Culture news “I was stupid” This actress refused to star in this action film that exploded Keanu Reeves’ career
In the category of actors/actresses who regret certain decisions, there is surely the one who played Catwoman on the big screen when she said “no” to Jan de Bont.
On the way to success
The short history of cinema is made up of missed opportunities and happy coincidences. Not long ago, we learned that Jodie Foster had refused the role of Princess Leia in Star Wars, which made Carrie Fisher happy. Recently, we also discussed the fact that Sting turned down the role of Kyle Reese in Terminator, allowing Michael Biehn to play the character. Today we’re going to look at another big missed opportunity, that of Halle Berry. In an interview where she is alongside Keanu Reeves, she reveals that she could have played with the actor from the beginning of the 1990s, rather than having to wait for John Wick 3 to give the answer to the man who played Neo in The Matrix.
“I was offered to star in Speed before Sandra Bullock” she says. “I was stupid and said no”. If the name Speed doesn’t ring a bell, it’s an action film that was very successful when it was released in 1994 in theaters. We follow the adventures of a cop (Jack, played by Keanu Reeves) who tries to save civilians from an inextricable situation: they find themselves in a booby-trapped bus. If the passengers try to get off or if the speed of the machine drops below 80 km/h, it will explode. Helped by a passenger (played by Sandra Bullock), Jack will have to use cunning to prevent a massacre. Explained like this, the film can make you want it, but Halle Berry confesses that what she was presented with about the project at the time was much less exciting. “In my defense, I read a version of the scenario where the bus didn’t leave the parking lot. I was involved in the project before Keanu and Sandra, and they offered me the parking lot version. When I read the script, I said to myself ‘no, no, no‘”. A choice that she will bitterly regret when the film hits the screens.
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The magic bus
When it was released, Speed made a lot of noise. Considered an excellent action film packed with suspense, it grossed over $350 million at the box office on a budget of around $30 million.. It won a whole bunch of awards, including Best Sound Editing at the 1995 Oscars, Best Editing at the 1995 BAFTA Awards, Best Duo at the 1995 MTV Movie Awards and Best Actress for Sandra Bullock at the 1995 Saturn Awards. A sequel was released in 1997, but despite the presence of Willem Dafoe in the role of the villain, the film did not enchant either the press or the spectators. It won the title of “worst sequel of 1997” at the Razzie Awards, and it only grossed $164 million for a roughly equivalent production budget.
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