Keanu Reeves joined Norman Reedus for a ride through the Utah desert on Sunday’s season premiere of Ride With Norman Reedus on AMC.
The 59-year-old actor teamed up with Norman, 54, at the Bonneville Salt Flats famous for speed records.
‘Out here it’s like being in another world. Utah is the last frontier of the old Wild West. A place where outlaws sought refuge and pioneers could forge their own reality,’ Norman said in a voice-over.
Norman and Keanu were shown riding side-by-side on motorcycles in the desert.
‘I’m seeing Utah with Johnny Utah,’ Norman said, referencing Keanu’s character from the 1991 crime action film Point Break.
Season premiere: Keanu Reeves joined Norman Reedus for a ride through the Utah desert on Sunday’s season premiere of Ride With Norman Reedus on AMC
Norman revealed that he and Keanu have talked about going on a ride together for years and it was finally happening.
‘It’s our first chance to spend real time together. And I can tell already that this is gonna be an epic ride,’ Norman said.
Keanu gave a funny history of the Bonneville Salt Flats and admitted to the camera that he was getting all the facts wrong.
Norman asked about Keanu’s Arch Motorcycle Company and the actor said the company was started in 2011 and showed him the KRGT-1 model.
‘I call it kind of metro modern,’ Keanu said.
Keanu revealed that he got into motorcycles while growing up in Toronto.
‘And every summer, motorcycle gangs would come into the Yorkville. I just remember as a little, little kid, 11-year-old, going, like, “Freedom.” It felt like freedom. It felt like alternative. It felt like power. You know, like, “Waah!” They’d come in. Camaraderie, the whole thing. And so it began,’ Keanu said.
Norman said that he liked how Keanu was a ‘dude-dude’ as they were talking.
‘You know, like, you’re sitting on the ground, getting filthy, drinking coffee, talking about stuff like this. It’s nice to see you on the ground,’ Norman said before they toasted each other to the journey ahead.
Canadian kid: ‘And every summer, motorcycle gangs would come into the Yorkville. I just remember as a little, little kid, 11-year-old, going, like, “Freedom.” It felt like freedom. It felt like alternative. It felt like power. You know, like, “Waah!” They’d come in. Camaraderie, the whole thing. And so it began,’ Keanu said
Dudes talking: ‘You know, like, you’re sitting on the ground, getting filthy, drinking coffee, talking about stuff like this. It’s nice to see you on the ground,’ Norman said before they toasted each other to the journey ahead
Three-day journey: The embarked on a three-day, 500-mile journey through Utah that took them first to Salt Lake City, then south to a world-class racing team in Summit County before heading to Canyonlands National Park and the final ride to Moab for a celebration of motorcycles and fire
The next day they grabbed breakfast and Norman asked Keanu if he played sports.
‘Does shooting pool count as a sport?,’ Keanu asked.
Keanu said he played a lot of pool and a lot of hockey growing up in Canada.
‘Did you ever see the movie Youngblood?’ Norman asked.
‘I was in Youngblood,’ Keanu told him.
He said it was his first 35-millimeter film and recalled working with Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze.
‘I played the French-Canadian goalie,’ Keanu said.
Norman asked Keanu what the late Patrick Swayze was like
Hockey film: ‘Did you ever see the movie Youngblood?’ Norman asked
Funny answer ‘I was in Youngblood,’ Keanu told him
‘He was a beautiful spirit. So sweet. Super committed. Enthusiastic. Especially on Point Break,’ Keanu said.
Keanu shared how Swayze kept skydiving during filming and how ‘amazing’ director Kathryn Bigelow decided to take a cameraman up in a plane to catch him in action.
‘So all of that stuff that he did, he ended up doing at the end of the film. You can see he’s, like, doing tricks in the air and everything. He was doing somersaults and everything. It’s really him. So it’s why that’s in the movie,’ Keanu said.
‘If you’re lucky, you cross paths with that someone who inspires you to look inward, challenges you to be better. And those lessons that you take with you last a lifetime,’ Norman said in a confessional.
They next made an 11-mile detour to the mountain town of Peoa to check out sled dogs.
Keanu while talking about acting said he loves ‘fake fighting’.
Skydiving scenes: Keanu shared how Swayze kept skydiving during filming and how ‘amazing’ director Kathryn Bigelow decided to take a cameraman up in a plane to catch him in action
‘I love the ballet, the dance. Violence is always so intense, right? It means so much. It’s like fight for your life. Fight for something. Fight to protect,’ Keanu said.
They next visited a Wild West mining town that was being restored.
‘We’re meeting some pretty good folks, spiritual people, you know, manifesting in their way,’ Keanu said.
They were both blown away by the beauty and majesty of Canyonlands National Park.
‘As I’m getting older, I’m finding myself thinking about geology. So, like, looking at all these rocks and the stratifications, what shaped it, how did that happen?,’ Keanu said.
‘I like listening to the inner workings of your mind,’ Norman said.
They next enjoyed a wild ride on the Colorado River before making their way to Moab.
Norman said Motos in Moab has earned its reputation as the motorcycle Burning Man and declared that he might not leave.
Keanu and Norman signed autographs for fans and ate sushi in an underground dining room.
Wild ride: They next enjoyed a wild ride on the Colorado River before making their way to Moab
Good times: Keanu was stoked about the Motos in Moab celebration
The festivities included lots of riding, good music and many blowtorches.
‘In Utah, I’ve discovered people don’t wait for life to happen. They get out and live it. It’s a place where improbable ideas create new worlds. And for a state that’s all about ingenuity, couldn’t script a more perfect ending, and I’m happy to have shared it all with Keanu,’ Norman said in a voice-over.
Keanu gushed about the celebration, the location and the people and said he was thankful for being included.
Ride With Norman Reedus with will return next week on AMC with an episode titled ‘Northern Italy with Josh Holloway