Keith Jardine: Keanu Reeves is “100% action”, Batista “wanted me to come grapple”

Keith Jardine is an acclaimed ex-UFC vet who also had a role doing some stunt work in John Wick. ‘The Dean of Mean’ has recently delved into some of his on-set experiences and the connection he had with the actor portraying the titular character, Keanu Reeves, even prior to filming. Also of note, Reeves has previously gotten in some training with world-renowned jiu-jitsu practitioner Jean Jacques Machado, working on the gentle art.

When asked if there was any direct jiu jitsu training done with Keanu Reeves in terms of whether they ever got a roll in together on the mats, Jardine said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

“Yeah. No, no, not at all. I met Keanu [Reeves], he’s always been a UFC fan. And I met him at, I forgot which fight, but I was watching a fight and he was watching a fight. I met him then and that was great. So he remembered me on set. But beforehand maybe for sure if I went to training. Because he trained so hard for this. For months before this film shot, he trained with the 87Eleven guys.”

“But on set you don’t understand that the whole movie, kind of similar to my movie, where the whole thing is about Brendan Fehr and he’s in every scene. Where John Wick is in every scene and he’s just beat up, man. Like he just goes, does his thing. 100% action, 100% speed, and just does his thing. Almost crawls back to the chair and just [exhausted sigh] sits in the chair. While they change the cameras around whatever till he makes himself get up and do the thing.”

“So, no [laughs], we weren’t grappling. We weren’t doing anything like that. But it was really impressive to watch his work ethic. His positivity and energy to go back at it every single time and not be like, “All right, guys. Just give me a half an hour. I just need to go to my trailer for a half an hour and rest, even though I need it.””

Keith Jardine does have a former WWE star and current Hollywood actor who wants to grapple with him though

Just because Keanu Reeves didn’t grapple with the former Chuck Liddell conqueror doesn’t mean that other notable Hollywood figures don’t want to get in on that kind of experience, as Jardine quipped,

“I’ve worked with Batista before. He’s wanted me to come grapple with him. We’ve never worked that out before. But he’s certainly game, that guy.”