Legendary actors Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter shared their takes on the relevancy of “Bill and Ted Face the Music” during a press conference on Sunday.
There are few historical duos as beloved as Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves). From an Excellent Adventure to a Bogus Journey, these time-traveling dudes are back for more.
Reeves and Winter opened up about what it was like to return to their iconic roles almost 30 years after the 1991 sequel. “For me, it’s such an honor to work with Alex,” Reeves said. “The way we can share our sense of humor and laugh through the work, it’s pretty extraordinary.”
“It’s a lot like being in a band,” Winter echoed, citing their shared comedic timing. “We literally play together.”
Although not quite as literally as their onscreen personas: Face the Music follows best friends Bill and Ted as they try to write a song to save the world. With the help of their adult daughters, new historical figures, and some real-life musicians, Bill and Ted attempt to “bring harmony to the universe.” Screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon also return to round out the Bill and Ted franchise; Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) directs.
While Reeves and Winter share a natural chemistry stepping into their respective roles for the third time, the audience too settles in with their cult favorites Bill and Ted.
“It’s been many years since we’ve seen them last,” Reeves explained about the characters’ journeys. “They’ve been with their friendship and being together with this pressure, this destiny, and responsibility of uniting the world through music, that they haven’t been able to do. Playing these guys that are still familiar but not caricatures of the past…we feel the weight of these guys as well as their lightness and spirit.”
Winter agreed, stressing the universal message of the Bill and Ted films. “The movies have an inherent sweetness and a theme of inclusivity, of people being kind to each other and coming together,” he said. “The whole experience has a kind of warmth to it.”
The optimistic outlook of characters Bill and Ted is a welcome return to form, especially during the tumultuous year of 2020. “I guess now it has a certain more impact just because of the situation we find ourselves in,” Reeves stated. “The idea of being excellent to each other I think is a very good idea.”
To fans, Reeves and Winter reminded fans of the importance of compassion with some timeless advice: “Be excellent to each other, and party on dudes.”
BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC will be released On Demand and In Theaters on Aug. 28, 2020.