Keanu Reeves & Sandra Bullock Shockingly Reveal ‘Speed’ Secrets – 30 Years Later!

A collapsible chair and a piece of paper as a steering wheel are the vivid memories Sandra Bullock has from her audition for the 1994 hit movie “Speed.” The film celebrated its 30th anniversary with a screening at the Egyptian Theatre on Tuesday evening, marking one of the concluding events of this year’s Beyond Fest at American Cinematheque.

Following the screening, which was met with enthusiastic applause from the filled-to-capacity audience, Bullock joined her co-star Keanu Reeves and the film’s director, Jan de Bont, onstage for a warm and engaging 50-minute Q&A session. It was the first time the three had publicly discussed the film together in front of a live audience.

“Speed,” which raked in over $350 million globally and bagged two Oscars for its sound design, catapulted Bullock and Reeves to international fame. The film also marked De Bont’s directorial debut after a successful stint as a cinematographer for movies like “Die Hard” and “Basic Instinct.”

De Bont admitted to having an early hunch about the potential success of the film. He said, “The moment I witnessed Keanu and Sandra collaborating as a team and executing most of the stunts themselves was magical. Their reactions were genuine because they were responding to the situations they were in. That authenticity, coupled with the fun dialogues and nonstop, real action (with no CGI or artificial elements) made the movie great and relatable.”

The discussion was expertly moderated by journalist Jim Hemphill, following an introduction by Kris Tapley, the host of the “50 MPH” podcast dedicated to “Speed” and a major force behind Tuesday’s event.

Tapley remarked, “They just don’t make movies like they used to, and this is especially true for a film like ‘Speed.’”

Bullock reminisced about the details of her pivotal audition — the car she drove, the door she walked through — that eventually landed her the role that would catapult her to stardom.

“I wasn’t sure I would get the job, but I landed it because someone fought for me,” Bullock revealed. With impeccable comedic timing, she added, “Well, other people turned it down.”

When De Bont attempted to deny that there were other candidates for the role, Bullock stated, “There were others ahead of me — I’ve met them.”

De Bont responded, “The moment I saw you, I knew.”

Bullock retorted, to the audience’s amusement, “But you saw me after the first, second, and third candidates couldn’t do it.”

Bullock then turned to Reeves, who had been largely silent, and joked, “Poor Keanu. This is what it was like working with him. He was just like, ‘Who’s going to shut up first?’”

In the film, Reeves plays a Los Angeles SWAT officer who thwarts a ransom bombing plot masterminded by a disgruntled ex-cop (Dennis Hopper). The bomber retaliates by trapping Reeves’ character in a scheme involving a city bus rigged with a bomb set to explode if the vehicle’s speed falls below 50 mph. Bullock plays a passenger who Reeves enlists to steer the bus.

Reeves admitted that he was initially hesitant about the project. It was only after meeting De Bont, whom he referred to as a “mad genius,” that he decided to participate in the film. He explained: “Seeing what [De Bont] was aiming for — the action, the humor, the heightened reality — and his passion for keeping it real and shooting it as such, I was completely on board.”

Other subjects discussed included Reeves’ fluctuating hairstyle during the film, Jeff Daniels’ professional demeanor, the 11 buses used for the shoot, and the numerous cameras destroyed during filming.

Bullock pointed out that while she didn’t actually drive the bus during filming, she did obtain a Santa Monica bus driver’s license.

“I was at the bus’s controls,” Bullock remembered, “but someone else was driving from the back or the roof, and I was being thrown into whatever Jan decided I needed to crash into that day.”

Referring to the film’s stunt coordinator, Gary Hymes, Reeves said, “My approach is, if I can be there, I want to be there because it enhances the storytelling. You don’t have to cut away differently. And Gary Hymes, he was fully committed to safety but also to doing it. I really appreciate that.”

Reeves recalled one particular stunt where, as he put it, “We were a bit under-informed.”

As the bus began colliding with other cars, Reeves described how “everyone on the bus freaked out” as he began to mimic the screaming of his fellow actors.

“The reactions were great,” director De Bont deadpanned.

A few moments later, Reeves added, “I love Jan de Bont.” Imitating the Dutch-born director’s accent, Reeves quipped, “‘It might be bad for you — maybe we don’t inform them to get a genuine reaction.’”

De Bont mentioned that the film was produced on a relatively modest budget of $31 million, adding, “Today, you couldn’t make it for $150 million.”

Speaking of their co-star Hopper, who played the memorable villain in the film, Reeves said, “He’s brilliant, so charismatic, and fully committed.”

De Bont interjected, “And he’s also a bit crazy.”

“Yeah,” Reeves agreed enthusiastically. “We say that he’s a bit crazy, but he’s a total pro. A total pro. We had some absurd dialogues, and it was just awesome.”

When Reeves asked Bullock about her experiences working with “The Hopper,” she said, “I was surprised at how — I don’t like this term — but normal he was. He might have been strange to you guys, but he was very kind to me.”

Bullock recalled, “He was a man who just couldn’t get enough. Life was happening too fast, and he just wanted to experience more and more of it.”

Looking back on their first viewing of the film, Bullock remembered watching it during post-production and being intrigued by the use of storyboard drawings to represent unfinished scenes. She didn’t realize at the time that this was not how the final movie would look.

“I thought, ‘Oh, that’s interesting,’” Bullock said. “Maybe it’ll be a cartoon and then switch back to real life. I thought I was dumb and didn’t understand the concept of the movie. Later, I realized they were storyboards. I never asked or questioned it. And then when I saw it again, I thought, Oh, OK.”

Bullock jokingly added, “You did a good job, Jan de Bont.”

When asked about the possibility of a “Speed 3,” Bullock turned to De Bont, saying: “He seems so mellow and gentle today. That’s not the man I remember.”

Bullock continued, “But he’s the man who brought the energy and the vision together and knew what the audience wanted and demanded it from everyone. Everyone rose to the occasion. So what would that movie be that would satisfy Jan’s intellect and creativity? It would require a lot from everyone. And I’m not sure if our industry is still willing to take such risks and be brave enough to do it. Maybe. I could be wrong.”