Except neither of them quite fit the bill. Remember, I said “and launched<\/em>” a franchise. Since Ford made the Jack Ryan franchise his own with Patriot Games<\/em> and Clear and Present Danger<\/em>, he’s the actor most people associate with the franchise. But it was actually Alec Baldwin who played Jack Ryan first in 1990 with The Hunt for Red October<\/em>; Harrison wasn’t cast in the role until two years later. As for Stallone, he doesn’t truly center The Expendables<\/em>, which is an ensemble cast.<\/p>\n No, the answer you’re looking for is Keanu Reeves. Over his career he’s launched three successful franchises in three different decades: The Bill & Ted<\/em> franchise in 1989, The Matrix<\/em> in 1999, and John Wick<\/em> in 2014.<\/p>\n Sure, these days, Reeves is a cultural icon, his newfound Internet Jesus status thanks in large part to social media. We all know the jokes about him being immortal, the Sad Keanu meme, his tragic backstory, his famously charitable and giving nature.<\/p>\n But we should also take him seriously as an actor, not just as a viral phenomenon. There’s no one in Hollywood who has ever had the kind of career Reeves has had \u2013 really. No one else has had the precise mix of anchoring huge, zeitgeist<\/em>-influencing franchises while also being in the number of cult movies he has. Beyond the tentpole franchises, just think about the movies that Reeves has starred in that were one-off hits in their own right or have gone on to become cult classics: Parenthood<\/em>,\u00a0Constantine<\/em>, Point Break<\/em>, Bram Stoker’s Dracula<\/em>,\u00a0Speed<\/em>, The Replacements<\/em>, A Scanner Darkly<\/em>. Any actor would give anything to have either a franchise career like that or one built on cult hits; Reeves is the rarest of actors who has had both.<\/p>\n Consider this: Toy Story 4<\/em>, in which Reeves voiced the character of Duke Caboom, was the 15th film of Reeves’ career to earn at least $100 million at the box office. According to The Numbers<\/a>, the movies in which Reeves has been the lead have grossed $3.8 billion at the global box office. Movies where he’s been in a supporting role, another $1.4 billion. In total, his movies have grossed an eye-popping $5.81 billion<\/em> worldwide. That’s more than the entire Blumhouse filmography combined and a quarter of what the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe has made<\/a>.<\/p>\n While that is incredibly impressive, Reeves’ career has also been wildly different from most for one other crucial reason.<\/p>\n Much has been made of Reeves’ acting over the years, and, let’s be honest, most of it bad. Even today, fans seem to embrace him ironically, and his work over the years has been derided as wooden, monotone \u2013 you name the unflattering adjective, it’s probably been used in conjunction with him.<\/p>\n When we think of “serious” acting, we think of it as Acting<\/em> \u2013 capital “A,” puffed-up chest, self-important tone. Most A-list actors have a very distinct style that takes over the screen; it’s always an assertive and active exercise. It’s a style that we very definitely do not associate with Keanu Reeves, who rarely takes over a screen in the way that we associate with “good” acting.<\/p>\n Reeves, however, is actually kind of magical when you start to really pay attention to what he does on screen. He has a quality that actors rarely have, being able to form himself to the scene and the moment. It’s his passive ability to react to whatever is happening around him and to other actors sharing a scene with him that makes him so good. He is like water, always flowing to wherever he needs to be. We often marvel at actors who allow themselves to be put in bad wigs, gain 50 lbs for a role, aren’t afraid to ugly themselves up or have a breakdown on screen. Yet even then, they very much mean for you to pay attention to what they’re doing, to know that they are not acting, but Acting<\/em>. It’s precisely those kinds of roles, the ones that have forced Keanu into a specific box that have given him a rep as a bad actor. Like water, however, Reeves is at his best when he’s allowed to flow.<\/p>\nHis Career Has Been Impressive – Real Impressive<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nHe’s An Actor Who Fits Whatever Moment He’s In<\/h2>\n
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