Keanu Reeves pulling up a gun and slinging it toward the bad guys can give a whole other level of adrenaline rush to the audience. And he does it with such finesse that actors can think about taking some classes.

But, it’s not just the guns that he has been great with. When he is out of ammo, he can showcase some of the most intense hand-to-hand combat skills that require heavy training, and he is all for it.

Keanu Reeves
Four years ago, May 17 saw the release of the third installment — John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and BuzzFeed Celeb got him to talk about his experiences working on the franchise. And he played with puppies!

He answered a lot of fan questions, ranging from stunts to time travel, his secret to living a low-profile life, his love of literature, and the most anticipated question was about his training.

Keanu Reeves Dealt With Severe Physical Issues Before The Matrix

While filming for Chain Reaction (1996), Keanu Reeves went through harrowing physical trauma. But, he couldn’t say no to The Matrix. 

Dealing with spinal troubles and a fractured intervertebral disc, the actor spent four months training in Chinese martial arts. He even had a neck issue and had to go for spinal stenosis.
Keanu Reeves in The Matrix
He said in an interview with Collider –
“What was cool though was at the time the way to recover from spinal surgery was different. They put the plate inside my neck and told me to start moving right away. I had to train for The Matrix in a neck brace.”
Surviving these major challenges, Keanu Reeves could not hold back from returning to the set for back-to-back sequels in 2003.

Keanu Reeves Compares His Training For The Matrix and John Wick Franchise

Director Chad Stahelski started a revolution by casting Keanu Reeves for John Wick. Coming from such painful physical troubles, Reeves signed on to give us an iconic representation of a deadly assassin.

While playing with the puppies, Reeves quoted a fan question –
“How much training did you do for fight scenes in The Matrix and John Wick.”
Keanu Reeves on BuzzFeed Celeb
The question must have given Reeves an opportunity to finally speak on the intense training, as he could not hold his excitement elaborating and comparing the two very different fighting styles for the franchises.
“I did a lot of training, and it was really fun. For The Matrix, the first time it was learning wire and kung fu, and that was months and months. John Wick was judo and jiu-jitsu, and a lot more gun manipulation.”
Keanu Reeves’ passion for movies can be justified by his dedication as he expressed his love for action films, and being there to create a connection with the audience.

Scheduled for a June 7, 2024 release, Keanu Reeves will make a cameo in Ana de Armas’ spin-off Ballerina.