Keanu Reeves won't quit. Definitely, he won't drop out the lead role in the courtroom drama movie "The Whole Truth", the role he got after "SkyFall" actor Daniel Craig left the production days before the original shooting day. "The Matrix" star attended a real court trial in Jefferson Parish Courthouse to prepare himself in his role as a Southern defense lawyer.
The actor observed the trial in the courtroom in Gretna of a second-degree murder trial of a man from New Orleans, who is accused of Kenner homicide. In the movie, Reeves will defend a teenager who is accused of killing his father.
From the fifth-floor courtroom of the 24th Judicial District Judge Glenn Ansardi, the "Constantine" movie actor was quietly listening to the hearing. He listened in the morning to the testimony of the witnesses, then back in the afternoon for the closing arguments between the prosecutors and the defense attorney.
Judge Ansardi wasn't aware that the actor was present in the trial; however, Letita Parker-Davis, the public defender assigned in the case, shook his hands with Reeves after the actor introduced himself to Davis.
It was unusual to see a bunch of people in the court trial of a not-so high profile individual after knowing that the actor was in the room. The lawyers were not distracted by the presence of Reeves and not even tried to steal glance to the actor. It wasn't sure either if the jurors were aware of his presence.
Reeves politely posed for anyone who wanted to take photos with him in the hallway and in the adjacent parish government complex.
"The Whole Truth" will be helmed by "Frozen River" director Courtney Hunt who will also be working with Renee Zellwegger, Gabriel Bosso, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw who are from the original cast. The production of the film will start in July in New Orleans.
