Things We Learned About “Speed” from Director Jan De Bont!
Art by Edgar Ascensão
Rob Hunter at Film School Rejects turned his sights to the Speed, then posted 24 Things We Learned from the ‘Speed‘ Commentary by director Jan de Bont. Before you click over, here are three of my favorites…
Keanu Reeves wasn’t all that interested in starring in an action movie, so De Bont had to convince him that it would be fun. How? By telling Reeves he’d be allowed to do as many of his own stunts as possible on Speed. (Being able to do stunts safely is probably a big lure to many actors. Some that are known to do most of their own stunts include Robert Conrad, James Caan, and Sly Stallone. – Craig)
It was Dennis Hopper’s idea to stick his fingers in Jeff Daniels’ nose to lift him up, and while De Bont worried it would look silly he agreed after trying it and discovering it’s actually pretty painful. (Can you imagine Hopper saying to Daniels and De Bont, “I’ve got an idea, why don’t I stick my fingers up his nose and lift him up?” – Craig)
He says sharp-eyed viewers will spot “hidden” cameras during some of the bus action as they often only had single takes and had cameras in cars, trucks, and elsewhere. (I love it when director’s stick in “Easter Eggs”! – Craig)
