Here's How Keanu Reeves Ended Up Playing Himself In "Always Be My Maybe"

Jun 12, 2019 by apost team

Ali Wong's all-new Netflix movie, Always Be My Maybe, sees Keanu Reeves playing a philosophical, sexy, and pretentious version of himself from real life. In this romantic comedy, Reeve's surprising performance is amusing and has already been winning over many fans since the trailer dropped.

At the premiere of the movie in Los Angeles, Reeves said that he had been a fan of Ali's before being asked to join the cast. He described the experience of playing a real-life version of himself on film as "really fun" reports Vanity Fair. As an actor with an iconic style and captivating persona outside of acting, fans were just as excited to see Reeves assume an alternative version of himself on camera.

Although the movie was made available for streaming on Netflix in late May, a select few theaters across the country saw the official premiere a few days prior. The Netflix rom-com focuses on a well-known celebrity chef by the name of Sasha Tran, played by Wong. The character returns to San Francisco to start a restaurant.

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During her return, Tran is unexpectedly reunited with her best friend from childhood by the name of Marcus Kim, played by Randall Park. Although the duo hasn't spoken for over a decade, their friendship is rekindled without skipping a beat. Around the same time, Tran's engagement ends. At this point, she enters into a fling with Keanu Reeves' character. Unbeknownst to Tran, Marcus becomes jealous of this relationship because of his secret feelings for his best friend.

In the movie's first teaser trailer, it is clear that Marcus is not a fan of Reeves' character. He first sees the Matrix actor walking into a restaurant with a designer suit and fancy glasses. Without hesitation, he sweeps Tran into his arms and lets out a romantic purr.

At the movie's premiere, Wong continued to express her appreciation for Reeves' sense of humor and acting presence and said “Keanu had no problem making fun of himself,” according to Vanity Fair. She said that he was an excellent comic with good instincts. The writers didn't even think that the A-list actor would act in the movie.

Park and Wong had always planned for Reeves to be in their movie. They even wrote the actor into the earliest versions of their screenplay. After sending the script to Reeves' agent, the duo learned that the actor was interested in setting up a meeting.

During the meeting, the writers talked to Reeves about their idea for his character. The actor was intrigued by their ideas and even added some thoughts of his own. Nahnatchka Khan, the director of the movie, performed some rewrites and sent the edited versions back to Reeves. He ended up loving the edits and pledged his dedication to the movie. The director was lucky to catch the actor in between shoots for the widely-popular John Wick movies.

At this time, Reeves had just completed shooting some films for the third installment of the franchise in New York. He only had a few days before heading to Morocco for more shoots. During this short respite, Reeves volunteered to fly to Vancouver to film scenes for the rom-com. The writers and directors were ecstatic to have the busy actor for four days of non-stop filming. Instead of going to sleep and taking a much-needed rest, Reeves was ready to go.

Wong instantly fell in love with Reeves' work ethic and charisma on set. The iconic actor exceeded her high expectations. She reported that the actor was genuine, friendly, and kind. She marveled at this consistent and dedicated work ethic. Despite his busy schedule and short window for shooting the scenes, Reeves was just as dedicated as other actors on set.

In fact, Reeves surprised everyone with his thorough knowledge of the script. Although he only had a small part in the movie, the 54-year-old actor took it upon himself to learn the script forward and backward. He was able to make references to specific page numbers and had other actors trying to keep up. His work ethic was focused and consistent. It's clear that Keanu Reeves didn't achieve his level of success solely through his acting chops and good looks. He is also one of the most dedicated professionals in the industry.

Khan spoke highly of Reeves' comedic instincts and ability to improvise. The stand-up comedian likes to perform a lot of adlibs while shooting his scenes. Keanu Reeves had no trouble keeping up with this improvisation and even added some lines of his own. Some of these jokes were even good enough to make the final cut for the movie. The self-aware actor even made a joke about dropping out of high school and not being able to attend prom.

One of the most memorable scenes involves Reeves and Marcus getting into a fight. Since Reeves was in the middle of this third John Wick movie, he was well-versed in fighting sequences. Randall, on the other hand, had never taken any formal fighting lessons. Watch the "Always Be My Maybe" trailer below and the movie on Netflix today:

What do you think about Reeves appearance in "Always Be My Maybe"? Are you going to watch the movie? Let us know in the comments and be sure to spread the word about this new Netflix rom-com!