NEW YORK -- Look up enigmatic in the dictionary and you might just find a picture of Keanu Reeves.
All those synonyms -- from secretive and ambiguous to indecipherable and paradoxical -- certainly apply.
Here's the guy who went from playing a goofball in 1989's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure to having a most excellent contemporary career in Hollywood.
It could be construed as good fortune that he made the 1994 thriller Speed -- but it was more than luck that kept him from doing the disastrous sequel.
He could have passed on The Matrix after tanking with 1995's Johnny Mnemonic but instead parlayed an almost identical sci-fi performance into a movie icon.
Reeves' off-screen persona is just as puzzling. His co-stars talk about how personable, humorous, sweet and kind he is, yet he's long been an infamous interview subject.
In round-table settings and press conferences, his answers are cryptic and his demeanour defensive.
So it was with no small amount of trepidation that I approached our one-on-one interview for the holiday comedy Something's Gotta Give.
I can't pretend I've met the real Keanu Reeves, but I've certainly met a much different man than I've encountered in previous group interview situations.
He's more imposing in person than he is on screen and is every bit his 6-ft-1 frame.
Reeves has hands like baseball mitts, but there's a gentleness to his handshake. He proved far more relaxed, articulate and humorous.
Here are some excerpts from our conversation:
You've had quite a remarkable career since your feature-film debut in 1986's Youngblood. Did you have an initial plan?
I didn't have a plan but I had a hope. I hoped I'd be able to make a living acting because I loved it so much, and I hoped I'd get the opportunity to make quality films and work with some of the best actors and directors in the business. I also hoped I could have a career that would allow me to do stage work as well as film.
At what age were you bitten by the acting bug?
I started taking acting classes at the Jewish Community Centre when I was 15 and got my first agent when I played Mercutio in a community production of Romeo And Juliet at 16. I did a Coke commercial and that led to my first professional acting gig (as the title character) in Wolf Boy, which led to Youngblood.
So many people were surprised by your decision to star in the Manitoba Theatre Centre's production of Hamlet.
I would have preferred if fewer people were surprised. I want to do more stage work. Before I left Toronto for Los Angeles, I would audition regularly for the Stratford and Shaw festivals. I still harbour a dream of being part of either of those companies for a season.
Do you covet another Shakespearean role?
Absolutely. I'd really like to play the Scotsman in The Scottish Play.
At what point in your career did you finally concede this acting thing was working for you?
I haven't said that to myself yet. I really haven't. It would be foolish of me to pretend things haven't worked out well for me financially but that's an exterior thing, and that's what other people tend to gauge an actor's career by. Personally, I feel like I'm still searching. I'm still trying. I'm still working on my craft on almost a daily basis.
Is it difficult at this point in your career to let people into your life?
In terms of my personality, my sensibility and who I am, it hasn't changed all that much. I really trust people until they show me that I can't trust them.
When I meet people, I try not to have expectations, but I also try not to be naive. I don't want to have to put up any unnecessary walls, but I also don't want to leave myself unguarded. Talk to people who knew me in Toronto 30 years ago. That was true of me then just as it's true of me now.
Are you relieved The Matrix is all over?
Not at all. It was an incredible experience. I think they're all wonderful films and I'll speak about them until I croak. I won't ever tire of talking about the character, the films and the whole experience itself. It is a very important part of my life, just as it's an important part of my career.
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