Keith Jardine: Keanu Reeves is “100% action”, Batista “wanted me to come wrestle” | BJPenn.com

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

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

“Yes. No, no, not at all. I met Keanu [Reeves]he has 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 maybe beforehand, especially when I started training. Because he trained so hard for this. Before shooting this film, he trained with the guys from 87Eleven for months.

“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 getting 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 does his thing. [exhausted sigh] sits in the chair. As they change the cameras anything until he forces himself to get up and do the thing.

“So no [laughs]we weren’t wrestling. We didn’t do anything like that. But it was really impressive to see his work ethic. His positivity and energy to come back to it every time and not say, “Okay guys. Just give me half an hour. I just need to go to my trailer for half an hour and rest, even though I need it.”

Keith Jardine does have a former WWE star and current Hollywood actor willing to wrestle him

Just because Keanu Reeves didn’t wrestle the former Chuck Liddell conqueror doesn’t mean other notable Hollywood figures don’t want to partake in those kinds of experiences, as Jardine joked:

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