On Keanu's Acting Range

Reeves' Constantine director, Francis Lawrence, was baffled that Reeves could now carry two typecasts, Bill and Ted and The Matrix, when those roles were so diametrically opposed. "I think a lot of of actors carry the baggage of past roles with them, but because he was so strong in a sense in Bill and Ted's, he just carries that with him," Lawrence said. "And he became that guy. He became Neo. They are nothing alike. You carry that with you and I think that's part of it, but I have no idea why that happens. The reaction to him is so sort of polarized it's just amazing.

– "Pros and Constantine"

I have seen Keanu Reeves in vastly different roles (the FBI man in the current "Point Break," for example), and am a little astonished by the range of these performances.

Roger Ebert, "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey"

After first making a name for himself as an airhead dude in the hit comedy "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," the actor has consistently broadened his range by taking on such diverse projects as Francis Coppola's adaptation of "Bram Stoker's Dracula," Kenneth Branagh's version of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," Bernardo Bertolucci's spiritual saga "Little Buddha" and Gus Van Sant's harrowing "My Own Private Idaho."

– "Keanu Takes a Walk on the Wild Side"

He evidences incredible range when you look at it in conjunction with his body of work. He's an actor willing to take risks, and that quality has done nothing but reward him.

Kathryn Bigelow

Prina said he wanted to design a course about filmmaking in the 1980s and focused the class on Reeves because the actor has appeared in a diverse set of films that each exemplify a specific style.

– "Totally bogus, or bodaciously cool? Reeves is a class subject"

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