Quick summary
- In 1995, Keanu Reeves wanted a part in the French period drama The Horseman on the Roof, according to Far Out Magazine.
- The director chose French actor Olivier Martinez for the role of Angelo instead.
- Reeves has said he cried when the rejection letter arrived.
- The same year he took a role in A Walk in the Clouds, which Roger Ebert reviewed warmly.
Keanu Reeves was one of Hollywood’s busiest action stars in 1995, yet he was close to tears over a film he did not get. Far Out Magazine reports that he went after a role in Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s The Horseman on the Roof, lost it, and has said the letter telling him so made him cry.
Why a French period drama?
By the mid-1990s Reeves was a fixture on action posters. Far Out notes that The Matrix and Speed grossed a reported $467 million and $350 million respectively, which put him at the centre of the era’s biggest hits.
He did not want to stay there. The magazine quotes him saying he tends to be cast in heroic roles in the classic sense and that he tries to move away from that a little, because he likes variety. Far Out says that outlook shaped several decisions, including turning down the Val Kilmer part in Heat to play Hamlet on stage, passing on the Charlie Sheen role in Platoon because it was too violent, and skipping the Speed sequel.
The role he missed
The Horseman on the Roof is an adaptation of the 1951 adventure novel by Jean Giono. Reeves wanted the part of Angelo, a casting that would have been a sharp turn away from American blockbusters and into a European costume picture.
The director went another way and chose Olivier Martinez. Far Out says Reeves was inconsolable. It quotes him recalling that when the letter arrived telling him he had not been chosen to play Angelo, he cried.
It is a small, human detail about an actor who is now known for calm, unflappable screen roles, and it shows how much he wanted the change.
The consolation prize
The setback did not slow him for long. The same year, according to Far Out, he took a role in A Walk in the Clouds, directed by Alfonso Arau. The film is an English-language remake of the 1942 Italian film Four Steps in the Clouds.
Reviews were mixed. Far Out says some newspapers were unkind, but Roger Ebert, a critic known for being tough, gave it a glowing review. For an actor chasing serious recognition, the magazine suggests, that was about the best endorsement available.
What happens next
The Far Out piece is a look back rather than a new announcement, so there is nothing fresh to report on a Horseman on the Roof revival. Reeves’s recent work has stayed close to the action genre that he once tried to escape. Readers can follow everything we publish about Keanu Reeves, including how he reshaped action movies three times and the animated John Wick film in which he will voice the lead.
Frequently asked questions
Which role did Keanu Reeves lose in 1995?
He wanted the part of Angelo in The Horseman on the Roof, a French period drama directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau. The role went to Olivier Martinez, according to Far Out Magazine.
Did Keanu Reeves really cry over it?
Far Out quotes him saying he cried when he received the letter saying he had not been chosen.
What did he make instead?
He starred in A Walk in the Clouds, an English-language remake of the 1942 Italian film Four Steps in the Clouds.
