’d breathe and start to place the sun on your tongue or the sun on your arm. Then you’d sit in a chair and you’d have a teacup. You’d feel the cup and you’d take a sip out of the hot liquid and you’d feel it… Fucking seventeen doing shit like that!13» and acted everywhere he got invited. Most often – for free or almost free. The first role (if you could call it that) that brought him some money was the role in Coca-Cola’s television commercials. He also advertised cornflakes, oh yes!
He dreamed of starting to earn enough by acting to give up numerous part time jobs and do only what he loved. It turned out, however, not very, and it is not known how it would all end (perhaps before it had time to start), but here the Canadian government came to the rescue of Keanu.
No, no one discerned a future star in him and did not allocate a grant. It’s just that the government somewhere in the late seventies began to provide tax benefits to Hollywood filmmakers, provided that they would be filming in Canada and using local staff in the filming. For media magnates, this did not become a problem – in the end, stars like Donald Sutherland and Christopher Plummer were citizens of Canada, and Toronto looked no worse than New York or Chicago.
So the Canadian film business was quite lively, and Keanu got his first real role on television. (The TV show «Hangin’ In»). It consisted of just one phrase ««Hey, lady! Where’s the shower?14».
Then he went to an audition to participate in another television movie – something like a police drama from the life of the Miami police called «Night Scramble» and again got the role! In the credits, he was listed as «Cutthroat Number One,» but only because he was taller than his friend who played Cutthroat Number Two. So the beginning was promising.
In 1984, John Mackenzie filmed his «Act of Retribution» in Toronto.
This television film talks about genuine events that happened in the United States seventeen years ago. It tells about the struggle of union activist Jock Jablonski with the chairman of the UMWA union. (United Union of Miners) by Tony Boyle. The classic plot is that a noble hero fights against a corrupt trade unionist, for which he pays his own life. The plot is a blast at the mine, 80 miners remained under the rubble, and the union leader assures that all the safety requirements of the mine owners were complied with, and what happened was just an accident, a fateful combination of circumstances. Jock Jablonski strongly disagrees with this, moreover, he becomes Boyle’s rival in the election of the chairman of the union. Boyle doesn’t just juggle the election results – he physically eliminates Jablonski with the hands of his henchmen. The murder made a lot of noise – a federal investigation began. A year before filming began, Tony Boyle died in prison, where he was serving a life sentence… and the story was just a story that could be told and analyzed. It is curious that the performer of the role of Jablonski – Charles Bronson, began his labor biography in the mine.
To fill the quota, Mackenzie hired some of the young Canadian actors to play episodic roles as street boys in New York. Nineteen-year-old Keanu received one of these roles – and here he had a name – Buddy Martin. This was no longer a shame to write on the track record – (played in the same film with Charles Bronson himself! – which Keanu himself was very proud of: – I was the second guy (on film) ever to kill Charles Bronson!»15) and an important step on ways to make acting your primary profession.
Virgo have high standards and are very self-sufficient, therefore they prefer to remain single rather than be in a relationship that does not satisfy. Virgo has no problem being alone for a long time. They relate better to their achievements, knowing that they were successful on their own.
(TOP 10 REASONS WHY VIRGO IS THE BEST ZODIAC SIGN; JANUARY 10, 2017 ASTROLOGY & LIFE)
The television film «The Brotherhood of Justice» («The Brotherhood of Justice», sometimes «The Brotherhood of Justice», which will be shown in 1986) was shot in Toronto. Here, Keanu already received one of the main roles – one of the «brothers» – Derek. (The second main role, Victor, will be played by Kiefer Sutherland, the son of Toronto-born actor Donald Sutherland. Young Billy Zane, the future Cal Hockley in Titanic, and the beautiful Lori Laughlin, will later play along with Keanu in the movie «The Night Before – Last night»). This was again one of the films about difficult teens, which Keanu would later play for a long time. The film is about how the school administration is trying to maintain discipline by the students themselves. Not all, of course. Only the elite, members of the Brotherhood of Justice organization, are entrusted with protecting the rule of law. It would seem that everything has been thought out – the pride of the school, the informal leader, the son of rich and respected parents, Derek will lead the organization, and its friends and members of the administration will be his friends. But alas – the situation is quickly getting out of control and the fight against law enforcement leads to even greater rampant crime … «Brotherhood» is an even more powerful hotbed of rampant violence. Derek wants to stop this, but alas, he catches himself too late. The film turned out very good, although Keanu was far from enthusiastic about himself in this role. «I was just bad in it. I didn’t mean to be. I just was.16»
Virgo, as you know, are perfectionists, they never agree to anything less than perfection. It can be either strength or weakness. On the positive side, this perfectionist attitude forces the Devs to set high standards for themselves, and they are good at improving things, building order out of chaos. They value sophistication and their attention to detail is amazing.
(TOP 10 REASONS WHY VIRGO IS THE BEST ZODIAC SIGN; JANUARY 10, 2017 ASTROLOGY & LIFE)
Another Keanu film of the time is Young Again. Hollywood director Steven Stern spotted him at one of the auditions – and told Disney’s executive director in charge of television films that he wanted to recommend this guy to them. Stern convinced Disney leaders Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg to look at Keanu. «OK,» said Katsenberg to Stern, «but if we don’t like him in a few days, we will replace him.» They liked him, but… this film you will not find in any of the most complete list of Keanu’s films. However, the director introduced the budding actor to Gottlieb Hill from ICM. (Subsequently, he will assist Keanu in obtaining the green card).
1986 was marked by the release of the first «real» film to Keanu on the cinema screens – «Flying» (Flight). In the center of the plot, the truth is not at all the hero of Keanu, Tommy, but a girl named Robin, played by Olivia d’Abo. Honestly, it makes sense to watch this film if you are a big fan of gymnastics, although the plot is certainly there too. Well, just look at Keanu, because in this role he is handsome – and nothing more.
Therefore, we turn better to the next film Keanu, which in his career meant much more.
* * *
So – «Youngblood»…
Keanu himself will later say: «It’s an awful movie17», but, after all, it was
Keanu Reeves: Hawaiian Punk» by Shari Roman; Details Magazine (US), February 1989
Peaking in the Valley» by Lynn Snowden; Rolling Stone (US), March 9, 1989
«Keanu Reeves (say it Key-ah-noo). It means «Cool Breeze from the Mountains» by Karen Krizanovich; Sky (UK), December 1989
Who’s Hot! – Keanu Reeves» by Bronwen Burke; Dell Publishing Group, New York (US), July 1992
He Just Doesn’t Act His Age» by Jim Farber; New York Daily News (US), September 14, 1988
Is this teen scream the new DeNiro?» by George Anthony; Toronto Sun – Showcase (Ca), July 5, 1987
The Young and the Restless» by Joe Queenan; Movieline (US), February 1990