Keanu Reeves did his own stunt in the Squarespace commercial

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It might not come as a surprise that Keanu Reeves was 100 percent on board with the idea of standing on top of a motorcycle that would barrel down an open stretch of endless road at 45 miles per hour in the middle of the desert in Lancaster, California. When Squarespace presented the idea (which would go on to be the premise for the brand’s fifth consecutive Super Bowl ad) to Reeves, his first question wasn’t about stunt doubles, or how they’d superimpose his face. Rather, he wanted to know how they’d pull it off. Because yes, Reeves is actually standing on top of a moving vehicle in that ad, contrary to what you might think. Sure, he’s harnessed in, but that bike is indeed moving at around 45 miles per hour, and he is indeed standing on that moving bike. Squarespace needed its production company partner, Reset, to build a custom rig for the shoot so the motorcycle could actually move on the ground.

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It’s worth noting that the man who made this particular stunt famous, Indian Larry, died performing it. Larry passed away in 2004 after attempting the risky move. Reeves knew all about Indian Larry and the famous attempt when Squarespace’s in-house creative team, which is behind this year’s spot, presented the idea. “Most people would probably have a stunt double do this, or superimpose his face onto a stunt double to try and make it look real,” David Lee, chief creative officer at Squarespace, said. “I think it was all our opinion that in order for this to look genuine, he would need to do the stunt himself.”

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