The performance that overwhelmed Keanu Reeves: “I felt a bit of anxiety”
At the height of his fame in the 1990s, before the global buzz around The Matrix and John Wick, Keanu Reeves found his start through working with creative anarchists like Kathryn Bigelow, Gus Van Sant and Francis Ford Coppola, showing himself to have a predilection for gritty indie films that weren’t always seen by huge audiences.
After starring in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, perhaps audiences weren’t expecting the meteoric ride to success that shortly came, with 1991 being the year that changed everything after two performances forever influenced the future direction of his filmography, even if they might have seen rather daunting at first.
Gus Van Sant has always been something of a creative shapeshifter, creating stories that are vastly different in tone yet somehow manage to maintain his distinct signature style. From the warm nostalgia of Good Will Hunting, the satirical humour of To Die For, to his historical biopic Milk, the director has never worked within one box, always adapting to what fascinates him most and creating portraits about the dark side of human nature.
This was explored in a particularly devastating yet whimsical way through his 1992 film My Own Private Idaho, a very modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV starring Reaves and River Phoenix. It contains one of the greatest performances from River, with his monologue during the campfire scene remaining as one of the most beautiful reflections of his talents, with the actor writing the monologue himself.
The story follows two young men called Mike and Scott, a hustler with narcolepsy and the other the rebellious son of the town Mayor, who embark on a road trip together to reconnect with Mike’s estranged mother, both dabbling in sex work along the way to fund their trip. It’s a slightly surrealist and jarring watch, with moments in which the film sits between a world both known and completely unfamiliar, creating a dream-like haze in which their relationship is the only thing tethering us to reality.
When discussing the film, Reeves was asked about his thoughts on how it might change his public image, with the actor saying, “Hurt my image? Who am I-a politician? No, I’m an actor. That wasn’t a problem. But shooting was a very intense experience. I had just finished Point Break and was still into my character. I felt a bit of anxiety about Idaho. I was overwhelmed at what I had to do- It was like, ‘Oh no! Can I do this?’ I was afraid. But Gus and River made me fit in. Said, ‘Let’s do one bitchin’ movie’”.
They certainly managed to achieve this, creating a feverish yet romantically devastating story about two lovers and their quest to find an ounce of care and kindness in a cruel world, remaining together until even the purest thing of all, their relationship, is ripped apart. It’s one of the most fascinating works in Van Sant’s filmography, given how experimental it is compared to everything else, something that no doubt is infused by Reeves’ performance and the overwhelming challenge he managed to pull off.
