Say there’s three hundred million people in America. If you can find three hundred people who can act better for films than Keanu Reeves, I’d be surprised. By my math, that makes his acting talent better than one in a million.
Dunno, the previous version was impressively forgettable, and looking at things like Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Much Ado About Nothing, I can say for sure that Keanu really sticks out like a sore thumb in period pieces. Modern and future he does alright, but a bunch of people with British accents and one guy speaking in surfer dude clashes quite a bit.
This is who I would really love to see in this role: Jim Carrey.
Yes, I am absolutely serious about that.
Ever since I saw Me, Myself, and Irene, I had sort of a revelation that Jim Carrey can, for better or worse, come off as truly terrifying, whether or not it’s intentional. I found myself thinking the whole time as I watched that film (and I’ve seen it again many times since) “wow, Jim Carrey really should play a genuine psychopath in a non-comedic context; he would totally nail the role.” It’s true that he’s built up his career with zany goofball roles, but the truth is he really IS an incredible actor (and I’m not just saying that because "comedy is harder to do than drama - I know that’s not true in all cases.) What Carrey has is an incredible physical presence - he really throws himself into the acting, and he’s capable of a ridiculous range of facial expressions.
I really think he would be perfect as Jekyll and Hyde.
Even though I have enjoyed a few of Keanu’s movies, I am always distracted by the cadence in his voice. I think it is his natural cadence and not forced like William Shatner’s stilting. Plus I have to admit I keep expecting him to start every sentence with “Dude!” Some actors get stucked in peoples minds like that.