Keanu was interviewed by the the German site TOnline for Generation Um. No copyright is intended with the translation of this interview for our readers.
Translation follows:
Threesome. A Night in New York is a sensitive drama about nocturnal excesses, the longing for a civic life and the lives of a generation against the backdrop of New York city. In an interview with the news agency, actor Keanu Reeves talks about the film and his current projects.
dpa: Mr. Reeves, you still like cupcakes? How difficult was it to show John’s life in a scene where he eats this cupcake?
KR: The scene with the cupcake was a wonderful opportunity. There isn’t often such a chance to spend so much time on one action with a character in such a way. So I was really looking forward to it and it was great fun to show John Sun in that way.
dpa: When you read the script for Threesome the first time, what attracted you to the story? What was their first idea for the haracters Mia, Violet and John?
KR: I thought this was a very nice script by Mark L. Mann (writer and director) and all I could think to myself was how well I would figure into it. There was this idea of intimacy as they accompanied the characters for one day and night. I found it quite charming and heroic.
dpa: Even before John uses the camera himself, the movie (?) is often filmed with a shaky hand-held camera. What role does the hand-held camera play in your opinion? Why is it suitable for John in Threesome?
KR: John, who works for the two women, steals a video camera and began interviewing the women and spending time with them. During this very serious conversation they reveal themselves to us and I think it was the intention of the director to show us, John, and to learn what interests him (John) more than himself. Violet treats the whole thing like a TV show, and for Mia it is a confession of intimate things that we don’t know whether they are true or not. And the video camera that John used here, allows us a special closeness to the actors.
dpa: The film was released in the US as Generation Um. In Germany it appears as Threesome. One Night in New York. Which title is better suited to the film and the story that is told?
KR: Generation Um.
dpa: Why?
KR: New York City plays an important role in the film. I think Generation Um, the story is very human… Threesome is outside of New York and also works well, but I think the connotation of that term leads to some confusion and the title Generation Um is open.
dpa: What do they think is the main focus of Generation Um that is identified? Is it a strong presence in the US as it is in other countries you have encountered?
KR: You know, I think this is universal. The film shows people who are cut off in a way from their own past and raises the questions about closeness and trust and these are topics (issues) for a very large number of people. I think a lot of people can identify with it.
dpa: From your point of view, which of the two women is stronger? Of the two, Violet and Mia, who is vulnerable?
KR: I think they are very evenly matched.
dpa: John’s camera, the film within the film, is important for the Threesome as it created mutual trust. The guy is from the Threesome making a group of four (?0> Perhaps this is more a question for the director, but why should this be in the end credits and not in the film itself?
KR: I think the scene is placed just right. We see these people in the ‘final’ scene that shows a lot of pain and vulnerability but also great hope that John is caring. And then we see the credits as they have recovered a little, a kind of friendship towards one another, especially when compared to the first scene. I found it very charming by the director, to place this development in the credits and it was the only scene that was not in the script. We were able to improvise. The narrative, Threesome, is a distinctive film that is very powerful and unique.
dpa: Mr. Reeves, what projects are you currently pursuing?
KR: I’m in post-production of Man of Tai Chi, a contemporaty, modern kung fu film in which I acted and directed to completion. I hope that is where the next eight weeks will be spent. 47 Ronin will be available in October, November or December.
dpa: Is there already a premiere date for Man of Tai Chi?
KR: No there is still no date for the premiere.
dpa: At the Berlinale this year, Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grand Master, a portrait of IP Man and Wing Chung Kung Fu, opened. Some critics accused the film before one Überästhetisierung (?). they produced the criticism and directed it at Man of Tai Chi. What is the history of the film and what martial arts concepts do you follow?
KR: Of course, I wanted to show the idea of the martial art of Tai Chi but also its spiritual side. This young man needs to earn money for his temple and denies illegal fights. The more he struggles, The more involved he becomes. The dark side of his CHi develops more and more as he becomes more involved in the addiction. TO succeed through their own violence with the fight scenes, I wanted to show how powerful and beautiful Tai Chi can be as well as the fight between the good guy and the bad guy.
dpa: And you play the bad guy?
KR: Yes, I play the bad guy, the villain. I’m the teacher, the master of the dark Chi.
dpa: Mr. Reeves, we thank you for your time.
KR: Thank you.
The interview is here.