Keanu Reeves was Sandra Bullock’s knight in shining armor on the set of the 1994 action thriller Speed. At a special 30th anniversary screening and Q&A with his former co-star Reeves and director Jan de Bont, Bullock reflected on filming the memorable LAX airport scene where he and the John Wick actor evacuated a bomb-laden bus Was.
In the scene, she wore a “very light” dress with a bodysuit underneath. During rehearsals she realized that the skirt would blow over her head due to the force of the wind. However, Reeves saved the day. “So Keanu’s job for me, which was the most important thing, was to keep my hands so that the skirt wouldn’t blow over my head,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
The Matrix actor had to perform many tasks while filming the scenes! The Bird Box actress recalled, “Not only did they have to do the stunts (and) keep me safe, but they also had to keep my integrity intact.”
Bullock further joked that even if something had happened to her, no one would have cared because she was new to Hollywood at the time. He quipped, “It would have been like ‘The actor died during a stunt in a Keanu Reeves movie.'”
The Speed reunion as part of this year’s Beyond Fest was the first time the director and two stars discussed the film since its release. The blockbuster film follows Jack Traven (Reeves), a Los Angeles police officer who races against time to prevent a bomb-laden city bus from exploding.
At the reunion stage, director De Bont reflected on the obvious chemistry between Reeves and Bullock in the film. He said, “When I saw the movie here (tonight), I have never been more proud of those two actors.” He described what they did for the film – often unnatural for him – as “incredible” and praised the “amazing” relationship they created.
“It was very realistic to see him back on screen tonight. He was absolutely perfect. It was really great. I had to tell them how great they both were,” he said.
