Киану и Маленький Будда

According to a much-touted anecdote, when Blessed had an audience with his holiness, he noticed that there were some old boxing gloves lying around. So, of course, the first thing he did was to challenge the living manifestation of the god of compassion to a fight. And even though Blessed says the Lama was «absolutely dreadful» in the face of his own considerable heft, he still let him win.[14 - Why every man should aspire to be Brian Blessed by Edward Tew; The Telegraph; 09 Oct 2015]

Брайан и стал первым наставником Киану в буддизме, научив его медитировать.

«Have you heard of chakras? They’re energy centres. I had an experience of that, which basically, in the beginning, was just a feeling of magnitude. I was meditating in Tuscany and I felt as big as a valley. I’d move my arm and it would feel like it was 18 miles long. The man who taught me to meditate said to me, «As soon as you think you know something, you don’t know it.» I was thinking, «Oh no, doomed again! Just doomed…»[15 - Speed Kills by Lesley O’Toole; Shake! (NZ), August 1994]

Роль Киану в «Much Ado About Nothing» была почти эпизодической, так что I saw Bernardo Bertolucci again twice in Rome and one day on the phone he asked me if I would accept the part.

I jumped for joy![16 - Keanu Reeves, State of Grace by Michel Rebichon; Studio (Fr), December 1993]

Но, верный себе, все же спросил у Бертолуччи – «Почему я?» I was shocked when Bernardo Bertolucci said he wanted me to play Siddhartha. I asked him why, and he said, «Your innocence!» and he shaped a mountain with his hands and put my innocence at the top.

He didn’t realize that my whole mountain was innocence. He was just amazed that someone could be that innocent.»[17 - Keanu Reeves: lasting action hero by Sara Voorhees; San Francisco Examiner (US), June 16, 1994]

I think by innocence he includes youth, ignorance and naivetе… That said, I think that in fact this innocence is one of my dominant characteristics. The same way you have some people who exude intelligence and others sensuality and like, when you meet them they actually are intelligent or sensual.

Besides, if I really look, most of the characters I’ve played bear the stamp of this innocence…

Danceny in Dangerous Liaisons, the cop in Point Break, my character in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, they were all innocents. Even when you look back at River’s Edge. The first part where I’m not at all innocent, I mean not at all, is in Much Ado About Nothing.