ENGLISH SPEECH LAURENCE FISHBURNE Keanu Reeves English Subtitles
Hello.
Hello.
So, nice to be here with you all today.
Hi guys.
I got some words here.
It’s really, really lovely to be here with
you all.
This is, this is a real honor and a real treat
for me.
So, we’re here to celebrate the artistry and
the work of Mr. Keanu Reeves.
When I heard that he was getting this honor,
I was really excited.
I was like, oh my God, this is great.
I called him up and I was like, is that happening?
He was like, yeah, it’s happening.
I was like, so are you excited?
And he was like, yeah, I’m excited.
I’m excited, but I’m more nervous.
Which I kind of get, because I’m kind of nervous.
I got to talk about Keanu like he’s not here.
And he’s not really into that kind of thing.
But like most of the people that are here,
those of you that know Keanu a little bit,
know that he’s a really private guy.
You know, after being in the public eye for
so many years, he has somehow managed to maintain
more than a little bit of mystery, which is
very cool.
So, I was trying to think about what I could
say about him here and now that would make
sense and why it’s fitting and proper for
him to be getting the Ceremony of Summit.
I mean, if you got to have your hands and
feet in cement, this is the way to do it.
So, first of all, I could start by saying,
you know, I don’t know, 20 some odd years
ago he was named as one of the 50 most beautiful
people in the world.
Okay, I could tell you that, you know, the
UK Empire Movie magazine named him as one
of the greatest movie stars of all time.
But really what I’d like to start with is
one of his finest qualities, which is his
humility.
He has worked tirelessly for like decades
and he’s enjoyed great success.
He’s had great failures.
He’s had great tragedy.
He’s had great triumph.
And in all of that, he has never lost sight
of the fact of something that he said to me.
You once said to me Keanu, that you know that
this could all go away tomorrow.
And this is one of the reasons why I tell
people whenever they ask me what you’re like,
I always tell people that Keanu is one of
the smartest and most intelligent men that
I have ever met.
He is a deeply sensitive and thoughtful person,
and he is also a courageous and passionate
artist.
So, my first encounter with Keanu was not
unlike probably many of you.
I first encountered him in a film called ‘River’s
Edge’ back in the 80s.
And when I watched that movie, yeah, we can
clap for that.
We can clap for that.
I was watching that movie and I thought, who
the fuck is this kid?
Like he was so natural.
So unaffected.
He was so real.
He was so authentic and he was open and vulnerable,
so open and vulnerable that you really couldn’t
take your eyes off him.
And he was also kind of unpredictable and
unconventional, so much so that you thought
that under the right circumstances, he might
be a little dangerous.
So, some people call that talent.
Some people call that relationship with the
camera.
Some people call that star quality.
Some people just call IT, whatever it is.
Keanu has it.
You can’t buy it.
You can’t fake it.
You can’t manufacture it.
You either have it or you don’t.
There’s a movie that kind of explains what
I’m talking about.
There’s this movie called ‘A River Runs Through
It.’
That was directed by Robert Redford, I think.
And it’s about these two brothers.
One’s good.
One’s bad.
It’s Brad Pitt and Chraig Schaeffer.
And Craig Schaeffer’s character is explaining
what it’s like to be to watch his brother,
who’s played by Brad.
And basically, he says, his brother is one
of those people who’s kind of like a bright
burning star and all of us kind of get to
watch them as they kind of burn their way
across the cosmos and dazzle us with their
brilliance.
And I know Keanu wouldn’t probably agree with
me about that, but I think for myself and
for many people, you are one of those beings.
When Keanu’s on the screen, it’s like he’s
inviting you into his interior world, but
at the same time, he’s keeping you at a distance.
He’s kind of doing this.
Come on up, come on now.
Stay away.
No, no, come, come, come, come closer.
No, no, stay over there.
No, really, really.
I want to show you.
No, no, no, no, no.
Stay over there.
It’s really, really effective.
He almost dares you to come along with him
as he explores the depths of these characters
in the human condition.
And it’s really remarkable.
His work is both subtle and nuanced, and earnest.
He doesn’t try to impress us.
He simply tries to reveal the hidden truth
that lie within all of us.
And he has been on a very long, slow and brilliant
burn for some 40 odd years now.
He has given us some wonderful, interesting,
funny, thoughtful, and moving performances
in films like Point Break, the Bill and Ted
movies, Bill and Ted’s three is coming dudes.
I Love You to Death, My Own Private Idaho,
which is one of my favorite performances of
yours Keanu.
Much Ado About Nothing, A Walk in The Clouds,
another one of my favorite performances.
Something’s Got to Give, Johnny Mnemonic,
The Last Time I Committed Suicide, and Little
Buddha, which I have to say your work in that
film is beyond category, bro.
The Gift, Feeling Minnesota, Speed, Thumbsucker,
Scanner Darkly, Henry’s Crime, Man of Tai
Chi.
Yes.
He would come into my house and explain to
me what they were going to make.
For like 10 years, you told me those stories.
It was fantastic.
And you got it done.
And then of course, there’s the Matrix trilogy.
Yeah.
The first movie to deliver on what comic books
promised.
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen.
Without the Matrix films, the Marvel Cinematic
Universe would not be what it is today.
It’s hard to believe that it was 20 years
ago that The Matrix was released.
And in that time Keanu, you have grown deeper.
You ride a little bit lower in the saddle.
You’ve matured.
But unlike many of us, you appear not to have
aged.
Perhaps the rumors about you being immortal
are true.
Yes, the dragon guards his secrets closely.
And then just when no one was looking, you
and these two come up with this killer cinematic
fight fest called John Wick.
And you have given us one of the most satisfying
bad-ass motherfuckers on screen in generations.
So, I’m going to close by telling you that
I was coming through an airport a couple of
weeks ago.
I saw the GQ magazine that Keanu was on the
cover of, and I picked it up hoping that I
would learn something that I didn’t know about
him.
Because I wanted to be prepared because I
knew I was going to speak.
And I read the interview several times.
I was hoping I would find something that I
could add to my remarks here today.
I found nothing, not a goddam thing.
However, it did make one thing very clear
to me.
And it’s like, you know, there’s only one
Bogey.
There’s only one Brando.
There’s only one Denzel.
There’s only one Marrow.
There’s only one Share, right.
There ain’t but one Keanu Reeves.
Ain’t but one of them.
God already put the best Keanu stuff he had
into this one.
And he ain’t making no more of that.
There are maybe 300 or so people who have
had their hand prints and their footprints
enshrine here.
And now Keanu my brother, you joined this
group of talented and extraordinary people.
People like Tom Mix from the early days and
Bob Hope and Betty Davis and Doris Day who
left us yesterday, God rest her soul.
People like Sandy Bullock and Denzo and Al
Pachino, Kenneth Brenna, Francis, Morgan Freeman,
and the late Anthony Quinn, all of whom you
worked with and were your friends, are your
friends.
All of these people have enriched our lives
with their artistry.
And you have done this as well.
And you have done it with joy and with grace
and courage.
And on behalf of everyone gathered here and
those who love you, I say, thank you.
Thank you, Sir.
You may or may not know it, but you have helped
us to free our minds.
You have touched our hearts, and you have
soothed our soul, like your name, the cool
breeze, come down from the mountain.
You have done this with your talent and your
passion and your presence throughout the years.
I wish you good health, happiness, success
in all your future endeavors.
May all your dreams come true my brother;
I love you.