The star of Netflix movie “Bird Box” is also terrified of being scared when the daytime talk show host threatens her with “a surprise.”
If you ever assumed Sandra Bullock had to have a crush on Keanu Reeves while making ’90s action classic “Speed,” you were right. But did they ever actually hook up?
The actress told Ellen DeGeneres on Thursday that although she did think her co-star was a hottie, she was always stuck in the friend zone. The conversation came up when Ellen flashed her guest a picture from the 1994 film and asked what kind of memories it invoked.
“I think about how sweet Keanu Reeves was and how handsome he was,” she said, adding that it was “hard for me to really be serious” because one look from the leading man reduced her to nervous giggles.
“He was very sweet,” she stressed, and revealed he did an excellent job of keeping her dress down during stunts. “Never dated him. There was something about me that I guess he didn’t like.”
Bullock even credited her long friendship with the actor to the fact that they didn’t hook up.
The candid discussion came up after Ellen announced she had “a surprise” for Bullock, who immediately tensed up and interpreted it as some kind of threat. “Oh sweet Jesus, what is it? Don’t scare me,” she said. “I swear if you do it, I will never come on this show again.”
Despite Ellen’s assurance that she wasn’t planning one of her signature scares, the anxious actress couldn’t stop her body from entering into a defensive position. “I just don’t want anyone coming up behind me,” she said.
And fortunately for Bullock, Ellen was true to her word. It turned out the daytime talk show host brought up “Speed” for a reason: It is one of Bullock’s several Warner Bros. movies that have collectively grossed over $1 billion for the studio that produces “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
The surprise was a new monument on the lot honoring Bullock. Since Warner Bros. named Ellen’s studio after her for the comedian’s birthday, Ellen decided to name a bannister along some stairs on the lot after her guest.
Such an honor required an impromptu acceptance speech from Bullock, too.
“I climbed a lot of stairs to get to where I am today, and I needed the help not of someone, but of something,” she said. “That something gave me strength, gave me balance, sometimes gave me strep when I touched it and touched my face. And that’s this bannister, and for that I am eternally grateful.”
Not a bad speech, honestly.
Bullock is busy making the press rounds to promote her latest film, Netflix’s apocalyptic thriller “Bird Box,” which is now streaming. Watch her entire interview with Ellen below — it’s an absolute delight, as usual — plus a game of “5 Second Rule” with Blake Shelton.
