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Richard Grieco - I Turned Down "Speed" The Movie

posted 3 years ago by TMC-4 (19416)
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https://www.datalounge.com/thread/28225495-richard-grieco-i-turned-down-speed-the-movie

“I’ll be honest with you, I turned down everything from probably ’92 to ’94,” Richard Grieco reveals. “I looked at how the old actors worked, and I was definitely wrong at that point, about my assumption that you take one movie a year. And if it’s not the right film, you just don’t take a film. I didn’t know you do film after film after film after film. And there are a lot of films that I turned down that went on to be big things, and other films that didn’t.”

Grieco does not hold many regrets today, save for The One That Got Away.

“One that was offered to me that I turned down was Speed,” he says of the 1994 thriller that instead starred Keanu Reeves as the police officer who, along with passenger Sandra Bullock, foils a madman's (Dennis Hopper) plot to blow up a city bus if it dips under 50 miles per hour. The Jan de Bont-directed action flick racked up over $350 million worldwide. “But Keanu did a great job.”

[–] Cognoscente (2463) 3 years ago

The movie wouldn't have been as successful. It would have been one of those cult films which only film buffs remember. Keanu had more star power and was already believable as an action hero in Point Break.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

No, you are dead wrong about Keanu Reeves having major star power and being seen as believable as an action star!

Speed was a sleeper hit, and the the reason why is that everyone went into it with low expectations precisely because Keanu Reeves was cast as the main lead. No one believed he was good enough to carry this film and were pleasantly surprised when he wound up being just as good as Ahnuld and all the others (Stallone, VanDamme, Seagal, etc.).

[–] Sandman81 (1501) 3 years ago

Keanu had NO star power prior to this movie. His biggest claim to fame was "Bill and Ted". Unless he was playing that type of dopey, goofball character then no one took him serious as an actor. Not only did this movie come out of no where to be a smash hit, but it shocked everyone to see Keanu not only play a different kind of character so well, but be a legit action star.

[–] Cognoscente (2463) 3 years ago

The key word is more. I didn't say he had major star power, just more than that of Grieco.

[–] Druff (1447) 2 years ago

If Keanu had more, it was like 0.000000001% more.

[–] Kowalski (58125) 3 years ago

YOU SEEM TO BE LIGHT ON FACTS HERE...IN 1994 KEANU WAS CONSIDERED A MOSTLY COMEDIC ACTOR WITH HITS LIKE THE BILL & TED FILMS,PARENTHOOD,I LOVE YOU TO DEATH,BUT HE HAD ALSO SHOWN HIS RANGE IN MORE DRAMATIC FARE SUCH AS RIVER'S EDGE,MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO AND PERMANENT RECORD...AS WELL AS HAVING SUCCESSFULLY STARRED IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S ACTION WINNER POINT BREAK...THAT'S NO STAR POWER?...PLEASE LIST GRIECO'S RESUME THAT YOU SEE PUTS HIM AT A HIGHER LEVEL THAN KEANU.

[–] BillySlater (4097) 3 years ago

"Keanu had NO star power prior to this movie."

If that is true, (which it isn´t) then neither did Grieco. All of Grieco´s movies up to that point (and since) bombed, and I find it highly dubious if his implication was that he was first choice for Speed.

[–] seagal72 (1831) 3 years ago

Universal promised Jeff Speakman the lead in this movie too, but sold the script, when 'The Perfect Weapon' failed at the box-office. Fox picked it up (after various studios couldn't be bothered with it)

The premise of 'Speed' was stolen from an old Sonny Chiba movie (Bullet Train)