Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly talk about 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Strip away the special effects, the cool robot and the deep political message and "The Day the Earth Stood Still" boils down to one thing: It's us vs. them.

One human must convince an alien visitor that humanity is worth saving. This theme holds true for both the original 1951 version and the remake that opens Friday.

In the original film, British actor Michael Rennie took on the role of the intergalactic traveler Klaatu. Patricia Neal played Earth's last hope.

Director Scott Derrickson turned to a pair of science-fiction veterans for his updated version: Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly. Reeves' past treks into the science fiction film genre include the monster hit "Matrix" trilogy and the little seen "Johnny Mnemonic." Connelly's credits range from the fanciful "Labyrinth" to the big-budget "Hulk."

Reeves, a man of very few words, sums up why he he has returned to sci-fi so many times.

"I love the genre," Reeves says.

Reeves and Connelly are at the Four Seasons Hotel to talk about their big-budget holiday film. Reeves is dressed in a dark suit and sports a beard that is halfway between stubble and fully grown. Connelly's polka-dot dress hangs off a body that is so thin she probably could walk through a room with a motion sensor and never set off the alarm.

Pressed as to why he loves science fiction so much, Reeves adds, "I think science fiction provides great storytelling opportunities. I've just, in the past, had the fortune to be part of good stories in science-fiction genre films."

The story in "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is that we are not alone. Beings have been watching from outer space. And they aren't happy. Klaatu and his ever-vigilant robot Gort are sent to Earth to explain how humans can't be allowed to continue their destructive ways.

That he was taking on a role in a film that is considered to be a classic created some initial doubts for Reeves. It was director Derrickson who convinced Reeves there was a good reason to remake the film. The director told him that the original film is a classic mainly among science-fiction fans. He wanted his version of the story to appeal to a broader audience.

Thus the casting of Reeves. The 44-year-old actor has been a big box-office draw with such movies as "Speed" and the "Matrix" trilogy.

Reeves explains he also thought "it would be fun to play an alien and it's a worthwhile story." The idea of playing a character who starts out alien but then becomes quite human also was appealing.

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Figuring out how to play Klaatu was a snap, he says..

"It really came to me through the obligations of the character in the story. It was in the script. That's really where I worked from on the character," Reeves says. "There are certain cues.

"When he's born, the first time he starts to speak, he tries to drink a glass of water and says his body is going to take some getting used to. It was just the concept of the separation of his consciousness and his body. I just approached it like any other role. What does it want?"

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It wasn't quite so easy for Connelly. In the original film, Neal's character, Helen Benson, is a single mother who works as a secretary. Her contact with Klaatu is through the boarding house where they both live.

In the updated version, Helen again is a single mom. But she's also one of the scientists involved with the team gathered together to make first contact with the alien. And her stepson, Jacob (Jaden Smith), is more of a parental challenge.

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Connelly sees the mother-stepson relationship as adding more depth to the role.

"I think the relationship between Helen and Jacob is employed in a different way than it is in the original film. It really functions like a little microcosm of human nature. How we are treating each other?" Connelly says. "They're sort of in conflict and there's a bit of a crisis and there's a reconciliation and they each take responsibility. Then there's a movement towards a resolution and Klaatu observes this. So there is that dynamic.

"I wanted people to be able to identify with her and I thought it was important that she be aware of the task and the enormity of that task and that position."

What Connelly kept from Neal's performance was how the character is open-minded, strong and free-thinking.

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While there are variations on the characters, the message in both films is that humans must change or the Earth is doomed. Asked if there was anything about himself he would change, Reeves finally flashes a smile.

"No, I'm perfect," he says.

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© 2008, The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.).