Actors like Keanu Reeves become very emotionally invested in their characters, so much so that the lines between fact and fiction often blur. There have been many examples like, Heath Ledger as the Joker or Robert Downey Jr. as the genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist – Tony Stark. After four amazing movies in the franchise, Reeves seems to have embodied the strength and resilience of his most iconic character, John Wick.

From the moment Reeves wore the black suit and wielded his gun, it was clear that he wasn’t just acting, he was living the role. John Wick is more than just a character, he is a manifestation of determination. Reeves proved that he had the same determination toward his work by filming for 13 hours straight even though he had a broken kneecap. Is there more to this story? Let’s find out.

Keanu Reeves filmed his Secret Level episode with a broken kneecap

Keanu Reeves in the Armored Core episode of Secret Level | Credits: Amazon Prime Video

On the set of Good Fortune, Keanu Reeves’ upcoming comedy/action movie, he seriously injured his knee. However, this did not affect his will and ability to film the episode for the Amazon Prime Video anthology series, Secret Level. In episode 8 of the series called, Armored Core: Asset Management he played a Junkie mech pilot.

Recently, Secret Level’s creator Tim Miller, and executive producer and supervising director Dave Wilson had an interview with Collider. In the interview, they described their experience working with Keanu Reeves by saying, “He lives up to all the hype.”

Keanu Reeves in John Wick | Credits: Lionsgate

Reeves wrote to them before shooting and offered to shoot in five-minute intervals so as not to aggravate his injury. They gave him a better solution by giving his character a limp and a brace. Wilson also said,

About two hours in, he’s like, “Dave.” And I’m like, “Do you want to come back tomorrow?” He’s like, “Let’s just shoot it all now.” And I’m like, “What?” And he shot for 13 hours straight with that brace, and he doesn’t leave set. He just nips out, has a cigarette, comes back in, and he’s like, “Let’s go again!”

It is said that we should never meet our heroes as the facade will fade. Keanu Reeves makes that statement false. Regardless of his injuries, he was determined to finish filming the episode and do what he loves most, play his character with passion.

What is Secret Level?

A still from the Concord episode of Secret Level | Credits: Amazon Prime Video

Released on 10th December 2024, Secret Level is an animated anthology series created by Tim Miller. It consists of fifteen episodes in the first season, with each episode telling a separate story based on various video games or franchises. Amazon has already confirmed the renewal of the series for a second season.

Secret Level’s cast consists of some of the biggest names in the industry including but not limited to Keanu Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Hart, and Claudia Doumit. The concept combined with the cast has fans applauding the first season making it a huge success and excitement already bubbling for what’s to come in the future season.