time is Young Again. Hollywood director Steven Stern spotted him at one of the auditions – and told Disney’s executive director in charge of television films that he wanted to recommend this guy to them. Stern convinced Disney leaders Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg to look at Keanu. «OK,» said Katsenberg to Stern, «but if we don’t like him in a few days, we will replace him.» They liked him, but… this film you will not find in any of the most complete list of Keanu’s films. However, the director introduced the budding actor to Gottlieb Hill from ICM. (Subsequently, he will assist Keanu in obtaining the green card).
1986 was marked by the release of the first «real» film to Keanu on the cinema screens – «Flying» (Flight). In the center of the plot, the truth is not at all the hero of Keanu, Tommy, but a girl named Robin, played by Olivia d’Abo. Honestly, it makes sense to watch this film if you are a big fan of gymnastics, although the plot is certainly there too. Well, just look at Keanu, because in this role he is handsome – and nothing more.
Therefore, we turn better to the next film Keanu, which in his career meant much more.
* * *
So – «Youngblood»…
Keanu himself will later say: «It’s an awful movie17», but, after all, it was the first full-scale Hollywood project in which he took part. Unfortunately, when translated into Russian, the pun used in the title – Youngblood – literally – «Young Blood» meaning is lost, which is consistent with the idea of the film, but this is also the name of the protagonist. The film is about a guy named Dean Youngblood and his dream to play hockey in a good team.
It is only natural that director Peter Markle chose Canada to shoot the sports drama about hockey. Here are just the leading actors he brought with him from Hollywood – it was Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze. Keanu Reeves got an episodic role as the goalkeeper of the hockey team and was not at all for some outstanding acting abilities – at the casting he had to just – just play hockey well! Truly – you do not know where you will find, where you will lose… He played hockey well. And the role was given to him. But what he didn’t have was a French-Canadian accent with which (it’s not very clear why) his hero had to speak. Keanu solved the issue simply: «I got into my car and drove to a small town near Montreal and hung out there for a couple of weeks.»18 With similar meticulousness to his roles he will carry on.
Most Virgo are extremely organized, and they are excellent planners. They don’t like things in a mess; they just bloom in a neat setting. Organizing a picnic or evening meeting in high school? Leave it to Virgo, and everything will be considered in her.
(TOP 10 REASONS WHY VIRGO IS THE BEST ZODIAC SIGN; JANUARY 10, 2017 ASTROLOGY & LIFE)
The film was conceived as a «finest hour» for Rob Lowe, and yes – he became like that for him. Although he did not know how to play hockey at all – from the word at all. In all the episodes on the ice he is replaced by an understudy. (In contrast, by the way, from Patrick Swayze). But Rob did everything he could – he looked beautiful, pretended to work up a sweat and wandered through the locker room very spectacularly half-naked. I do not want to offend anyone – well, the film is like that.
The plot is quite predictable – a newcomer to the team, the team loses, but after an accident with the team captain, the newcomer has a great chance to beat the sworn enemies, oh yes, but also to conquer the girl of your dreams. Everything is beautiful, everyone is dancing. Yeah.
I mean, they play hockey, of course.
But this is a movie. In life, nothing similar happened. To the newcomer – what Keanu was like in this situation – there was no chance. You will have to watch this masterpiece very carefully so as not to miss its appearance on the screen, and God forbid you to blink! (Do not be lazy – look up to the credits – his name is there on the eleventh place, it seems, on the list. In this film, he was just one of many non-professional actors – the guys from junior hockey teams starred in the role of hockey players).
In an interview, when it came directly to Rob Lowe, Keanu Reeves spoke cautiously, only noted that the handsome tried to test his charm on two Reeves’ girlfriends. «But eventually they saw through him19». Yes, it is true – because jealousy is not for two nameless girlfriends – but to the fact that this is his role – Keanu, in all respects it is simple, but the star here is Rob, and with what, tell me, why?
…they, by the way, are the same age – Keanu Reeves and Rob Lowe – only one was born in September, and the other in March. But, if for Keanu in those years, a fairly decent acting career did not promise exactly anything – Rob was already confidently moving towards success. (Keanu never graduated from any of the four schools where he studied, and Rob lived in Los Angeles and attended Santa Monica High School. His friends Emilio Esteves, Charlie Sheen, brothers Sean and Chris Penna also studied there, Robert Downey Jr… Familiar names, right?)
In 1988, Rob went to Georgia to participate in the election campaign of Michael Dukakis, the US Democratic candidate. (George W. Bush the Elder came forward from the Republicans, who, in the end, won the election). Life smiled at Rob in all thirty-two teeth – he dreamed about the main role in the film by Martin Scorsese, twisted novels with Melissa Gilbert, Nastassja Kinski and Princess Stefania, was seriously interested in politics – but…
…it is always there – it is the notorious «but».
…after a party hosted by CNN founder Ted Turner, Rob returned to the hotel with two young girls he met in a nightclub. The result was an intimate video, which very quickly flew from Atlanta throughout the country. Gas was poured on fire by the fact that one of Rob’s girlfriends turned out to be a minor that night (she was only 16). The other, however, has already turned 22, but this has not corrected the matter. Rob denied – he could not have imagined that the girl was a minor – since he met her at a nightclub! But the case took a serious turn – the girl’s mother filed a civil suit in court, accusing Rob Lowe of using his celebrity status to encourage her daughter to take part in the filming of the pornographic tape. The case was taken into consideration by the Atlanta district attorney and journalists began to discuss whether this scandal meant the death of Low’s career as a film actor and agreed that most likely not… and Rob’s phone was silent. He was phoned only by former filming partner Jodie Foster and producer Don Simpson. And that’s all.
As a result, Rob was sentenced to twenty hours of correctional labor and payment of monetary compensation. No criminal charges were brought against him… but, of course, he was no longer considered a candidate for serious roles – for those that he dreamed of…
No, in the end everything was formed. Rob survived and continued his film career, having undergone treatment for alcohol and drug addiction in 1990, in which his then girlfriend Cheryl Birkoff helped him a lot. Now everything looks completely idyllic – Rob and Cheryl are married, they have two adult sons… and Rob also wrote an autobiographical book – Stories I Only Tell My Friends. … does he regret anything?
Who knows …?
But all this will come later – and the one who foresees everything is miserable. In the meantime, Rob is on the rise – and Keanu is not even
The Young and the Restless» by Joe Queenan; Movieline (US), February 1990
Ball not foul»; The Calgary Sun (Ca), September 14, 2001
Keanu Reeves – The Prince»; Young Americans (UK), Spring 1989
