Some cute and cuddly guests. An unexpected onscreen attack. Keanu Reeves' first showbiz job is a world away from "John Wick."
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00:00Some cute and cuddly guests, an unexpected on-screen attack. Keanu Reeves' first showbiz
00:06job is a world away from John Wick. It's always fascinating to see the entertainment exploits
00:12of big movie stars from before they were famous. There's Steve McQueen in The Blob, a low-budget
00:17horror movie that has almost nothing to do with the kinds of films McQueen would become
00:21known for later in his career. Many who know Leonardo DiCaprio from his collaborations
00:26with Martin Scorsese might be shocked to see him as part of the cast of family sitcom
00:30Growing Pains in the early 90s. Of course, Marilyn Monroe was famously a pinup girl before
00:36she broke into films, and there are several former child actors who have managed to eclipse
00:40their young brushes with fame, such as Kirk Russell, who appeared opposite Elvis Presley
00:45in It Happened at the World's Fair.
00:47When it comes to surprising early roles, one of the most charming examples comes from the
00:52career of Keanu Reeves. He's best known as the steely assassin John Wick and the messianic
00:58Neo in The Matrix, but once upon a time, he was just another young person trying to make
01:04it in the competitive world of Canadian broadcasting. Back in 1984, a good five years before his
01:10breakthrough in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Reeves hadn't done any real acting to speak
01:16of. The Point Break star's first showbiz job was as a correspondent on the Canadian broadcasting
01:21corporation's Going Great, a youth-focused newsmagazine program. One of his more unusual
01:26assignments on the program has become the stuff of pre-fame movie star lore.
01:32Years before Bill & Ted's bogus journey, Keanu Reeves was just another correspondent on Going
01:37Great. His most memorable assignment saw him covering the inaugural Canadian International
01:42Teddy Bear Convention, an event that attracted serious teddy bear collectors from across
01:47the country and possibly the world. As Reeves himself said during the assignment,
01:52"'When Going Great sent me to check out the first Canadian International Teddy Bear Convention,
01:58I thought I was in for a lot of craziness."
02:00Reeves continued,
02:01"'But then I met 13-year-old Graham Abbey and his 53 bears and discovered there's a serious
02:08side to collecting teddy bears.'"
02:10Luckily for fans of the future movie star, Reeves' assignment covering the Canadian International
02:15Teddy Bear Convention has made its way to YouTube. Many viewers have already noted that
02:20Reeves seemingly displays a hint of Ted Logan, his character in the Bill & Ted franchise,
02:24in his approach to human-interest TV news. The Destination Wedding star manages to show
02:29an unbridled enthusiasm for the strange world of teddy bear collecting. Basically, his report
02:34is a great reflection of the open-heartedness he is known for when he's not killing rival
02:39assassins or rogue agents in his most famous feature film roles.
02:43"'Why are all the bears first named Teddy?''
02:46Of course, the violence of John Wick and the Matrix isn't completely missing from Reeves'
02:51early brush with stardom. In what has to be the video's highlight, Reeves performs a great
02:56gag where he pretends to be attacked by one ostensibly friendly, fluffy teddy bear. In
03:01this hilarious clip, he shows an inkling of the incredible on-screen fighter he would
03:05one day become. Obviously, the moment is also a great showcase of his sense of humor.
03:09"'I've been looking all over for you.'"
03:12If you're a Reeves superfan, it's unlikely that his going-great coverage of the 1984
03:17Canadian International Teddy Bear Convention will replace The Matrix or My Own Private
03:21Idaho in your personal Keanu canon. However, it undoubtedly provides an invaluable glimpse
03:26at the screen performer in his early days — and may even be more entertaining than 47 Ronin.