On-set romances are nothing new in Hollywood. But in the case of Keanu Reeves
and Sandra Bullock , it never happened. Despite starring in two movies together
and having a fun and flirty friendship, the two actors never dated. Apparently,
there’s a good reason why they never crossed the line. Tune in to learn all there is to
know about our favourite down-to-earth movie stars’ possible romance and more!
Today, Bullock is a poised and confident Oscar-winning actor and a household name.
But back in 1994, Sandra was a young actor working on the film that would be her big break — Speed.
Landing the role of Annie Porter was a big moment in her career.
She was co-starring alongside Reeves, who was one of Hollywood’s hottest young stars.
You could say that Speed was a groundbreaking role for Reeves as well. It allowed him to show
a more serious side after starring in the cult classic Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
The film not only turned out to be a success at the box office,
but in Keanu’s personal archive as well. He highly regards his meeting and working
with Bullock as a top experience! The duo was able to find their footing together as co-stars,
with Reeves crediting “Bullock’s talent in all of the environments” on set. However,
his praise for Bullock’s artistic talents proved to run deeper as he went on to describe working
with her as being “authentic,” and crediting Bullock’s sense of humour to be the same.
But Sandra and Keanu’s tender feelings for each other came to light only recently. During a 2018
appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show , Bullock admitted she had a big crush on the actor.
When asked about Speed and its enduring legacy, Sandra immediately started gushing
about her co-star, saying that she’d been enamoured by his presence from day one.
“I think about how sweet Keanu Reeves was, and — how handsome he was,” Bullock said.
Sandra maintained such an innocent yet powerful crush on Keanu that it actively distracted her
when they were acting in a scene together. She’d get flustered just by him looking at
her. All he needed to do was shoot a glance at her, and she’d turn into a mess of giggles.
“It was hard for me to be serious. He would look at me, and I’d be like [imitates giggling].”
Sensing the crowd’s intrigue reaction, Ellen probed further into the matter,
asking Sandra whether she and Keanu had ever dated. Sandra emphatically denied the suggestion
and said Keanu never made a move, though she couldn’t devise a reason for why. She jokingly
stated that there was “something” about her that he just didn’t like. She also rejected Ellen’s
claim that Keanu may have been too “intimidated” by Sandra. “I think we’re probably friends for
that long because we didn’t [hook up].” Their on- and off-screen chemistry was
off the charts, though. A throwback video of Reeves during a 1994 interview for Speed
showed the actor gushing about his co-star. “Ah, she’s a beautiful lady,” he said about
Bullock. “Yeah, very beautiful, giving … She has such a wonderful energy about her and light.”
He continued, “It’s just wherever she goes, she really gives and wants things to be
… springtime. So, I don’t know. I’ve enjoyed her company immensely.” Aww, someone was smitten!
The actor continued by saying how great of an actor Sandra was, quote, “she’s brought a very,
you know, she’s been fighting the direction of just being like, the complete damsel in distress.”
Bullock crashed his interview as he said all those lovely things about her, and the two
shared a bit of a moment, hugging each other and having a brief chat before she ran off again.
Bullock and Reeves’ audition story is pretty adorable on its own and revealing of how they
instantly clicked. Based on Bullock’s retelling of the audition, there was an ease between them,
and she couldn’t help but have a little fun with the actor, causing him to panic just a bit.
The two met when they auditioned, and, as Bullock shared with Entertainment Weekly in 1994,
there was a playful moment between them. “I had to read for Speed. Just to make
sure the chemistry was OK between me and Keanu,” Bullock explained. “We had to do
all these really physical scenes together, rolling around on the floor and stuff.”
“At one point, Keanu stumbled into me and sort of grabbed my butt,” she continued.
“I asked him, ‘Are you copping a feel?’ He got all panicky and was like, ‘Nooooo! I wasn’t!’
I was like, ‘Relax, Keanu. Just kidding.’” Months after Bullock's interview, in May 2019,
Reeves stopped by for a chat and set the record straight. As it turns out,
he’d also had a crush on his co-star at the exact same time. But unfortunately, he’d had no idea
that his affection was reciprocated and that Sandy was likely waiting for him to take the initiative.
Talk about a twist of fate. When the talk show host asked Reeves what he thought about Bullock’s
crush on him, he replied, “She obviously didn’t know I had a crush on her either.”
When asked why he didn’t pursue Sandra romantically, Keanu said that they were
“working.” He implied that it would have been unprofessional of them to get swayed
by the heat of their emotions. However, Reeves agreed with DeGeneres that it was
“nice to go to work” because their chemistry was so genuine.
To know that Bullock and Reeves were both interested but assumed the other wasn’t is the
type of situation that makes for the perfect plot of a romcom. What do you guys think?
He ended the interview by praising his long-time friend, a “wonderful person, a wonderful actress.”
However, he agreed that they’d simply missed the window.
Ever the gentleman, Keanu went out of his way to not overstep any professional boundaries,
which may seem like reasonably standard behaviour today. But, seeing how this was Sandra’s first
leading role, she needed a friend to help her manage the stress. Whether they’d have
fared better as a couple is impossible to answer. After they reunited in 2006 for The Lake House,
Reeves admitted that he couldn’t explain the bond he and Bullock have.
But, it’s just there. He acknowledged that he couldn’t explain the chemistry they share
or why they work so well together, either. “We just do, and I’m glad because I like her
tremendously as a person. I always enjoy watching her work. She is funny as all heck, smart as
whip…. It was great to have some life under our belts since the last time we worked together.”
At the time, Bullock noted, “I don’t know what it is, but I love being around Keanu.
I really do. He is such a good person.” Keeping up with her co-star Keanu and maintaining
a friendship was not tricky for Bullock. Despite long periods of time without seeing one another,
it was a mutual priority for both stars to remain friends and keep in touch.
According to an interview with the duo while promoting their second film together,
The Lake House, Bullock put pen to paper and “wrote letters to see how Reeves was doing.”
She also mentioned being sure to “call and make sure Reeves was okay” when she
caught wind of his motorcycle accidents in the news. Bullock also went on to add dinner dates
were essential to maintaining their friendship. In a 2014 Reddit AMA, Reeves named Bullock the
biggest movie star he’s friends with. He revealed that they do get together on occasion to have
dinner, catch up, and see how things are going. Both Reeves and Bullock have also made it clear
they want to work together again, and have actually looked for projects in recent years.
According to Yahoo, Bullock once joked about a possible Speed reunion.
“Maybe when we’re 67, 69 years old. We’ll be old and, in the bus, where they have that lift
for the older people,” Bullock joked. “We’ll be an old married couple. We’ll have the walker,
and it will be about how we can get to the old people home before curfew. It will be a slow film,
but a play on the word ‘speed.’' Even if it was just a joke, you know fans would tune in for that.
The pair’s visible chemistry played a valuable part in both films, and is not a typical tale
of two actors getting to know one another and letting one another go after shooting is complete.
Even though the pair harboured romantic feelings for one another at one point in time,
a romantic relationship was never in the stars for Bullock and Reeves.
Instead, the pair developed a sincere and long-lasting friendship that still stands today!
Both actors found love after quite a bit of heartbreak and sadness.
Keanu Reeves’ single streak came to an end when he started dating artist Alexandra Grant.
They took their relationship public at a Los Angeles film gala in November 2019.
An insider told People, “Keanu wants to openly share his life
with her. He is extremely happy and grateful to have Alex in his life.”
Sandra Bullock has been with Bryan Randall since 2015. A source told Us Weekly in June 2019 that
Bullock knows he’s “the right one.” According to the insider, “Bryan is such a sweet soul,
and things couldn’t be more different from the toxic relationships she’s been in before.”
Randall also helps co-parent the Miss Congeniality star’s two adopted children, Louis and Laila.
While Reeves and Bullock are Hollywood examples of “what could have been,” they just never acted on
their feelings. Instead, they channelled all that chemistry into their projects together, formed a
lasting friendship, and found love elsewhere. Ultimately, it’s still a win-win situation.
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