When Halle Berry Said No To A $350M Role That Ended Up Defining Sandra Bullock’s Career

Before Sandra Bullock became Speed’s accidental action hero, Halle Berry had already said no to the ride of her life. In a resurfaced confession during John Wick 3 promotions with Keanu Reeves, Berry admitted she passed on the now-iconic 1994 action flick. Why? Because the bus didn’t even leave the parking lot in the script draft she saw.
“I stupidly said no,” Berry told ET. “But in my defense, when I read the script, the bus didn’t leave the parking lot… Then I see the movie and I’m like, arrrrghh.”

That “arrrrghh” pretty much says it all.

From Bus to Bulletstorm: Berry Finally Gets Her Action Hero Moment with Keanu Reeves

Directed by Jan de Bont, Speed would go on to gross $350 million worldwide and launch Bullock into superstardom. Paired with Keanu Reeves’ LAPD hero Jack Traven, Bullock’s Annie took the wheel of a bus that couldn’t drop below 50 mph without exploding. Critics loved it. Fans were obsessed. And Berry? She was left watching it all play out – no parking lot, full-throttle glory and all.

But Berry insists she holds no grudges. “I was in it well before these fine people,” she joked during the interview, referring to Reeves. “They were offering me the parking lot version.” A raw deal, no doubt. Timing really is everything.

Fast-forward 25 years, and Berry finally teams up with Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. And this time, there’s no missed opportunity. She practically chased the role of Sofia – a leather-clad, dog-commanding assassin, and went through intense martial arts and canine training to earn it.

“I worked six months, probably almost five days a week, training,” she said. “I worked with these dogs a lot… so I could command them on the day and wrangle them if things went crazy.”
Reeves, of course, got the memo. “The first thing the trainer says to me is don’t look at them in the eye,” he joked. “Halle’s like, ‘Come on!’ They’re eating out of her hand.”

Together, the two take down waves of henchmen in one of the franchise’s most kinetic fight scenes, on a rug. Yes, a literal rug. And that’s when it hit her.

Berry may have missed the bus, but she more than made up for it. Sometimes, the sequel to a regret comes dressed in leather and walks on four legs.

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