Eva Longoria Made a Secret Financial Move That Saved One of Keanu Reeves' Biggest Films
John Wick is one of Keanu Reeves’ most popular movies in his career, but the production ran into a major hiccup a decade ago. The film ran out of money and directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch needed to figure out a way to get the funds they needed to complete the film.
“We were less than a week out and we lost almost $6 million on a gap financing,” Stahelski told Business Insider in honor of the movie’s tenth anniversary. “We were financing independently to get the bond, but one of the investors couldn’t raise the money in time.” Everyone chipped in, including Reeves, but it still wasn’t enough. That’s when the high-powered talent agency CAA came up with a solution. One of its actors would invest in the film, but they had to be paid back first once John Wick made a profit. That A-list star was Eva Longoria, who received her first major producer credit from the film.
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Nobody in the film knew it was Longoria who saved that day, but she came in clutch “less than 24 hours before we had to lock the doors on the movie and walk away,” according to Stahelski. Producer Basil Iwanyk spilled the beans about Longoria’s participation once they knew they had a bona fide hit on their hands. The directors took her out to lunch at the swanky Chateau Marmont to celebrate.
When Leitch bumped into the Desperate Housewives actress just last year, she recalled their collaboration together. “We were reminiscing,” he shared. “She was like, ‘Wow, that was the best money I’ve ever spent.‘ It paid back significantly for her.” While fans don’t know exactly how much money Longoria made, the movie made $87.7 million globally on a $20 million budget per Lionsgate, via CNBC. That’s some serious cash!
Longoria has gone on to produce the series Devious Maids, Grand Hotel and Land of Women. “I think women are natural producers,” Longoria told Forbes in 2019 after the premiere of Grand Hotel which she also directed and acted in. “It’s all about multitasking, dealing with crybabies, and babysitting others. Everything we already do.” It’s a role Longoria was born to play and make quite a bit of bank from — she took a chance on Reeves and won!
Before you go, click here to see movies directed by women you should watch right now.
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