I loved 'The Day The Earth...' in black and white: Keanu Reeves

It was a childhood fantasy come true for Hollywood heartthrob Keanu Reeves when he was asked to star as the lead in the remake of the 1951 sci-fi thriller 'The Day The Earth Stood Still', which he thoroughly enjoyed watching on TV as a teenager in the early 1980s.

"I saw it first when I was 14 or 15 on a black and white TV and I loved it. I remember as a young boy enjoying the spectacle, the drama, the flying saucer, the scary music, and the power when everything stopped in the world. But watching it (the film) again, I observed the sly and clever social commentary about the media and the world," Keanu told us in an e-mail interview.

In the movie, Keanu portrays Klaatu, an iconic alien messenger in human form whose arrival on Earth triggers a global upheaval as governments and scientists race to unravel the mystery behind the extra-terrestrial's visit.

Directed by Scott Derickson of 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' fame, 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' is being released worldwide on Dec 12.

Besides Keanu, it also stars Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith and John Cleese in pivotal roles.

Known for his disapproval of remakes, Keanu was impressed by the new interpretation and script for the film, which he deemed to be a "reimagining". He even spent many weeks giving advice on the script and making Klaatu's transition from an alien in human form to one who appreciates human emotions and beliefs in a subtle manner.

Throwing light on his character, the 44-year-old actor said: "Klaatu has a wonderful sort of ease about him. He has a quality to him. You (audiences) will believe his naturalistic bemusement and also his frustrations."

While the original, directed by Robert Wise, dealt with Cold War themes like nuclear warfare and delivered a pertinent message about the lack of international cooperation and the subsequent dangers, the remake highlights the more contemporary issue of global warming.

"This new film is a cautionary tale about human survival on the precipice and our relationship to the planet. It's about the human character, human nature, the fact that it is only when our backs are up against the wall that we do anything to change our behaviour," said the Lebanese born Canadian-American actor.

"It is about the apocalyptic tendencies that we have. It seems man has an extinction impulse and the film looks at this big question. The film takes the position that fear on fear (compounding fear with more fear) isn't necessarily the best answer.

"We need compassion and we have to think globally. We have to consider the impact we are having on each other and the planet and all we need is love to do that," he added.

Keanu began his acting career at the age of nine on stage in a production of 'Damn Yankees'. He made his screen acting debut in a CBC Television comedy series, 'Hangin' In' (1981) and kept on appearing in commercials, short films and stage shows throughout the early 1980s before getting his first studio movie appearance in Peter Markle's ice hockey film 'Youngblood' (1986).

Some of his most notable works include 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure', 'Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey', 'Point Break', 'Speed', 'A Walk in the Clouds', 'The Devil's Advocate', 'The Matrix' trilogy, 'Sweet November' and 'Constantine'.

Keanu Charles Reeves was born September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon, to Samuel Nowlin Reeves (half-Hawaiian, half-Chinese) and Patric Taylor (English). After their divorce, Patric and Samuel went their separate ways. Keanu visited his father in Hawaii on occasion until he was thirteen. That was the last time Keanu saw him. Keanu attended Jesse Ketchum Public School in Toronto from kindergarten through the eighth grade, and attended four high schools (including De La Salle College and the Toronto School for the Performing Arts) before dropping out completely at age 17. Keanu took on lots of different jobs, including sharpening skates at an ice rink shop (he's an avid hockey player), landscaping, and making pasta (and managing the place to boot!). Then came some stage work (most notably - and notoriously - Wolfboy in 1984, his professional stage debut) and some bit parts on TV.

His motion picture debut was in Dream To Believe in Canada but it [reportedly] was the 1986 TV movie Under the Influence that earned him his SAG union card. Keanu's first big feature film debut in a US film was in Youngblood in which he had a small part.

Keanu hit the road for Hollywood in 1986 with $3,000, an old Volvo, and his stepfather Paul Aaron's address. Keanu soon landed River's Edge, arguably one of his best roles ever.

A string of movies followed (see CREDITS) as the troubled (or misfit) teen. His parts continued to grow, and then he started attracting the eye of more mainstream directors. He landed films like Dangerous Liaisons, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Much Ado About Nothing, and Little Buddha.

But it was 1994's Speed that really made everyone stand up and notice. Perhaps not so much for Keanu's acting, but the fact that this was his first mega-hit, grossing nearly $300 million at the box office (world-wide).

Figures like that will catch the eye of any studio executive, and Keanu was soon reportedly being offered sums up to $7 million for his services. With Johnny Mnemonic and A Walk in the Clouds already in the can, those offers were put on hold or turned down so that Keanu could return to Canada and fulfill a dream of playing the title role in Hamlet on stage. Reviews were mixed, but in general reviewers were kind and some were enthusiastic.

More films followed: Feeling Minnesota, Chain Reaction and The Last Time I Committed Suicide, which did moderately at the box office.

Keanu was then offered the lead in the sequel to Speed, entitled Speed II. But he felt the script was not good and he turned it down. Everyone accused Keanu of making a horrible mistake; and that he should have done the role.

20th Century Fox, not wishing to disclose the real reason Keanu turned it down (bad script), gave out a press release saying that Keanu turned it down so he could tour with his band, Dogstar. In fact, that was not true. Keanu was offered a better script (Devil's Advocate) and he filmed that at the same time as the disastrous Speed II was filmed. Devil's Advocate was a big hit and Speed II sunk at the box office. Suddenly critics were saying how smart Keanu was for turning down Speed II.

The it was off to Australia to film The Matrix. No one knew what to expect from this, and when it opened in the spring of 1999 it was a huge blockbuster, and brought Keanu back front and center in the public eye and catapulted him into the top ranks of money earners with an asking salary of $20 million per picture.

In the summer of 1999 Keanu filmed The Replacements, and finished out the year with The Watcher. Both of those pictures were released in the year 2000. In 2000, Keanu went on to film three more films, The Gift, Sweet November, and Hardball including two sequels to The Matrix.