Keanu Reeves Endured An Incredible 7-Hour Long Audition For This Iconic Movie
Keanu Reeves is a media darling. Not only does he star in ongoing blockbuster projects such as "The Matrix" and "John Wick," but he's one of the few celebrities that is universally considered to be a decent human being. As noted by Style, Reeves spends an unorthodox amount of his time spreading kindness and frequently uses his financial success for the betterment of others. Is he weird? Almost definitely, but that comes with the territory and only seems to add to his charm. In short, we love an unproblematic man.
What perhaps makes this more impressive is how the acting industry infamously puts performers through an intense emotional ringer at nearly every step of the way to stardom. Some of these hurdles are more obvious than others — for instance, constant interviews can lead to either the performer in question or the reporter stirring up some serious, potentially career-ending drama. But other barriers to entry are less visible to the masses. In this way, Reeves shared a bizarre anecdote about how draining the audition process for "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" became.
The acting industry can be ... exhausting
In an interview with The Wrap, Keanu Reeves discussed the gratuitous process he underwent to land the role of Theodore "Ted" Logan in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure." He described the entire situation as mostly standard, save for the final step, which quickly dissolved into the ludicrous. "There was one extraordinary event that occurred, in that the last audition was seven hours long," he explained. "It was like a revolving door with partners. They were just matching people up."
Reeves went on to describe the marathon in a way that only a celebrity could. He said, "It was sort of sexual. It was sort of like an orgy. Reminded me of Rome. But they got who they wanted, I guess, and luckily I was one of the people they wanted." There's something hilarious about imagining "Bill & Ted" in this way because it's incredibly likely that neither character would even know what the term "orgy" means. Reeves himself would probably support this because he described his character as "very innocent and naïve."
It's also interesting to think about a studio pressing the boundaries of sound logic by putting such excessive diligence into the casting process for an objectively silly film. Considering the dedicated cult following which now surrounds "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (as chronicled by Games Radar), it's hopeful that the actors found the whole audition process worth their time.