Prior to 1994, Keanu Reeves had already established himself as a household name thanks to his roles in cult favorites like “Bill & Ted” and critical favorites like Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho” and Kathryn Bigelow’s “Point Break,” but it was Jan de Bont’s 1994 action thriller “Speed” that cemented his status as an international superstar. The film was a big box office success ($350 million worldwide on a $30 million production budget) and received Academy Award nominations for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. The popularity of the picture made it a no-brainer for 20th Century Fox to make a sequel, even though Reeves knew lightning couldn’t strike twice.

In a recent interview with GQ, the actor said that his choice to drop out of the 1994 thriller “Speed 2: Cruise Control” caused Fox to put him in “movie jail” for ten years.

Reeves stated, “I didn’t work with [Fox] again until [2008’s] The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

Speed, starring Reeves as an LAPD detective trying to save passengers on a bomb-equipped bus that risks exploding if it falls below 50 miles per hour, was a box office blockbuster, while garnering a 93 percent fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Even Reeves’ mega-franchise “The Matrix” didn’t seem to be enough to get him back on Fox’s roster. When Reeves returned to the studio with the Scott Derrickson-directed version of “Day the Earth Stood Still,” his name didn’t have the same star power it previously did. “Day” only made $233 million worldwide, which was a disappointment for the studio. “47 Ronin,” Reeves’ next big studio feature, was a box office disappointment in 2013 and would be his final studio film for the time being. Since then, Reeves has continued to work on independent films like “The Neon Demon” and “The Bad Batch,” as well as his unexpected Lionsgate series “John Wick.”

Reeves explained why he continues returning to Wick to GQ: “He’s got this beautiful, tragic conundrum—these two selves. The John who was married, and John Wick, the assassin. John wants to be free. But the only way he knows how is through John Wick. And John Wick keeps fucking killing people and breaking rules. We’re really watching a person fight for their life and their soul.”

In the interview, Keanu says he’ll stick with big-screen assassin John Wick – now in its third installment – ‘as far as my legs can take me,’ and ‘as far as the audience wants to go.’

On May 17, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum will be released in cinemas.