I loved the material when I first read it, and the experience of making the film was a great one. So when we came around to complete the trilogy, I just signed on board without even reading the scripts because the experience of the first film was so good.

Trust kills due diligence

There's something both enviable and cautionary in Reeves' honesty here. He trusted his gut and the people involved so much that he skipped the usual due diligence—and it worked out. But this also reveals how easy it is to coast on past success, to let good feelings make decisions for us. We do this constantly: taking a job because the last one felt rewarding, staying in a situation because the beginning was great, recommitting to something without actually checking if it still makes sense.

The tension is real because sometimes that trust pays off beautifully. Sometimes showing up with enthusiasm and faith in collaborators creates magic. But sometimes we're just repeating a pattern we loved, hoping lightning strikes twice. Reeves had the credibility and leverage to take that risk, sure—but his willingness to step into the unknown also suggests he cared more about being part of something meaningful than protecting himself with perfect information. That distinction matters. It's not naivety; it's a choice about what you prioritize.