Reeves, Bullock reunite in ‘The Lake House’

updated 4:12 p.m. ET June 16, 2006

LOS ANGELES - Twelve years after they met on a speeding bus, Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock are reunited by a magical mailbox.

The two star in “The Lake House,” opening Friday.

In 1994, “Speed” launched Bullock onto the A-list, where Reeves had resided since his portrayal of perpetually stoned Ted in 1989’s “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.”

The two remained friends, but each did more than a dozen movies apart before reuniting for this mystical romantic drama.

Reeves and Bullock, both 41, sat down with The Associated Press to talk about their friendship, their new film and what they’ve discovered over the past 12 years.

AP: Do you remember the first time you met?

Reeves: (to Bullock) Well, you were auditioning for “Speed.”

Bullock: Yeah, he already had the part.

Reeves: I had the part but I was still figuring the role out, and we had this scene where Jack Traven and Annie were on the bus.

Bullock: I had the imaginary [steering wheel]. This is where you commit to your craft, you go [motions like she’s driving the bus], “I look like an ass, I look like an ass.” Then we were on the floor and he started talking like Elvis. It was one of those moments where you go, “I’m just thankful that he’s not laughing at me during this time.” (To Reeves) You made me feel really comfortable.

AP: And yet all these years went by. Did you ever think you would work together again?

Reeves: We would go out to dinner and we wouldn’t even speak about a project or like, “What are you doing?”

Bullock: For 12 years, we never did. People would come up to me and go, “Why don’t you guys work together?” And I’d just go, “Yeah, it’s a nice thing, I can see why you’d say that.” I’d like to but we never actively did anything. And all of a sudden this script. Paul Haggis said, “You should read this story. It’s really beautiful.” I read it and I’m like, “God, it is beautiful.” The director was Alejandro [Agresti]. I met with Ale in New York, and [Reeves] met with Ale in L.A. And we both didn’t know he was meeting with either one of us.

AP: Who signed on first?

Bullock: I think it was basically the same time. Because I remember I was in New York when they said Keanu is going do it, and I said, “OK, then I’m on.”

AP: Are you at all like the characters you play in this movie?

Bullock: I’m like her in the sense that I don’t believe anything unless it’s factually proven. But there’s the other side of me that has been convinced that there are things bigger in the world than what my logical head can figure out, that the string is being held by some other great power actually running things. And, like her, I would want to figure it out.

It’s a metaphor that we’ve got to let go. As adults, we don’t let go of things that don’t make sense, that aren’t on our list, that don’t have a schedule.

AP: Is it about embracing your romanticism?

Bullock: I think you get to a point in life where you’ve seen both the good and the painful, and every time you see the painful, you are so aware of how lucky you are to have the good. I think if you’re lucky enough to have been knocked around or had your heart broken or lost someone, that’s actually the best thing for you because now you know how to appreciate things when they’re here, whether they’re factually proven or they’re not.

AP: How has working on this movie changed your relationship?

Bullock: We have called each other more.

AP: Have you observed how each other has changed over the last 12 years?

Reeves: The growth, absolutely. (To Bullock) You’re a pretty inspiring person, you know.

We’ve really just, I think, enjoyed spending time together and just kind of respecting and appreciating how we’re growing up.

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