Keanu Reeves is ‘hilarious’ as he returns to his ‘pre-action era’ with new movie Outcome, co-star Roy Wood Jr. reveals

KEANU Reeves has returned to his pre-action era – a time that fans have forgotten about, his co-star Roy Wood Jr. has claimed in a new interview with The U.S. Sun.

Outcome, an upcoming dark comedy film directed by Jonah Hill, recently wrapped filming and one of the stars is telling all about what fans can expect in the Apple Original movie.

6Roy Wood Jr. spoke to The U.S. Sun exclusively about the new film Outcome starring Keanu Reeves and Matt BomerCredit: Getty

6The Daily Show alum said that Keanu was ‘funny as s**t’ in the dark comedy filmCredit: Getty

Co-written by Ezra Woods, Outcome features Jonah, Keanu Reeves, Roy Wood Jr., Cameron Diaz, Matt Bomer, Kaia Gerber, David Spade, Susan Lucci and Laverne Cox.

Keanu plays the character Reef, a “damaged Hollywood star who must dive into the dark depths of his past to confront his demons and make amends after he is extorted with a mysterious video clip from his past,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Roy Wood Jr. spoke to The U.S. Sun about what it was like witnessing the John Wick star in his new role.

“I can’t speak to what my role was, but I will say Keanu Reeves is funny as s**t and he still got it,” The Daily Show alum said on the red carpet at the  2024 Writers Guild Awards New York Ceremony on April 14.

“And [when] you see someone do action movies for so long, you forget that before the action Keanu era, he was hilarious.

“He did a lot of funny films. And so, you put a guy like Keanu who’s reserved, contained, funny, with a guy like Jonah Hill, who can be bombastic at times, it’s a great combination.”

He continued, “It took a day and a half for me to get over, ‘Oh shit, I’m doing a scene with Keanu Reeves, and just calm down, breathe and do the job.’”

Apart from The Matrix star, Roy said that Atsuko Okatsuka and Laverne were “very funny” in the scene that he is in.

Roy also talked about what it was like working with Jonah Hill as a director on the film. He previously directed films Stutz and Mid90s.

“Jonah Hill as a director – that boy makes movies like Steven Soderbergh. The way he can get what he needs out of actors and the efficiency with which he shoots,” the TV personality remarked.

Keanu Reeves to play Shadow in Sonic 3 – but fans rage it ‘should have been’ Star Wars actor after rumors

The star continued: “He’s not overworking the actors, but also giving the actors freedom and space to experiment and find comedy.

“God bless him because he’s one of the few directors I’ve worked with that I believe understands that… Comedy is on the page. You have a script, but sometimes comedy’s in the room.

“And so he gave us space and opportunity to find moments as well,” Roy, who starred in the Steven Soderbergh-directed TV miniseries Command Z, continued.

“Yo Jonah Hill, at some point he’s going to make that Soderberg, that Judd Apatow – the way he can touch drama in addition to comedy, it’s going to be natural.”

6Roy Wood Jr. compared Jonah Hill’s directing to Steven SoderberghCredit: Getty

6Cameron Diaz stars in Outcome, which is expected to be released on Apple later this yearCredit: Getty

Steven has directed films such as 1989’s Sex, Lies, and Videotape as well as 2013’s Behind the Candelabra.

ONE CHAPTER CLOSES

While attending the Writers Guild Awards at The Edison Ballroom, where he was a presenter, Roy bumped into his Daily Show colleagues after leaving the show in October 2023.

However, there was no awkwardness and the comedian had nothing but positive things to say about the show he was a correspondent for for the past eight years of his life.

The Comedy Central show has had different weekly hosts ever since Trevor Noah departed the show in December 2022.

“All I know is that when the strike ended, [Hasan Minhaj] was no longer being considered.

“And then for me at that point, it was just about figuring out what I wanted to do and what made the most sense for myself at the time,” Roy said, explaining why he decided to leave.

“I just wanted to figure out what else I can do in this industry. And I just felt like coming back from the strike, it was the right time to make that pivot.”

ANOTHER CHAPTER OPENS

Roy is gearing up to release his own memoir, The Man of Many Fathers, which was sold to Crown Publishing two months ago.

In addition, he is currently touring North America on his Happy to Be Here stand-up tour and has two sitcoms in the works.

“I can’t publicly say the networks yet, but we’ve sold stuff. Things have been in motion. I’m just thankful to still be in the mix in this industry,” he told The U.S. Sun.

“I’m grateful to still have opportunities in this industry because they come far and few in between.

“And if the things are going to continue to go the way they’ve gone after the strike, they’re going to be making a lot less television, which means that to even be in this room and be honored, it’s special in and of itself.”

Although the release date of Outcome has not been announced yet, Roy says that it’ll be out on Apple later this year.

Wood Jr. was a presenter at the 2024 Writers Guild Awards at The Edison BallroomCredit: Getty

6Roy told The U.S. Sun that Keanu (pictured in The Matrix) returned to his ‘pre-action era’