Keanu Reeves Turned Down A Role in This Acclaimed War Movie Because “He Didn’t Want to Do Violence”
Although Keanu Reeves is now famous for his violent films, he once turned down a role in an award-winning war movie precisely because of his reluctance to use it.
Keanu Reeves is an actor who is now largely associated with Matrix, John Wick or Cyberpunk 2077 – productions that are full of violence, so it may come as a surprise that in the past the Canadian turned down a role in a production precisely because of it. Yet this is exactly what happened when he was offered a role in acclaimed movie, Platoon, by Oliver Stone.
Platoon is a war production that tells the story of a young soldier, a volunteer, who experiences the horrors of war. It was awarded 4 Oscars in the categories of best film, best director, best sound and best editing.
The director talked about the situation during an interview with Entertainment Weekly, where he admitted that in 1986's Platoon, Chris was actually supposed to be played by Reeves, not Charlie Sheen, who ended up playing the character.
That’s right, Keanu turned it down because of the violence. He didn’t want to do violence.
Apparently, at the time Reeves wasn’t interested in roles in productions filled with violence. His approach, however, has changed over time, given the kind of roles the actor takes on nowadays, where he beats dozens of enemies in John Wick, not shying away from violence one bit. Also, Johnny Silverhand, played by him in Cyberpunk 2077, often resorts to violence.
However, the history told by Oliver Stone shows that at the beginning of his career Reeves set himself in a specific direction and tried to avoid roles that would require him to use violence. This changed only later, allowing audiences to enjoy his unforgettable performances in action productions, which have become an integral part of his ever-growing filmography. And there are more roles ahead for Reeves in which he will have to use violence, such as in the adaptation of BRZRKR, in which he is to play the lead role.
