Here’s a little of My Own Private Idaho (1991) “River Phoenix wrote the campfire scene in private, on little scraps of paper. Director Gus Van Sant was under the impression that he had been writing song lyrics, and was surprised when River told him he'd re-written the scene. Van Sant liked what River presented, but didn't know if Keanu Reeves would be up for it. River assured him that he'd already privately talked to Keanu about it, and he was fine with everything. Gus Van Sant says he had to gi