This Time, Football Is Keanu's Speed

Very few actors are able to juggle drama, action/adventure and comedy, with big box-office results. Keanu Reeves has scored with them all.

On Friday, he hits theaters with his latest, the football comedy The Replacements. CBS News Early Show's Mark McEwen recently sat down with Reeves to talk about his hits and misses.

When pro football goes on a strike, team owners are forced to bring in the replacements. Keanu Reeves plays Shane Falco, the new quarterback looking for redemption.

"I've always thought of him as a fairly noble character," says Reeves. "He's a professional. He was a professional athlete who had a disastrous Sugar Bowl and a disastrous first two years in the NFL. It's this guy who needs a second chance."

In the movie, Gene Hackman, who plays coach Jimmy McGinty, says, "You know, winners want the ball. You gotta have heart. And I see something in you. You just need to trust yourself and trust it to come out."

He says it was "such a great honor" to work with Hackman. "I think he's one of the finest actors ever," he adds.

Reeves himself worked hard to prepare himself to play the part of a quarterback. "The production set up a three-week camp before we started to film, and it was like learning the plays," he recalls. "I never played football. So, for me, it was an introduction to the game, to the team, to what someone goes through in a day for training."

He recalls a different kind of training, as a young actor, when he worked with John Malkovich in Dangerous Liaisons.

"I remember walking on the set the first time," says Reeves. "I didn't have the benefit of rehearsal. And I was so scared. And I was just watching John be so relaxed, just so relaxed and focused. And I was like, 'Yeah. That's what I got to do.' If you don't know how to relax…you just close up. There's nothing. You don't express anything. And for acting, that's not good. That's not good."

Reeves scored a major hit recently with The Matrix, and he will star in two sequels.

"I had an exceptional time making that picture, and I think it's an exceptional film, and I am honored, being a part of it, you know," he says. "And I'm looking forward to doing the next two. You know, it's gonna be a year and a half for me. It's not often that you get to be in such a well-received picture… As long as it doesn't pigeonhole me, I don't mind."