Keanu Reeves is synonymous with iconic action franchises like The Matrix and John Wick, but as he’s shown over the course of his career, he’s never been afraid to show a different side of himself onscreen. Reeves did just that when he teamed up with Aziz Ansari, Alan Yang, and Seth Rogen for the comedy Good Fortune, which stars Reeves as the angel Gabriel as he tries (and at times fails) to show Jeff (Rogen) what life is really about. With the film about to hit video on demand, ComicBook has your first look at a behind-the-scenes featurette all about Reeves’ journey from John Wick to heavenly angel, and you can watch it in the video below.
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Producer Alan Yang revealed how that first read-through with Reeves and Rogen went, and it left a big impression. “It’s kind of a wild idea to shoot for the stars and get Keanu for this part. I still remember our first really informal table read. I think maybe the hesitation for Keanu was that sort of like, ‘well, these guys live comedy, right, and I do comedy, but I do a lot of John Wick stuff and Matrix stuff.’ But he started doing the part and me and Seth are laughing and everything started clicking,” Yang said.
“Over the course of that read, Keanu was like, this is pretty fun. I just remember leaving that little table read, and Keanu got on his motorcycle and just rode away, and we’re like holy s***, that’s like the coolest guy in the world,” Yang said.
Once Ansari saw Reeves in the role, he knew he had to play Gabriel. “I was like, oh my God, this has to be Keanu, there’s no other person that can do this, and then you really start dialing in the characters for who the actors are,” Ansari said.
“Dialing to the naïveté of the Gabriel character, and ways Keanu’s gravitas could play in our favor. The way this character was millions of years old but also had the innocence of a newborn child,” Yang said.
Ansari reveals that by the end of filming, Reeves had grown pretty comfortable with comedy, and remembers his favorite moment during that process. “I think Keanu went from being like ‘oh, can I do comedy with these guys?’ to now he’s just crushing it. That was the funnest day where I’m just yelling jokes for them because they’re so funny together,” Ansari said.
You can find the full behind-the-scenes featurette above, and you can watch Good Fortune on video on demand when it hits platforms on November 7th. Good Fortune will then hit Blu-ray, UHD, and DVD on December 9th, and you can find all of the special features included below.
- Task Sergeant Ride-Along – Fandango at Home Exclusive – Discover the harsh realities faced by food delivery drivers alongside Aziz, and hear how their experiences contributed to shaping this story about wealth inequality.
- Do You Want to Dance? – Apple Exclusive – Join renowned choreographer Michael Arnold as he puts the cast through their paces, teaching them fresh dance moves for the hilarious and unforgettable routines in this modern comedy.
- Audio Commentary with Writer-Producer-Director Aziz Ansari and Producer Alan Yang – Explore Aziz Ansari’s latest comedy as the talented filmmakers take you behind the scenes of a story centered on love, friendship, and what it means to be human.
- Life Swap: Making Good Fortune – Get to know the cast of this fresh and funny film brought to life by the comedic vision of Hollywood star Aziz Ansari.
- The Los Angeles of Good Fortune – Travel along with the filmmakers through some of the iconic and real locations from the film that have a place in the hearts of Angelenos.
- The Clothes Make the Man…and the Angel – Follow the costume department as they share the intricate process of creating the wardrobe and wings of Hollywood angel, Keanu Reeves.
- Theatrical Trailer
- Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature
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