Keanu Reeves has long been known as one of Hollywood’s most humble actors and an all-around decent human being. Most recently, he had a very successful Broadway revival of Waiting for Godot,, which co-starred his Bill and Ted co-star Alex Winter. Keanu is promoting his new movie, Outcome, which premieres on April 10 on Apple TV. It was directed by Jonah Hill and co-stars Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer. Keanu and his costars recently sat down with E! News. Keanu had some particularly good, universally applicable advice for upcoming actors.
Keanu Reeves sure gives some wick-ed good advice.
After more than 30 years working in Hollywood, including rising to fame in his early 20s, the John Wick star is well-equipped to dole out words of wisdom to anyone also looking for their big break. And he didn’t mince words when sharing his candid take.
“Try not to be a f–king a–hole,” Keanu exclusively told E! News’ Will Marfuggi during a joint interview with his Outcome costars Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer. “And go to work and respect who you’re working with until they prove they don’t get your respect.”
Cameron couldn’t help but agree, noting it’s advice that rings true beyond the film industry. As she quipped, “Yeah. That’s life.”
And looking back on her own experience in Hollywood, the Charlie’s Angels actress emphasized “there’s no handbook or manual on being famous.”
“You gotta just make it your own—you don’t know what it’s gonna be,” she explained. “Also, there’s reaching out to other people that you admire, the way that they do it and asking them for some advice…”
The Jonah Hill-directed film—which is available to stream on April 10 on Apple TV—marked a reunion for Cameron and Keanu, who played love interests in the 1996 film Feeling Minnesota. And this time around, the There’s Something About Mary star explained that she felt far more confident filming with Keanu.
“Well it wasn’t my fourth film, so I felt a little bit more capable and experienced than I did back then,” she explained. “But I’m just so honored to get to work with Keanu as I did 30 years ago. Just to be able to do it again now, I’m really grateful.”
She continued, “He’s the same generous, present, such a good human—nothing’s changed in that way.”
For his part, reuniting with Cameron felt “the same” as it did in the nineties.
“It was just kinda like, ‘Let’s go to work, let’s play, let’s do whatever we’re doing as best as we can,’” he told Cameron. “I felt like, whether it’s your fourth film or not, the artist is there.”
”Don’t be a f-cking a-hole.” That advice may be simple and blunt, but it’s not wrong. Those are evergreen words to live by, especially in a weary world in which talent will only get you so far and your bad behavior inevitably gets exposed. People don’t love Keanu because he’s a great actor (he’s not). They love him because he’s not an a-hole. As such, industry folk like working with him and he’s earned a special place in his fan’s hearts. He’s talked the talk and walked the walk for years, so I wish him the best and want him to succeed. I also love that Cameron pointed out how Keanu’s the exact same type of person that he was when they worked together 30 years ago. He really does seem like the most ideal coworker. I genuinely hope that the next generation of actors take his advice to heart.
Photos credit: Dave Starbuck/Future Image/Cover Images, Getty Images and Apple TV+ press
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