Keanu Reeves appeared on the witness stand yesterday - starring in a scene - which was obviously coached by an attorney.
For the jury, the whole fiasco was a fascinating peek into the world of celebrity and the pitfalls of fame in the underbelly of Hollywood.
Reeves was there to offer up a defense to an allegation that he ran down and injured an overzealous member of the paparazzi arising from a stake-out incident which occurred last year on a dark street in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Allegedly, the photographer - Alison Silva - ambushed Reeves in an aggressive attempt to secure stills of the popular actor which he intended to sell for cash to the highest bidder.
After he was cornered in his vehicle, Reeves attempted to move forward in his Porsche, when the ballsy upstart stood in the way and was summarily hit by the slow-moving vehicle.
Mr. Silva is suing Reeves for allegedly causing a "career-ending" injury to his wrist as a result of the fender-bender.
Based on the testimony provided by Reeves in court yesterday, I am inclined to side with the popular star.
For example, when asked if Mr. Silva was disrespectful, he curtly replied.
"He wasn't rude per se."
I expect that most guilty parties - anxious to get out of the fix - would have taken the occasion to accuse the party of being pushy and belligerent - whatever - to justify their actions to the court.
Because Mr. Reeves didn't take this approach, I am inclined to believe his account of things.
In addition, the Matrix Trilogy hero testified, that he nudged his luxury roadster forward a bit, to signal he intended to go on his way.
Under the same set of circumstances, I expect that any number of people would have responded the same way.
Was Mr. Reeves supposed to just sit there and have his liberty restricted by an individual who was obviously intruding upon his "body" space?
If the hopped-up photog chose to remain in front of the vehicle as it moved forward, he did so at his own peril, in my estimation.
Silva testified that he ambushed Reeves with the intent of hopefully catching the sexy stud exiting with a girlfriend in tow.At this juncture, he revealed to a fascinated jury, that Reeves was what the paparazzi referred to as a "shark".
A shark, he elaborated, is a term used to describe a big star who rarely ventures out.
"Photos of Reeves, therefore, bring a higher price."
The trial continues.
