Aziz Ansari Praises ‘Angel’ Keanu Reeves for Filming ‘Good Fortune’ Despite a Fractured Knee
- The “John Wick” actor plays an angel in the Indian American comedian and actor’s directorial debut also starring Seth Rogen and Keke Palmer.
The Filming of Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut “Good Fortune” faced a hiccup wailer this year when Keanu Reeves‘ tripped on a rug in his trailer and fractured his knee. The Indian American actor and comedian recalled the incident at CinemaCon on April 10. “Fifteen days into shooting with me I said go to the dressing room and chill and he tripped on a rug and fractured his kneecap,” he said.
“Poor guy, he was such a trooper, and he fractured his kneecap and continued to do all the scenes,” he said, adding that the “Speed” actor “never had to go to the hospital or anything.” He described Reeves, who plays an angel named Gabriel in “Good Fortune,”as being “actually and angel” who’s been “pretending to be human for all these other roles.”
In January, People magazine posted a photo of Reeves on crutches on the set of the film in Los Angeles. He reportedly had an ice pack on his knee during a break, and was also “photographed on the set walking with the crutches while [his co-star Seth] Rogen looked at his phone,” the magazine said.
In “Good Fortune,” Ansari plays a down-on-his-luck guy who is working myriad jobs. He’s called by his friend (played by Rogen), who lives in the Hollywood Hills, to do various jobs for him — put in a disco floor, fix the pool heater.Reeves “valley” angel makes it so Rogen’s rich guy situation is swapped with Ansari, so the latter has the former’s life.
Ansari who presented the first look of the film at CinemaCon said his inspiration to make “Good Fortune” was because he “had been doing some more dramatic work recently and I really wanted to make a comedy and I wanted it to be in theaters.” No date has yet been set for the film’s release.
Before “Good Fortune,” Ansari was directing “Being Mortal,” based on Atul Gawande’s nonfiction book, “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End.” The film was canned in March last year, after production was shut down last April after sexual misconduct allegations were levied at actor Bill Murray.
News reports at the time said Murray allegedly kissed and straddled a female member of the crew. He later said it was meant as a joke. After Searchlight departed the film, leaving it in limbo, Murray settled the lawsuit out of court for a reported $100,000. The film was set to star Murray, Keke Palmer, and Seth Rogen. Not too many details were known about the plot. According to Puck, after production was shut down and Searchlight departed the film, Ansari tried to find a new home for his film but was unsuccessful. However, it appears Ansari and Searchlight Pictures are still interested in working together.
Ansari is most known for creating the Netflix series “Master of None,” which is loosely based on the Indian American’s real-life experiences. He plays the role of Dev, a New York-based actor who is struggling to identify what he really wants, both personally and professionally.
His most recent comedy special, “Nightclub Comedian,” for Netflix, premiered on Jan 25, 2002. In the half-hour special he addresses all that has happened since 2019, being back in New York City after moving to London, his reactions to how the world and society have changed because of COVID, anti-vaxxers and more. He is more self-reflective and empathetic these days and he encourages everyone to do the same, especially people with different views than our own who he believes are simply “trapped in a different algorithm.”
His 2019 Netflix special “Right Now,” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album. Directed by Spike Jonze, it addressed the anonymous sexual misconduct accusation made against Ansari in 2018. “It made me think about a lot, and I hope I’ve become a better person,” he told the audience.