The Surprising Movie Keanu Reeves Calls His Best Film Role

When you stop and think about it, the number of memorable and beloved roles Keanu Reeves has tackled over the course of nearly four decades in showbiz is quite staggering. Reeves can (and had) read onscreen as a laid-back guy, a blue-collar hero, a man with an extremely unique set of skills, or a romantic lead. He can do comedy, drama, action, sci-fi, and everything in between. For an actor whose vocal cadence is so recognizable and whose personality onscreen is, in many ways, easily parodied, just thinking about the range of characters he's played over the years is really staggering. From "Point Break" to "Speed" to "The Lake House" to "John Wick" to "Toy Story 4" and beyond, to watch Reeves in a movie is to watch an actor totally transform again and again.

Perhaps the biggest revelation about Reeves is that the iconic actor has gone on record to share what his best film role is to date. Not only will the role surprise you, but the movie will, too. The movie Reeves states as his best film is a movie that, despite being a big-screen adaptation of a popular character, despite having a stellar cast, and despite Reeves taking the lead during a time when he was hot off "The Matrix" trilogy, has largely been written off. What movie is it?

The one film role Reeves says is his best is John Constantine in the 2005 movie "Constantine." Now, the term "best role" can be understood in a few key ways. We can interpret it to mean the most enticing character that he's been able to play. We can also define it as the most compelling character on the page that he's been able to bring to life. Both definitions of the phrase seem applicable to Reeves, who has gone on to effectively say that the titular role of Constantine is his favorite role, citing the character's anger and drive as traits he liked to play (via Cracked and BT). 

Reeves citing Constantine as his favorite character to play is a bit of a surprise — if only because there are only a few characters he's played that are arguably more widely known and loved. When you think of roles Reeves would love, you might think Neo in "The Matrix" movies or even Ted in the "Bill & Ted" trilogy. But Reeves is an actor who never fails to do the opposite of what's expected. So, it really shouldn't be a surprise that the actor enjoyed playing John Constantine, a character who previously lived only in the pages of his own DC comics series previous to the mostly panned live-action adaptation directed by Francis Lawrence. Playing Constantine allowed Reeves to stretch himself as an actor by ditching his heroic impulses seen in pre-"Constantine" roles and instead explore being an antihero. Living in Constantine's skin during filming seems to have taken hold of Reeves because, as recently as 2019, the actor has maintained he would love to return to the character if given the chance (via Comic Book).