Keanu Reeves and Eli Roth React to Knock Knock Sex Scene

“not for me, Jimmy,” Keanu Reeves told Jimmy Kimmel on television, describing the experience of filming a raunchy threesome shower scene for the 2015 thriller Knock Knock. The production required the seasoned action star to share the screen with actresses Ana de Armas and Lorenza Izzo, the latter of whom was engaged to the film’s director, Eli Roth, at the time.

Filming the Shower Scene on Set

Reeves had logged decades in front of the cameras across 54 films before stepping onto the set for the dark comedy and horror thriller. Despite tackling high-octane action sequences throughout his career, the actor encountered a distinctly unfamiliar environment on day one of the shoot. The sequence required a surreal, animalistic tryst inside a shower at a remote modernist home, placing the actor opposite two actresses in their twenties.

Roth created an atmosphere of trust and the trio rehearsed beforehand, according to Reeves. “eventually you have to like get naked and simulate and do,” Reeves said on the late-night program. He dismissed the idea that he approached the day with any swagger, noting he did not make remarks about the director’s partner.

Roth offered a franker perspective during the subsequent press tour. “admittedly it was weird,” Roth said. When cameras rolled, both the filmmaker and Izzo acknowledged the unusual dynamic. The director maintained strict professional boundaries on set, stating that nobody received special attention and that business commenced immediately upon arrival. Roth sought a stylized, surreal tone reminiscent of Basic Instinct rather than a conventional romantic encounter.

Adjusting the Persona for a Suburban Thriller

The production encountered an unexpected hurdle regarding Reeves’ natural demeanor. The actor’s inherent charm and suave presence conflicted with the required persona of a beleaguered, suburban family man trapped in a moral trap. Co-writer Nicolás López explained that the creative team actively worked to dial down the actor’s usual cool presence to portray a normal individual interacting with two strangers who arrive at his door on a rainy night.

Knock Knock is currently available to stream on Tubi. Roth and Izzo married following the completion of the shoot in 2014 before separating in 2018.