- When we found out that Dave Grohl
was going to be in the movie, Keanu and I
kept going, Dave Grohl!
Right? Like that.
We're so excited.
Hi there, and welcome to this panel.
For "Bill & Ted, Face the Music,"
which is now available on Blu-ray and on digital.
I am your host Clark Collis, Senior Writer at "Entertainment
Weekly" magazine.
It is my--
I always say it's a huge pleasure,
and I'm usually kind of half-fibbing.
But this time, it really is my huge pleasure to say that I
have here both Bill & Ted.
We got Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves,
How's it going, gentlemen?
Hey, how's it going, Clark?
Good to see you.
And we also have another--
very pleased about this-- another cast member of "Bill
& Ted Face the Music" playing, really, I
would have to say the role he was
born to play, Mr. Dave Grohl.
How's is it going, Dave?
Great, very well.
Thank you very much for that wonderful introduction.
So the film is coming out on Blu-ray.
A lot of people still won't have seen it.
Alex, could you sort of like tee up the movie a little bit
for us?
Well, it's Bill & Ted catching back up with us
all these years later.
And we have not--
we have wonderful lives.
We have wives and daughters, and we love our lives.
We have not succeeded in writing the song
that would save the world.
And we are now in deep doo-doo with the powers that be.
And we are given very little time
to actually write this song, so I'm gonna to blame Ted.
Ted has this great idea to steal the phone booth
and go find what timeline we may have
actually written this thing.
And we collide with Mr. Grohl when
we are bamboozled into something that I don't want to give away.
But needless to say, there he is.
TED: We've spent our whole life trying to unite the world.
And I'm tired, dude.
Ted, we have a destiny to fulfill.
[SPINNING SWOOSH]
Greetings, my excellent friends.
We have a problem.
Step forward.
A song created by Preston Logan, performed tonight
will save reality as we know it.
Oh.
TED: Dude, we better write that song now.
Or why can't we just go to the future when we have written It?
Take it from ourselves.
Dave, how did you--
how did you get involved in the movie?
Did you know these fine gentlemen beforehand?
As I was on my way to the set that day,
I mean, I was there for like nine and a half minutes.
I just do as, you know, it was really--
They are quality minutes, though.
They were very high-quality minutes.
One take, baby.
One take.
So but I was--
I was remembering on the way to the set,
I remembered the first time I met these guys.
The first time I met Alex was when
Nirvana was in Los Angeles recording
the record "Nevermind."
And it was like in Venice Beach, and there
was like a party at some house.
At the time, there was that television
show that you were doing.
"The Idiot Box."
Yes.
And me and Kurt and Krist were obsessed with the show.
We just thought it was the coolest thing.
We really were.
And so every day, we'd go to the studio.
And every night, we'd, like, come home and watch the show.
And we just thought it was so cool because it
was really, at that time--
that was 1991-- there was this really radical sort of youth
culture that was coming out, and it
was making its way into radio, and it's
making its way into TV.
And so we kind of felt connected to this thing.
Like, oh, these people are just as messed up as we are,
and they have a TV show.
Like, that's amazing.
And then I remember meeting Keanu.
I met you New Year's Day 1992.
Because the Foo Fighters-- are not Foo fighters,
Nirvana had played with the Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam
on New Year's Eve in San Francisco,
and we all stayed at that Phoenix Hotel.
And I remember like coming downstairs--
I think it was the next day-- and you were
getting on your motorcycle.
I was like, that is a bad [BEEP] motorcycle, man.
I'm like, wow, that's [BEEP] Keanu
Reeves on his cool motorcycle.
So we have kind of a weird--
I mean, we've been living together in a stratosphere
for a little while.
Yeah.
For that night, it was very epic, Mr. Grohl.
I have many stories just as cool as this.
I'm just not gonna tell them right now.
Let me-- let me tell you.
And so Dave, what did you think when you were approached
about appearing in the film?
Well, I mean, you know, one of the things about the "Bill
& Ted" legacy is that it's kind of more than just, you know,
movies.
You know, at the time, I think it represented
something that was kind of a little bit more cultural,
you know?
So like coming from that same era
and coming from that same place, like, you know,
it was a big part of popular culture back then.
And so to see a return was like, oh, my god, you know?
It was a big deal.
And so, you know, I've got kids.
I have a 14-year-old, 11-year-old, and 6-year-old.
You know, they don't look at it the way
I would look at it from its history over the last three
decades or whatever.
But I knew that they would enjoy it, too, you know?
So to be asked to be a part of something that was--
that if felt connected to, generationally,
and then also to do it because I knew
that my kids would be into it, it was kind, you know, it was--
it was both sides of the coin, man.
It was really great.
So this is just a question for Keanu and Alex.
You can put your earmuffs on, Dave.
Was he any good?
Like was there-- did you have to sort of--
was there a lot of stuff you had to fix in post
with Dave's performance?
You know, what happened?
Well, it was-- for me it was, you know,
in this moment, you know, we opened the door,
and it's Dave Grohl!
And I, you know, unfortunately, I
didn't have the chance to work with you, Dave,
'cause I was not in town.
I was in Berlin at the time.
So I really-- I got to act and kind of show
my love and enthusiasm and appreciation for, you know,
Dave and his artistry, you know, that has been such
a part of my life and moved me.
And, you know, it moved me in the best of times
and in the worst of times.
So in that moment when I got to play Ted with Alex,
you know, even though the person wasn't there.
In a weird way, you know, Ted, you know, in the film,
I'm going to like, Dave Grohl!
You know, it's so cool to--
I felt like I was kind of meeting
or projecting onto this, you know,
idea, energy of the artist.
And it felt really cool to be able just to even do that.
You know, the movies are rooted in rock and roll music
and the characters love for rock and roll.
And we-- that's really fun to play.
And actors always want to be rock--
there isn't an actor who doesn't really
want to be a rock star, right?
So in "Bill & Ted," we get to do air guitar and jump around.
And we get to sort of live this sort of real fantasy of,
like, how much people want to be in that world.
So it's really important to us in this movie
to have the presence of an artist that
really embodied rock right now.
And so we were really, really jazzed that that was Dave.
Because Foo Fighters, I would argue, is one of the--
if not the preeminent rock band that
represents that kind of rock in like in that pure form.
It hasn't got watered down or over-popified or whatever.
But what Keanu is just saying, let's--
you know, there's a lot of difference
between me Keanu in the characters of Bill and Ted.
And then there isn't. - What?
I know.
Well, there actually isn't, too.
There largely is and there isn't.
And when we found out that Dave Grohl
was going to be in the movie, Keanu and I
kept going, Dave Grohl!
Right?
Like that.
We're totally excited, right?
And then we were like, oh, shit, that's totally what
we got to do on screen, right?
It's the same thing.
And we spent all day, like the whole--
Dave wasn't there.
We shot that scene later.
You would have laughed your butt off, because literally all day,
the whole crew was walk around going, Dave Grohl!
This is getting to be really awkward, you guys.
It would have--
it would have actually been really, really uncomfortable,
I have to say.
The film came out.
I mean, that's with so many films this year,
the idea was that it would have a big cinema release.
And obviously, that's not what happened.
But unlike so many films, you know,
it did come out earlier this year.
And on my social feed, anyway, I've never seen such a sort
of outpouring of happiness.
It really did seem like something--
people were just like, it's great that it's here, anyway.
And on top of that, we love it.
And on top of that, thank heavens there's something that
can, you know, I can watch these two idiots for an hour and 45
minutes, and it'll take my, you know,
it'll take my mind off what's going on.
Is that-- I mean, is that--
I mean, did you sort of, did you feel that, too?
I mean, we hoped.
Look, we didn't, you know, it was a horrible thing
to have this pandemic erupt.
And we spent several months just like every other human being
on the planet trying to make sure we were OK
and figure out our lives.
But once that dust settled a little bit,
we really felt like we wanted to get this movie out to the fans.
We didn't want to wait another two years.
And we also did genuinely believe that it would be
a sweet movie to watch at home.
I mean, we love the movie-going experience.
We're in the movies, you know, and that's really important.
And it's important that we support exhibitors
and that we don't want theaters die during this time
'cause we're all going to go rushing
back to the movie theater.
So it wasn't the optimal way to release the movie,
but we did think it would be something that people
would enjoy at home.
We write these songs so that we can bring people joy
or happiness or escape or something just to sort of,
you know, soothe their soul.
And whether you're bouncing around in a stadium or a movie
theater, or you're bouncing around in your kitchen
with a bottle of wine or a movie,
I think that it's important that at this time,
people need that joy and happiness.
And they need-- they need some escape,
or they need some relief, you know?
You think this is the last time you gentlemen will play
Bill and Ted in the a movie?
Or should we see you in 20 years time?
You know, it's a--
I mean, I don't know.
I mean, I love the role.
I love working with Alex.
And, you know, I can't--
I don't want to say no because I thought
that 20 some odd years ago.
Even 10 years ago?
Even five years ago?
I wouldn't say.
But, you know, if people would spend some time with us
and enjoy it then that would be really awesome.
It could be down to Dave Grohl to take over the franchise
and then move it on to--
Hey, look, if we do another one, we've got to get--
we've got to get Dave actually on set for a meatier
participation, that's all.
I'll tell you what.
It's the last time I'm ever playing Dave Grohl.
How about that?
Dave Grohl!
Oh!
Well, on that note, this has been, hopefully, I mean,
not down to me, but a hugely entertaining panel for "Bill &
Ted, Face the Music," which is now available
to buy on Blu-ray and digital.
Folks, this has been absolutely fantastic.
Direct from my mother's living room, thank you so much,
Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter--
And Dave Grohl!
Thank you, Dave.
See you fellas. Take care.
Thanks, Dave.
Thanks, Clark.
Thanks for the [INAUDIBLE]. Appreciate it.
Bye, Clark.
- Later, Dave. - Bye-bye.
- See ya. - Bye-bye.
[MUSIC PLAYING]