Sandra Bullock's Hollywood breakout moment began with pretending to drive a bus using a folding chair and a paper plate. Before she became an Oscar-winning superstar, Bullock, 60, starred with Keanu Reeves in her 1994 breakout Speed.
At the action thriller’s 30th anniversary screening, she remembered her audition for the role of bus passenger Annie Porter with perfect clarity. “I was the new kid on the block and it was nerve-wracking,” Bullock said onstage at Beyond Fest at American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre on October 8. “I walked in, I remembered the room was kind of dark. You guys had it dark!”
What made the audition especially memorable was the way director Jan de Bont and Reeves had improvised a makeshift bus. “There was a folding chair, there was a paper plate,” said Bullock with laughter. The plate, she explained, was handed to her as the steering wheel. Pretending to drive with only “Keanu, Jan, the carpeted floor, a folding chair, and a paper plate” required all the imaginative power she could muster. “All my acting classes all came together and went out the window,” Bullock quipped.
De Bont praised Bullock, stating, “The moment I saw you, I knew you would be the driver.” This choice marked a pivotal point for the actress, whose character takes over driving a Los Angeles bus rigged to explode if its speed drops below 50 mph. Bullock acknowledged this perspective but playfully noted she wasn’t the only actress vying for the part. “You saw me after one, two, and three couldn’t do it,” she teased.
Keanu Reeves, who played SWAT team officer Jack Traven, admitted he remembered Bullock’s audition but with less detail. Recalling his own casting, he described meeting de Bont as encountering “a mad genius” and remarked, “Then I got Sandra.” Bullock quickly interrupted, saying, “There were three others.” Reeves then claimed he didn’t recall any other actresses, prompting Bullock to say, “That is why I love him.”
Reflecting on the enduring relationship between the two actors, de Bont expressed pride, stating, “What they had to do is just unbelievable. But the relationship those two created together is absolutely amazing.”
The Oscar-winning Speed, written by Graham Yost and co-starring Dennis Hopper, Joe Morton, and Jeff Daniels, became a massive box office success, laying the foundation for Bullock’s illustrious career. Following its success, the film spawned Speed 2: Cruise Control, released in 1997 and featuring Bullock alongside Jason Patric and Willem Dafoe.
At the anniversary screening, die-hard fans of the franchise expressed enthusiasm at the mention of the possibility of a third film. De Bont commented on this notion: “I think it would be a different movie.” Nodding to Bullock and Reeves, he added, “It would be great to work with them [again].” Bullock humorously suggested, “Speed 3 would be the geriatric version. It won’t be fast.”
Looking forward, Reeves is set to reprise his role as John Wick in the 2025 spinoff Ballerina, as well as star in Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune. Meanwhile, Bullock's upcoming projects include a sequel to Practical Magic, where she will reunite with Nicole Kidman. Exciting times lie ahead for both stars as they continue to navigate their remarkable careers.