Keanu Reeves details gruesome injury on set of new Aziz Ansari comedy
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Keanu Reeves has revealed disturbing information about the accident he experienced while filming his upcoming film, Good Fortune.
Written and acted by comedian and performer Aziz Ansari, the upcoming comedy, led by Reeves, also includes Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, and Keke Palmer. The storyline of the movie is being kept a secret, and a date for its release has not been revealed.
Reeves, who is 59 years old, was seen using crutches and had an ice pack on his left knee in a photo earlier this year. Ansari later shared that the actor had broken his kneecap after accidentally tripping on a rug in his trailer on set.
On a recent episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Reeves delved deeper into the story.
"I was shooting a scene with Aziz Ansari and Seth Rogen and we were in a cold water pool," he remembered. "I was enjoying it, I was standing there, and after we finished the scene, you know how you move around when you're cold? I had on a swimsuit and a towel, and you put the towel over your head while doing the cold shuffle?"
The actor from The Matrix mentioned that he slipped on a protective carpet in the room while doing a shuffle. He explained that his foot got caught in a small pocket in the carpet, causing him to fall with his knee not bending as it should.
"And then, I fell in slow motion. I tried to catch myself with my arms, but my knee gave out due to some issues, and I hit the ground hard. My kneecap cracked like a potato chip," he said, causing the host and audience to react with sympathy.
When Reeves confessed, he first believed he was okay, but he realized something was amiss when he felt his knee swelling. He jokingly remarked, "Comedy is difficult, dude."
During an interview with Colbert, Reeves was questioned about if cracking his kneecap was the most severe injury he's ever faced. He answered by saying that the two-level fusion of his spine was actually worse.
Remembering the experience, which happened shortly before he started preparing for The Matrix, Reeves recounted: "I was losing sensation, and I was almost collapsing in the shower, so I went to visit this doctor, and he said, 'We must perform surgery immediately.'"
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He explained that his spinal cord was being pinched by broken and compressed parts of his spinal discs.
When Reeves was questioned about his injuries, he mentioned that he had hurt himself in various ways such as motorcycle accidents and playing racquetball.
Reeves revealed that during the filming of The Matrix, he had to wear a device around his neck to help his spine heal correctly. This meant that the production had to rearrange his fight scenes to accommodate his needs.
"But everything turned out fine in the end," he finished, feeling satisfied.
