Keanu Reeves reveals why he turned down 'Speed 2' even though he 'really wanted to work with Sandra Bullock' again
- Keanu Reeves revealed he turned down a role in "Speed 2" because of the script.
- During an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," Reeves said he didn't "respond" to the writing.
Keanu Reeves revealed why he turned down a role in "Speed 2" — the sequel to 1994's critically acclaimed action thriller "Speed" — during a recent interview on "The Graham Norton Show."
Reeves appeared on the talk show Friday, and was asked by another guest on the segment, Jack Whitehall, why he didn't reprise his role as Jack Traven in "Speed 2: Cruise Control."
"At the time, I just didn't respond to the script," Reeves revealed. "I really wanted to work with Sandra Bullock, and I really loved playing Jack Traven."
The "Matrix Resurrections" star explained to Whitehall that while he "loved" the original film, he had trouble understanding why the second film took place aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean.
"It wasn't against any of the artists that were involved in the project, but at that time — I'm sure we've all had this kind of feeling sometimes when things just don't feel right, and that was how I was feeling," Reeves said.
"I loved 'Speed,' but... now it's on an ocean liner?" the "Matrix" star said of his reaction to the sequel's script.
Norton joked that in "real life," Reeves "dodg[ed] a bullet" by declining to appear in "Speed 2," which was critically-maligned upon its release in 1997 and currently holds a 4% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
This isn't the first time Reeves has spoken about his experience filming "Speed." In 2019, he revealed that he had a crush on his costar Sandra Bullock.
Reeves, who starred in "John Wick: Chapter 3," appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and spoke about the 1994 action movie. After DeGeneres shared clips of Bullock appearing on her show in 2018 and gushing over Reeves, the actor said he wasn't aware that she liked him.
"She obviously didn't know I had a crush on her either," he said.
Reeves went on to say that they didn't date because "we were working."