“I might have to go begging”: the iconic role Keanu Reeves unsuccessfully petitioned to play
While his career isn’t lacking in iconic characters, Keanu Reeves discovered that begging doesn’t mean shit in Hollywood when he unsuccessfully lobbied to add another one to his collection.
Whether it’s Theodore ‘Ted’ Logan of Wyld Stallyns, Point Break‘s Johnny Utah being young, dumb, and full of you-know-what, Speed‘s Jack Traven, The Matrix‘s Neo, or the title character from the John Wick franchise, the actor has ingrained himself into cinema history as a marquee ass-kicker and all-around cool cat.
Jonathan Harker is also an iconic character, as one of the staples of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but it’s generous to say that Reeves’ portrayal is not, unless it’s being viewed through the prism of performances so woefully and laughably bad that they’ll always be remembered among the pinnacle of poor thespianism. In that case, he definitely makes the cut, because it’s just awful.
In the late 1990s, though, Reeves’ career wasn’t at its highest point. He’d cooled off significantly after Johnny Mnemonic, Chain Reaction, and Feeling Minnesota had all bombed at the box office amid withering reviews, and while The Devil’s Advocate was a minor reprieve, it wasn’t until The Matrix that he re-established himself back on top.
However, two casting decisions may have changed everything in both the short and long term. First of all, he was nowhere near the first choice for Neo, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, Brad Pitt, and Sandra Bullock just a few of the names to turn down The Matrix before he signed on, and had he played the part he was begging for, he may not have been able to do it anyway.
The Wachowskis’ transformative sci-fi action spectacular was shot between March and August of 1998, and Reeves toured the world in support of the picture throughout the following year. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings was gearing up for a mammoth shoot that spanned 438 days, from October 1999 to December 2000, with the cast locked in long before then.
Much like The Matrix‘s Neo, casting Aragorn in the fantasy trilogy was a bit of a nightmare. Nicolas Cage rejected it, the part was offered to Russell Crowe because Jackson felt he had to, and Stuart Townsend was cast before being replaced, with Viggo Mortensen was brought in with shooting well underway.
In early 1999, Reeves revealed his desperation to land the job for himself. “I’m petitioning to play Strider,” he declared, citing his admiration for Jackson. “I’d love to work with him, but I’m not sure if it’s going to go ahead. I hope I can.” To underline his commitment, he even doubled down on his desire.
“I might have to go begging for the role,” he conceded. “I have people making calls right now. Hopefully, he’ll think I’m right for the part. I’m the man. I’m there.” Evidently, Jackson didn’t think he was right for the part, and with the benefit of hindsight, it would have been jarring to have Keanu Reeves, of all people, as The Lord of the Rings‘ Aragorn, which Mortensen made iconic in his own way.
