Reeves’ “Good Fortune” co-star and director Aziz Ansari revealed the actor’s accident at CinemaCon 2024
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Keanu Reeves’ co-star Aziz Ansari revealed that the “Matrix” actor fractured his kneecap during the filming of their new movie “Good Fortune.”
On Wednesday, Ansari, 41, who also wrote and directed “Good Fortune,” recalled that Reeves, 59, had suffered the injury after an accident in his trailer.
“About, I don’t know, 15 days into shooting with me, I was like, ‘Hey, just go chill in your dressing room for 15 minutes.’ And he tripped on a rug. He’s like, ‘Aah, my knee,’” Ansari said during an appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to People magazine.
Keanu Reeves fractured a kneecap after he “tripped on a rug” in his trailer on a movie set. (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Ansari praised Reeves for continuing to film all of his scenes after his injury, telling the CinemaCon audience that the actor was “such a trouper.”
“He still filmed everything except some scenes where he needed him to do salsa dancing, which we need to pick up,” added Ansari.
“He was like, ‘I’ll do it!’ We’re like, ‘Keanu, calm down. We’ll do the salsa dancing once your knee’s healed,’” Ansari recalled.
Ansari noted that despite performing challenging stunts for some of his most famous action roles, Reeves had never had “to go to the hospital or anything.”
“He’s done those ‘Wick’ movies, all the ‘Matrix’ stuff. In ‘Speed,’ he actually did attempt to do the jump from the car to the bus. It wasn’t the take they used, but he did do it,” Ansari said.
In addition to Reeves and Ansari, “Good Fortune” stars Seth Rogen, Sandra Oh and Keke Palmer.
The comedy follows a down-on-his-luck gig worker (Ansari) who meets his guardian angel Gabriel (Reeves) in a Denny’s parking lot, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Gabriel helps Ansari’s character swap lives with his wealthy employer Jeff (Rogen) in an effort to show him that money can’t buy happiness.
The plan goes awry when Ansari’s character decides he loves Jeff’s life, and Gabriel loses his wings as a result of the failed experiment.
Reeves played the guardian angel of Ansari’s character in the movie. (Greg Doherty)
In January, photos of Reeves using crutches on the set of “Good Fortune” sparked speculation on social media. In the images, Reeves was also seen with bandages and an ice pack on his knee.
During his CinemaCon appearance, Ansari pointed out that the hashtag #GetWellSoonKeanu had started trending on social media after the photos of Reeves surfaced.
“He actually is an angel,” the “Parks and Recreation” star said of Reeves, according to THR. “He’s been pretending to be human for all these other roles.”
CinemaCon, which was held at Caesars Palace from April 8 to 11, is an annual convention for movie theater owners to view upcoming films during presentations hosted by stars and studios.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson and Ansari presented the film at CinemaCon on Wednesday. ( David Becker/WireImage)
“Good Fortune” is the first directorial outing for Ansari, who created and starred in the Netflix series “Master of None.”
Lionsgate’s motion picture group chair Adam Fogelson, who appeared alongside Ansari at the studio’s CinemaCon presentation, praised the two-time Emmy Award winner as a “talented and intelligent multi-hyphenate.”
“This movie is entirely unique,” Fogelson told the audience, via THR. However, he noted that the film will likely remind theater-goers of classic life-swapping movies such as the 1983 comedy “Trading Places,” which starred Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd.
Lionsgate announced the project in April 2023, but details about “Good Fortune’s” plot were kept under wraps until the first footage was presented at CinemaCon.
At the time of the announcement, former Lionsgate motion picture group chair Joe Drake told Deadline, “We have indeed found good fortune with this film.”
“We love the script and believe strongly in Aziz as both a performer and a director,” he continued. “And when you add in Seth and Keanu – two incredible world-class talents — toplining alongside Aziz, this has the potential to be a very special film for us.”