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Keanu Reeves

Actor Keanu Reeves has starred in the movies 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure,' 'Speed,' 'The Matrix' and 'John Wick,' among many other projects.

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Early Career

Other interests, quick facts:, who is keanu reeves.

Keanu Reeves was born on September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon, and was raised in Toronto, Canada. He first gained attention for his performance in River's Edge , while the comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey , brought him major recognition. Reeves has developed an eclectic film roster that includes the action flick Speed and the sci-fi blockbusters The Matrix and its sequels, as well as more art-house fare like My Own Private Idaho and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee . Reeves made his directorial debut in 2013 with Man of Tai Chi .

Of Chinese-Hawaiian heritage on his geologist father’s side, Reeves’ first name translates from Hawaiian to English as “cool breeze over the mountains.” Reeves’ mom worked in entertainment as a performer and later a costume designer. Upon his parents’ split, the youngster moved with his mother and sister to New York and then Toronto. Reeves developed an ardor for hockey, though he would eventually turn to acting, garnering TV roles and making his big-screen debut in the 1985 Canadian feature One Step Away .

'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'

Reeves was featured in U.S.-oriented teen movies such as Youngblood (1986), starring Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze , and River’s Edge (1986) . More television and film roles followed before Reeves joined the ensemble cast of the scandalous period drama Dangerous Liaisons (1988), starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich. The following year marked the release of a film for which the young actor would become associated with for quite some time — Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure . Co-starring Alex Winter, the popular comedy followed two high school students and their time-traveling high jinks, eventually spawning a 1990 animated TV series and the 1991 movie sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey .

'My Own Private Idaho,' 'Point Break,' 'Speed'

Though Reeves would often face criticism for his deadpan delivery and perceived limited range as an actor, he nonetheless took on roles in a variety of genres over the ensuing decade, doing everything from introspective art-house fare to action-packed thrillers.

My Own Private Idaho (1991), directed by Gus Van Sant and co-starring River Phoenix , chronicled the lives of two young sex workers living on the streets, while Point Break (1991) turned the actor into an undercover FBI agent who gets caught up in the criminal lives of surfing bank robbers. Francis Ford Coppola ’s adaptation of Bram Stoker ’s Dracula (1992), co-starring Gary Oldman , Winona Ryder and Anthony Hopkins , saw Reeves embodying the calm resoluteness of character Jonathan Harker. 1994 saw the actor starring opposite Sandra Bullock in the hit action flick Speed , followed by work that included the romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds (1995) and the supernatural thriller Devil’s Advocate (1997), co-starring Al Pacino and Charlize Theron .

'The Matrix'

At the close of the decade, Reeves starred in a sci-fi film that would become a genre game changer— The Matrix . Directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski, the 1999 movie followed Reeves as prophetic figure Neo, slated to lead humanity to freedom from an all-consuming simulated world. Known for its innovative fight sequences, avant-garde special effects and gorgeous fashion, The Matrix was an international hit. Two sequels were filmed together and released in 2003 to a more mixed reception, though the second installment, The Matrix Reloaded, was a bigger financial blockbuster than its predecessor.

In summer 2019, 16 years after the release of The Matrix Reloaded , it was announced that a fourth film in the franchise was in the works, with Reeves set to return as Neo.

'Something's Gotta Give,' 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'

Even with mainstream success, Reeves continued working in different genres, as seen with his roles as an abusive man in The Gift (2000), starring Cate Blanchett , a smitten doctor in Something’s Gotta Give (2003) opposite Diane Keaton , and a Brit demon hunter in Constantine (2005). Reeves returned to sci-fi as alien Klaatu in the 2008 remake of the classic The Day the Earth Stood Still , co-starring Jennifer Connelly and Jaden Smith .

'Man of Tai Chi,' 'John Wick,' 'Toy Story 4'

The following decade saw the actor making his directorial debut with Man of Tai Chi (2013). Martial arts–based themes continued in Reeves' next feature, the widely panned 47 Ronin (2013), which was followed in 2014 by the more critically well-received John Wick , co-starring Willem Dafoe and John Leguizamo and its sequel John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017). After co-starring with Winona Ryder in the rom-com Destination Wedding (2018), Reeves faced a busy 2019 with the release of the sci-fi thriller Replicas ; a return to action fare in John Wick 3: Parabellum ; a supporting role in the Netflix rom-com Always Be My Maybe and his entry into a major animated franchise as the voice of stuntman Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4 .

In 1999, Reeves and his girlfriend Jennifer Syme had a daughter, Ava Archer Syme-Reeves, born eight months stillborn. The loss of their daughter devastated the couple and caused the end of their relationship.

Two years later, Jennifer was involved in a fatal car accident where she rammed into three cars and was thrown out of her vehicle. It was later reported she was on anti-depressant medication.

His artistic aspirations not limited to film, Reeves co-founded the band Dogstar in the early 1990s. Dogstar enjoyed modest success, releasing two albums during Reeves' decade-long run as its bass player. He later played bass for a band called Becky for about a year.

Reeves is also a longtime motorcycle enthusiast. After asking designer Gard Hollinger to create a custom-built bike for him, the two went into business together with the formation of Arch Motorcycle Company LLC in 2011.

Reported to be one of the more generous actors in Hollywood, Reeves helped care for his sister during her lengthy battle with leukemia, and has supported such organizations as Stand Up To Cancer and PETA.

In August 2018, while promoting Destination Wedding with Ryder, Reeves seemed surprised to learn that he may be legally married to his co-star. Ryder said it was the result of filming their wedding scene for Dracula , as a real Romanian priest had conducted a full marriage ceremony.

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FULL NAME: Keanu Charles Reeves BORN: September 2, 1964 BIRTHPLACE: Beirut, Lebanon

• I was never the kind of actor who was only interested in my own performance and that’s it. I’ve always enjoyed being on sets and seeing where the camera was going and looking at the shooting schedule and understanding how the production is put together and how I fit into the story as a whole.
• I enjoyed [River Phoenix's] company. Very much. And enjoyed his mind and his spirit and his soul. We brought good out in each other. He was a real original thinker. He was not the status quo. In anything.
• People say, ‘Another inscrutable deadpan performance.’ I mostly find these things amusing. Something like ‘Point Break Live!’ is a funny idea, I can understand that. Ultimately you hope that people like what you do. It’s a drag when they don’t. The weirdest thing for me is when people assume that I’m the person I’m playing.

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• Contact info
• 15 wins & 42 nominations

Photos 1324

• Jack Traven

• Johnny Utah

• Shadow (voice)
• Post-production
• In Production
• Pre-production
• John Constantine

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• Batman (voice)

• Thomas Anderson

• Duke Caboom (voice)

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• executive producer
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Personal details

• Norman Kreeves
• 6′ 1″ (1.86 m)
• September 2 , 1964
• Beirut, Lebanon
• No Children
• Parents Samuel Nowlin Reeves
• Relatives Kim Reeves (Sibling)
• Other works Stage: Appeared (as "Hamlet") in "Hamlet", Manitoba Theatre Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• 1 Biographical Movie
• 2 Print Biographies
• 2 Portrayals
• 29 Interviews
• 43 Articles
• 10 Pictorials
• 48 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• Trivia Very good friends with his Bill & Ted co-star, Alex Winter and has remained in contact with him. Keanu has also contributed cameo appearances and helped with a number of Winter's film projects.
• Quotes What would happen if you melted? You know, you never really hear this talked about much, but spontaneous combustion? It exists!...[people] burn from within...sometimes they'll be in a wooden chair and the chair won't burn, but there'll be nothing left of the person. Except sometimes his teeth. Or the heart. No one speaks about this, but its for real.
• Trademarks Intense contemplative gaze
• Salaries The Matrix Resurrections ( 2021 ) $13,000,000 + box office grosses and bonuses
• How old is Keanu Reeves?
• When was Keanu Reeves born?
• Where was Keanu Reeves born?

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Who Is Keanu Reeves, Really?

He’s neo. he’s john wick. he’s johnny utah. he’ll soon be ted again, in bill and ted face the music ..

For an actor sometimes panned for his lack of range, Keanu Reeves’s career has undergone remarkable shifts. He began as a teen dreamboat, shining in moody dramas like River’s Edge , then hammed it up in the Bill & Ted movies. His attempt to pivot into serious leading-man roles ended with him becoming, quite by accident, an action star. A fallow period in the ’00s led, in a roundabout way, to a new kind of viral fame that has not subsided even a decade on. Then, with the John Wick franchise, a comeback. To commemorate Reeves returning to the role of Theodore “Ted” Logan in Bill & Ted Face the Music , here is the accumulated legend of Keanu, gleaned from 30 years of (sometimes glowing, sometimes condescending) press coverage.

His Early Years

Keanu Charles Reeves was born on September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon, to Patricia Taylor, a casino showgirl from England, and her husband, Samuel Reeves Jr., vagabond son of a prominent Hawaiian family. Keanu’s father walked out when he was young, and the family bounced around in Australia and New York City before settling in Toronto, where his mother worked as a costume designer for Dolly Parton and Alice Cooper, who once babysat Keanu. Of his teen years, he has said, “I was greasy and running around a lot. I was just a little too rambunctious.” A former teacher attested, “I don’t think he ever got to a class on time.”

So Can He Act?

➽ “It would be one of the biggest misreadings … to say, ‘That’s not a superintelligent person,’ ” said Richard Linklater . “It takes a smart person to play a dumb person effectively.”

➽ “A lot of people give Keanu Reeves shit, I know: I was one of them until I saw The Matrix, ” said Quentin Tarantino . “Then I just wanted to apologize for everything that I had ever said about him.”

➽ “He’s quite a funny guy, and that’s not [the roles] he gets in movies and stuff,” said character actor Peter Stormare , a longtime friend. “He’s a really great comedian.”

➽ When queried by a reader whether he was “a Good Bad Actor or a Bad Good Actor,” the New York Times turned in a split decision. “A good actor, period,” said A. O. Scott . “Who cares? He’s Keanu Reeves, dude,” wrote Manohla Dargis .

➽ “There are days when I’m okay. Maybe it’s because I’m a Virgo; it’s in my sign to be hard on myself,” said Keanu Reeves .

His Action Career

➽ He has lived without his spleen since a 1988 motorcycle accident. He has joked that action movies helped him survive later crashes. “ Chain Reaction taught me how to fall and bounce. Speed gave me the agility to get up and hobble away before somebody could run over me.”

➽ His manager had to convince him to do Speed. “He hated stunts, and he hated action! He was afraid of it,” said Speed director Jan de Bont . Now, Reeves has said, he will take the John Wick franchise “as far as my legs can take me.”

➽ Johnny Utah, his character in Point Break, was the first person ever to be described as “young, dumb, and full of cum.”

➽ Within the industry, he has become famed for his preparation — and not just for action. “If you told him to go learn how to crochet, he’d go and be an expert in that,” said John Wick director Chad Stahelski .

“There is an ambiguity about him,” a philosophy professor has said. “He’s not androgynous. He’s not an alpha male. He’s masculine and feminine in a way.”

He shares his name, which means “cool breeze over the mountains,” with his great-uncle. In his first months in Los Angeles, he went by K. C. Reeves. Keanu, a studio executive had said, was “a name that will never appear on a marquee.”

His Secrets

Said one childhood friend: “He was a secretive guy about his life. You could be hanging with the guy for three years; suddenly, he’d introduce you to someone who turned out to be a friend of his all that time.”

His Nomadic Ways

For years, he lived out of a suitcase, crashing at the Chateau Marmont or his sister’s house. The contents of the suitcase, circa 1995: “A couple of pairs of pants, a few T-shirts, socks, underwear, one suit, a sport jacket, a pair of shoes.”

What He Moved to L.A. With

$3,000 and a 1969 Volvo.

His Love of Hockey

He daydreamed of playing goalie for the Canadian national team. (His nickname was “the Wall.”) “Even when he was tending goal,” his old coach said, “he would start reciting Shakespeare.”

His Business Ventures

He co-owns a motorcycle company that produces an $85,000 made-to-order bike and a publishing imprint that does “secret books.”

His Tragedies

➽ He was estranged from his late father. “It’s full of pain and woe and fucking loss and all that shit,” said Keanu.

➽ He pushed back shooting The Matrix sequels to be with his sister as she battled leukemia.

➽ In 2000, he had a stillborn daughter with girlfriend Jennifer Syme. Syme died in a car accident in 2001.

➽ His close friend and My Own Private Idaho co-star River Phoenix died of a drug overdose in 1993.

How He Sees His Relationship With His Fans

“I’m Mickey [Mouse]. They don’t know who’s inside the suit.”

His Love Life

➽ He has never married, unless you count his wedding scene with Winona Ryder in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which was performed with a real Romanian priest.

➽ Rumors once swirled that he was in a same-sex marriage with David Geffen. He let them swirl. “There’s nothing wrong with being gay, so to deny it is to make a judgment,” he said.

➽ In 2019, he and visual artist Alexandra Grant, a longtime friend and business partner, began appearing in public together as a couple.

He’s a Mensch

➽ He rescued a young Octavia Spencer after her car broke down.

➽ He gave up back-end profits on The Matrix sequels to the movies’ special-effects and costume teams.

➽ In 2019, he stuck with fellow passengers after their plane made an emergency landing in Bakersfield and entertained them with facts about the city.

➽ He has launched a foundation that funds children’s hospitals and cancer research.

➽ He prefers not to talk about any of this.

His Intimations of Mortality

In his 40s, he began to think about his own death. In his 50s, he says, he has accepted it and begun to prepare for it.

He Is Not ‘Sad Keanu’

After a May 2010 paparazzi photo of Reeves sitting by himself on a bench and forlornly eating a sandwich went viral , he had this to say: “Conceptually, what was going on was pretty funny … It’s still a drag to get your picture taken when you’re eating a sandwich.” On reports that he is sad: “I don’t feel lonely. I don’t socialize a lot, but I have good friends and I have a very good life.”

*This article appears in the August 17, 2020, issue of  New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!

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Keanu Reeves

Article by Edward Butts

Published Online November 13, 2012

Last Edited December 16, 2021

Keanu Charles Reeves, actor, producer, director, musician (born 2 September 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon). Keanu Reeves is one of the most recognizable film actors in the world. After early work in Toronto with the CBC and the NFB , he moved to Los Angeles and made a meteoric rise to stardom in such films as Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), Point Break (1991) and My Own Private Idaho (1991). He is perhaps best known for action-adventure movies such as Speed (1994), the John Wick franchise and the four Matrix movies. He has been honoured with a star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame .

Early Life and Education

Keanu Reeves arrived in Canada as a child and became a naturalized Canadian citizen. He is the son of English-born entertainer and costume designer Patricia Taylor and American-born Samuel Nowlin Reeves, a geologist of Indigenous Hawaiian, Chinese, British and Portuguese descent. After his parents separated when he was three, Reeves’s mother took him and his younger sister, Kim, to Australia, New York City and then Toronto , arriving there when he was five. Through his mother’s subsequent marriages he had three stepfathers: stage and film director Paul Aaron, rock promoter Robert Miller, and hair salon owner Jack Bond.

Over five years, Reeves attended four schools, including Avondale Secondary Alternative School, De La Salle College, and the Etobicoke School of the Arts, from which he was expelled for misbehaviour. Reeves’s lack of interest in academics might have been partially due to dyslexia. He excelled at hockey (he played goal and was nicknamed “the wall”) and dreamed of one day playing for Team Canada. He was also interested in drama and made his first stage appearance at age nine in a theatrical production of Damn Yankees . At 15, he played Mercutio in a production of Romeo and Juliet at Toronto’s Leah Posluns Theatre. Reeves also worked for Aaron as a production assistant before dropping out of high school without obtaining a diploma.

Early Career

While appearing in several stage productions, TV movies and television series, Reeves served as a correspondent on the CBC youth series Going Great (1984). He also starred as a troubled teen in the NFB docudrama One Step Away (1985). He got a big break with a supporting role in Youngblood (1986), a hockey movie starring Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze that was filmed in Ontario. Reeves then moved to Los Angeles. With his ample charisma and leading man looks, he quickly landed lead roles in TV movies. He also earned critical acclaim in the teen dramas River’s Edge (1986) and Permanent Record (1988) before he portrayed Le Chevalier Raphael Danceny in Stephen Frears’s Academy Award-nominated film Dangerous Liaisons (1988).

Early Hollywood Career 1988–93

Reeves’s first major commercial success came with the role of Ted in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), co-starring Alex Winter. The offbeat time travel comedy was an unexpected cult hit that spawned an animated television series, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures (1990), and a sequel, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991). The part of Ted showcased Reeves’s talent for deadpan comedic delivery, but it also resulted in the popular conception that he, like his character, was dim-witted.

Reeves followed Dangerous Liaisons with supporting roles in other A-list ensemble movies such as Ron Howard’s Parenthood (1989) and Lawrence Kasdan’s I love You To Death (1989), and also made his first foray into action films as an FBI agent in Kathryn Bigelow’s popular Point Break (1991). Sometimes criticized as an actor of limited range, Reeves also seemed determined to break out of the Valley boy stereotype of the Bill & Ted films by taking more challenging roles in art-house films. He played a street hustler in Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho (1991), Jonathan Harker in the Francis Ford Coppola film Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1991), the Buddha in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha (1993), and the villainous Don John in Kenneth Branagh’s film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing (1993).

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Peak Hollywood Career 1994–2003

Reeves’s biggest hit to date came with his role as police officer Jack Traven in director Jan de Bont’s blockbuster action movie Speed (1994). In spite of the movie’s success , Reeves rejected an offer to play Traven again in Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997). Instead, he spent the next five years alternating between Hollywood studio films such as A Walk in the Clouds (1995), Chain Reaction (1996) and The Devil’s Advocate (1997), and small independent films such as Feeling Minnesota (1996) and The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997). He also starred in the science-fiction thriller Johnny Mnemonic (1995), based on a short story by William Gibson and produced in Canada by Don Carmody .

Also in 1995, after turning down a part in the crime drama Heat with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, Reeves took on the title role in a Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet . The Sunday Times theatre critic Roger Lewis praised Reeves’s performance, writing “He is one of the top three Hamlets I have seen, for a simple reason: he is Hamlet.”

In 1999, Reeves solidified his status as a box-office superstar with his role as Thomas Anderson/Neo in the science fiction blockbuster The Matrix , directed by the Wachowskis. With its ground-breaking special effects and themes that tapped into the tech-obsessed zeitgeist at the turn of the millennium, The Matrix became a global hit and a major media franchise. Reeves starred in two sequels released in 2003 — The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions — both of which were box-office hits. He also provided the voice of Thomas Anderson/Neo in the animated Animatrix (2003).

In between the Matrix movies, Reeves starred in a number of middling Hollywood movies, including the sports movies The Replacements (2000) and Hardball (2001), the mystery-thriller The Watcher (2000), the romantic melodrama Sweet November (2001), and The Gift (2000), which earned him favourable reviews for his role as an abusive husband opposite Cate Blanchett.

Later Hollywood Career 2005–Present

The remainder of Reeve’s output from 2005 on has consisted of a mix of smaller independent dramas — Thumbsucker (2005), Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly (2006) and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) — and mainstream Hollywood productions such as the graphic novel adaptation Constantine (2005), the romance The Lake House (2006), the crime movie Street Kings (2008) and the remake of the sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008).

He also began to show an increasing affinity for action movies. He made his directorial debut with the action-drama Man of Tai Chi (2013), in which he starred. He also starred in the fantasy-adventure movie 47 Ronin (2013) and the action thriller John Wick (2014), about a retired hit man out for revenge. Directed by Reeves’s long-time stunt double, stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski, John Wick became an unexpected critical and box-office success and led to the equally successful sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017). Reeves took unconventional roles in the horror-thrillers The Neon Demon (2016) and The Bad Batch (2016) and lent his name and voice to a lost kitten sought by Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key in the comedy Keanu (2016).

John Wick: Chapter Three – Parabellum was released in 2019, followed by the long-rumoured Bill & Ted sequel, Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020). In 2021, Reeves re-united with his Matrix co-star Carrie-Anne Moss for The Matrix Resurrections , the fourth film in the franchise. The fourth film in the John Wick franchise was scheduled for release in 2022.

In 2010, Reeves produced his first movie, the indie drama Henry’s Crime . In 2012 he produced Side By Side , a documentary about the ascension of digital filmmaking and decline of celluloid. It features Reeves interviewing such acclaimed filmmakers as Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan and Steven Soderberg. The Hollywood Reporter called it “an engrossing and detailed crash course on the digital revolution.” Reeves then began to produce many of the movies he starred in, including the indie thriller Knock Knock (2015), the crime drama Exposed (2016), the crime thriller Siberia (2018) and the science-fiction thriller Replicas (2018).

In 2014, it was announced that Reeves would produce and star in a television series based on Barry Eisler’s best-selling series of espionage novels about John Rain, an assassin who makes it look as though his victims died of natural causes. As of March 2021, the project had been cast but had not yet begun production.

Personal Life

Reeves has long preferred to keep his personal life private. He resides in Los Angeles and is an American citizen through his biological father. He maintains his Canadian citizenship and passport and is entitled to British citizenship through his mother. Reeves plays bass guitar and in 1991 co-founded the alternative rock band Dogstar. The group enjoyed modest success and released two albums. He also played for a band called Becky but quit in 2005 when he decided he was no longer interested in a music career.

Reeves is a motorcycle enthusiast and has suffered serious injuries in accidents. He co-founded Arch Motorcycle Co. and designed the KRGT-1 custom motorcycle, which was made available for $78,000 in 2014.

Reeves has been romantically involved with several women, including actors China Chow and Parker Posey. His most significant relationship was with actor Jennifer Syme. In November 1999, their daughter, who was to be named Ava Archer Syme-Reeves, was still-born. On 2 April 2001, Jennifer Syme was killed in a car accident. Over the course of his career, Reeves has also mourned the loss of close friends River Phoenix and Patrick Swayze.

Philanthropy and Charitable Pursuits

Reeves has a reputation for generosity. His sister Kim’s fight against leukemia moved him to make large donations to cancer research. The numerous charities he has supported also include PETA, SickKids Foundation, Wildlife Waystation, and Brad Pitt’s Make It Right project.

In recognition of the work done by the special effects and costume design teams on the two Matrix sequels, Reeves arranged for them to receive a large portion of his share of the films’ profits. He also gave the entire stunt team Harley-Davidson motorcycles. When Reeves learned that the family of one of the set builders was in financial difficulties, he gave the man a $20,000 “Christmas bonus.”

Legal Issues and Controversies

In 2008, paparazzo Alison Silva unsuccessfully sued Reeves for $711,974 for allegedly hitting and injuring him with his Porsche. Reeves was cleared of all charges. In 2015, Declan Dale (the alias for filmmaker Gee Malik Linton), director of Exposed , for which Reeves was producer and star, complained that what was supposed to be a serious drama about social issues was being turned into a Keanu Reeves cop thriller. Dale had his name removed from the film.

Honours and Awards

Reeves received his first film award in 1992 when he won the MTV Movie Award as Most Desirable Male Actor for Point Break. He received additional MTV Awards for Speed (Best On-Screen Duo, shared with Sandra Bullock) and The Matrix (Best Male Performance, Best Fight, shared with Laurence Fishburne). His role in The Matrix was awarded the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor in an Action/Science Fiction Film.

In 2005, Reeves’s work was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2021, he was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame by his Matrix co-star Carrie-Anne Moss .

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Guy’s always working—sixty-eight movies in thirty-five years. Playing killing machines, doofuses, romantics, messiahs, and devils. But always Keanu. Which always means something more.

PARIS, the Day Before Halloween

He sits in the black leather booth of a Paris brasserie, a porcelain cup half full of cappuccino by his elbow, thumbing the screen of his phone with his left hand, which is caked with slashes of dried blood.

“Let’s see, where is it,” he says, scrolling. He’s searching for a text message he sent to Carrie-Anne Moss, his costar in the Matrix movie franchise, almost two years ago. Keanu Reeves had appeared in the doorway of this restaurant exactly on time, on about five hours’ sleep, just a few minutes ago. It’s called Le Grand Colbert, and he was last here for one very long night with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, filming the end of the 2003 movie Something’s Gotta Giv e. He hasn’t set foot in the place since.

He was wearing a surgical mask, a black knit cap over his long black straw hair, a black motorcycle jacket, and jeans. He showed his proof of vaccination to the maître d’. And he walked into the bright salon of a place, thirty-foot ceilings and big round bistro lights and brass railings and clinking glasses and waitstaff in clean white shirts and dark aprons.

As he removed his mask and walked down the center of the restaurant, diners (a good percentage of whom are tourists and are here because of the movie), waiters, and bartenders watched him, a surreal, time-warp moment. He was Meg Ryan stopping into Katz’s Deli for a pastrami sandwich.

Does he actually—?

He stopped to chat at a table where someone happened to have worked with his girlfriend, the artist Alexandra Grant. He passed the booth where the famous scene was filmed. People always request that booth, so it’s always occupied. Today the woman sitting where Keanu Reeves sat in the movie she loves looked up and saw Keanu Reeves walk right past the booth where Keanu Reeves sat, and damn near choked on her escargot.

He’s still scrolling, searching for the thing.

“That looks like it hurt,” I say after a minute. “Your hand.”

He twists his hand around and looks down at it, showing a gash that extends from his pinkie clear down the side of his palm, all the way to the wrist bone.

“Oh, yeah,” he says, then gives a quick tilt of his head and smiles. “Movie shenanigans!”

Keanu is here talking with me to promote The Matrix Resurrections , the fourth installment in one of his gazillion-dollar movie franchises. But the reason he’s in Paris is to film John Wick: Chapter 4 , the fourth installment in his other gazillion-dollar movie franchise.

“We’re filming nights now, and I finished at seven o’clock this morning,” he says, pulling back his hair, still damp from a shower. “I just woke up.” It’s 1:15 in the afternoon. He coughs a little.

I’m still looking at his hand. “Does it hurt?”

He looks at me, momentarily confused, then realizes I’m the one who’s confused. “Oh, no, this is all movie blood,” he says, amused. “It doesn’t all come off in the first wash.”

He turns back to his phone, focused. He scrolls through dozens of messages, a blur of alternating blue and gray text bubbles, the gray ones—the other person’s—punctuated sometimes with emojis and hearts.

“Sorry this is taking so long,” Keanu says. An apology, which is surprising because he is doing a favor, searching for a text message I’ve asked him to find—a message that contains evidence of him doing a favor for someone else, in this case Moss. (She did the emojis and hearts.)

“It’s weird going back through these,” he says, lost in the text messages the way you get when you scroll back in time. “This is very on-point for Resurrections .”

Now he scrolls in silence. Realizing that there will be a long dead space on my tape recorder, he leans down and says into it loudly, “I’m still looking up the list.”

Toward the end of filming Resurrections, Moss had asked him to recommend a few good movies she could watch with her teenage kids. “In the Matrix movies, I’ve always felt like I was his partner, and he was my partner, in the execution of these characters,” Moss told me. “It was never the feeling of, Oh, he’s the movie star. His work ethic is unlike anyone I’ve ever met, and I’ve seen it up close: He trains harder, works harder, cares more, always asks more and more questions to understand the depth of what we’re doing. And while he was doing all of that for himself, he always had an eye out for me. Like when I asked him for those movies, it seems like a little thing, but he’s so busy, he’s exhausted, and took the time to write this very, very thoughtful list.”

“It’s here somewhere,” Keanu says at the restaurant. “Anything else you’d like to talk about while I’m scrolling?”

One Month Earlier

Are we into October yet?

It takes him a second. Not because of the pandemic blur, where time and place bend and fold over each other so that daily life has sometimes seemed distorted to the point of being unrecognizable. No, it takes Keanu a second because he’s been in Paris for two days—no, wait it’s . . . yeah, this is the third day—and in Berlin for six months before that, filming nights and sleeping until midafternoon (he calls them vampire hours), and he’s just packed and unpacked without a stop at home, and, well, you sometimes lose track. But yes, it’s October 2. Or 3. Something like that. Saturday. It’s three o’clock, and he just woke up. He’s had some toast with crunchy peanut butter and honey, and he’s drinking coffee from a glass cup. He has the John Wick beard, which he periodically trims with scissors to keep it the same John Wick length during the long months of the shoot, for consistency.

After his coffee—

Hold on a second.

He looks down at his phone on the table and smiles. Sorry. It’s not three o’clock. It’s four o’clock.

We’re on Zoom. He’s in Paris but sitting against a white wall. He could be anywhere, and often is.

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Soon the daily shooting schedule will get more rigorous. The nighttime shoots will creep into the daylight hours. A 7:00 p.m. call might become a 2:00 p.m. call. He’s doing physical training. He’s doing fight scenes. Running. Leaping.

So those nights are about to get harder?

“I mean, ‘hard’? Come on, man. We’re making a movie!”

He makes a face, laughs.

Paris is cloudy today, low sixties, and he’s got the cap and a black zippered fleece. He always overpacks for these long expeditions—too many clothes, and a handful of books he won’t have time to read but likes having with him anyway, though he did just fly through Trouble Boys, a biography of the Replacements that a friend gave him for his birthday.

It’s another day in a place he doesn’t live, working, sleeping, and, when he’s not working, “working on work”—the time that goes into training, or running scenes, or developing the next project, or having conversations with people that might lead to something.

And if, amid the travel and the all-night shoots, he wakes up feeling crappy—tired bones, a little sore throat?

He makes the face again, a disapproving smile.

“So? Drink some hot tea with some lemon and honey in it. I don’t know. Slap yourself in the face.” He slaps himself in the face. “Stretch. Concentrate, man. Concentrate. ”

He’s fifty-seven years old. It’s been more than two decades since the first Matrix movie came out. Twenty-seven years since Speed. Thirty-two— thirty- two years! —since he gave Ted “Theodore” Logan to the world in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. And here he fucking is: filming the new John Wick, promoting the new Matrix . “Just trying to have a career,” he says.

Some of his characters over the years can seem, on the surface, like the doofiest of boobs—Ted, of course, but see also his lovely performance in a movie called The Prince of Pennsylvania. Some are stone-faced and earnest to the point of seeming implacable—Thomas Anderson in The Matrix, Wick, Point Break ’s Johnny Utah. But: You always kind of know there’s something else going on, some knowledge the guy possesses that no one else does. He knows something, and we stick with his characters through the strangest places because they aren’t frightened, and we want to know what they know.

He says this just comes from good scriptwriting, or from the directors. “I’m just one of the paints,” he says. And you think, Uh-huh, yeah, but no.

There’s something he’s not revealing.

Does Keanu know something we don’t?

When Keanu was about twenty-four, Ron Howard cast him in 1989’s Parenthood as a rambunctious teenage dude who liked to race cars and dated a cool, bratty girl played by Martha Plimpton. Playing Plimpton’s younger brother: Leaf Phoenix, who later changed his name back to Joaquin and whose real-life older brother was Plimpton’s real-life boyfriend.

That’s how Keanu Reeves met River Phoenix. River lived in Gainesville, Florida, at the time, less than two hours from Universal Studios in Orlando, where Parenthood was filming. Between his girlfriend and his little brother, River was on the set all the time. Plimpton and Keanu liked each other from the start, she introduced him to River, and then the three older kids—and sometimes Leaf, who was only about thirteen—started hanging out.

Onscreen, Keanu and Plimpton clicked as an earnest, tortured, heartsick young couple in ways that don’t always result from the simple accident of casting.

“We just liked each other,” Plimpton says, by way of explaining why Tod and Julie became one of the more memorable teen couples of the late eighties, which is saying something. “We were friends. We had a good time together. We went to Disney World. We took road trips. We danced to Michael Jackson’s album Off the Wall in our trailer together. We liked each other.”

Bill & Ted came out while they were there, and Keanu, Plimpton, and River all went to a theater to see it. They all took a motorcycle trip to—where was it, Key West? No one’s sure—to see the indie-rock band the Feelies. Plimpton was just eighteen, but afterward at the bar she was drinking a beer. “We were playing pool, and Keanu went to go to the bathroom or something, and all the sudden the lights came on and I looked up and there was a cop,” she says. “And the cop said, ‘Can I see your ID, please?’ And I was like, Ohhh, shit, man. And just then Keanu comes around the corner and goes, ‘What did you do? Did you take a sip of my beer?’ He tried to get me out of it.”

When he was a little boy, Keanu Reeves would sometimes get on the subway all by himself and ride it to the end.

He was a latchkey kid, and he hung out with other latchkey kids, playing street hockey after school until dark in the tree-lined, bohemian section of Toronto called Yorkville. Or they would have chestnut fights. The chestnuts would fall to the ground in their spiky green casings and you’d crack them open and inside would be this beautiful hard orb that the kids would pelt each other with. But on some afternoons, he wandered off alone to take his rides. There were only two subway lines in Toronto, and he lived near the middle, where they met. One direction dipped down into a U and then back again, or he could head all the way east out to the Kennedy stop, or up and down—children rode for a quarter, and he could do this for hours.

At the end, when you had to get off, he would walk around in an unfamiliar part of the city, looking at the people and the buildings and the stores, an abstraction of the world he knew, similar but foreign—his own neighborhood in a weird dream.

He was never frightened. He wanted to see what was out there.

To this day, when he finds himself dropped in some new city—which he often does—Keanu feels comfortable more quickly than you or I would. He looks around, like a character in an Elmore Leonard story who just got off a bus, and he can find the high street or the good café or the pool hall in the seedy part of town. If you were dropped in a new city and feeling disoriented, you would want him with you. Even when he’s lost, he’s not lost.

“He’s a listener,” Sandra Bullock says. “And it drives. People. Crazy.”

Bullock met Keanu on the set of Speed, which came out in 1994. They had friends in common. They had the same publicist, which sometimes meant they wound up at the same Hollywood event, and they’d get a drink after. They never got-together got-together—never. “Nope,” she says. She has always maintained that getting-together getting-together would have ruined a great friendship. “But who knows?” she says suddenly. “Keanu’s a guy who, I feel like, is friends with every woman he’s ever dated. I don’t think there’s anyone who has something horrible to say about him. So maybe we could have survived. I don’t know. But we didn’t have to survive anything. We just get to grow up together on parallel roads and tip our hats and meet for a dinner and try to work together. And the longer time goes on, the more in awe I am of the human being. Would I have been able to say that if he had dumped me and made me angry? Probably not.”

A year or so after Speed came out, Bullock and Keanu were hanging out, talking about whatever, and somehow the subject of Champagne and truffles came up, which is not really a subject at all, but Bullock said, offhand, that she had never had Champagne and truffles. A nothing comment. “Really?” Keanu said. “Nope, never had ’em,” Bullock said. The conversation wandered to other topics.

A few days later, Bullock was sitting in the living room of the little house she had bought—her first house—with a girlfriend. They were painting their nails. She heard an engine outside, which turned out to be Keanu’s motorcycle. He rang the doorbell, and Bullock opened the door to find him there with flowers, Champagne, and truffles. He said, “I just thought you might want to try Champagne and truffles, to see what it’s like.” He sat on the couch. Bullock poured some Champagne, and they opened the truffles. Keanu put his hands out, without a word, and Bullock painted his nails black, same as hers.

He didn’t stay long. He had a date, in fact. He called his date, said he would be there soon, and left.

“That’s what I mean that it drives you crazy,” Bullock says. “When I first met him, I would spend as much time as I could filling a silence, just to feel comfortable. And the more I jibber-jabbered on, the quieter he would get. And I thought, I don’t understand what’s happening! He’s looking at me with eyes of confusion. He’s quiet. Did I say something to offend him? And then a day or two later, he would arrive with a note or a little package, saying, ‘I thought about what you said.’ And he would have his response.”

Bullock, who sometimes speaks in spectacular streaks, is quiet for a moment. Then she says, “How many people do you know like that?”

“Anything else you’d like to talk about while I’m scrolling?”

A gray rain has started to fall in Paris, but inside Le Grand Colbert, waiters whip around carrying plates of roasted chicken and chateaubriand, people are laughing and ordering more wine, a little boy in a bow tie stabs a balloon-sized profiterole with his tiny fork—it feels like a holiday. I ask Keanu how he came to relate or connect to others so well—it’s a theme, something you read about him and that people keep telling me about him. Of course, no one is pious and lovely every moment. (“I shouldn’t make him sound like some kind of Zen fucking Buddhist fucking monk,” Martha Plimpton says.) Rather, it seems like something we learn.

“Is it?” he says. “I mean, of course that has to be a part of it. But I think there’s a little nature/nurture in there. I guess what isn’t nature/nurture?”

I really am interested in where it comes from for him.

“Yeah, in terms of the biological, psychological, cultural, genetic breakdown of my upbringing, I’m sure you could put together a bunch of stuff there, but that’s why I mentioned the idea of nature, because even as a kid, I was pretty empathetic. Okay, wait—here we go. There was another list, but this was the new list. ‘KR New Recommends Film List.’ So let’s see, it was like a mix of Reeves movies, and other stuff:

The Neon Demon, A Clockwork Orange,

Rollerball,

The Bad Batch,

Dr. Strangelove,

Seven Samurai,

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead,

The Evil Dead,

Raising Arizona,

The Big Lebowski,

La Femme Nikita —the French version—

The Professional,

Young Frankenstein,

Blazing Saddles,

Monty Python and the Holy Grail,

The Outlaw Josey Wales,

The Road Warrior: Mad Max 2 .”

He pauses, still looking at his phone. Smiles. “So yeah, that was for her.”

When he’s home for a stretch and has a day with nothing to do, he sometimes goes to the movie theater and sees two, maybe three movies in a day. He loves, loves, loves movies. Even on an off day while he’s working—he went to see Dune the other night in Paris. (“Awesome.”)

He’s made sixty-eight movies, every genre. A Walk in the Clouds: treacly World War II romance. Constantine: supernatural demon stuff. Bill & Ted Face the Music: dudes at fifty. If he met someone who had never heard of him, never seen one of his movies, and wanted to get to know him, which three would he tell that person to start with? What is the Keanu Primer? “Getting to know me, or getting to know my work? Because if you’re getting to know me—” he says, considering this. “I guess you could do it through my work.” He frowns, thinking. “You’re gonna give me three ? Okay. Three films. Man. Um. [ Long pause. ] Oh my gosh. Three films. Okay, let’s just start with The Matrix —and when I say The Matrix, let’s do the trilogy—that’s one. [ Pause. ] Then let’s do The Devil’s Advocate. And then let’s do . . . we need something action-y in there, so let’s do Point Break. ”

He sits back in his chair and folds his arms on his chest, tilts his head, and smiles on one side of his mouth.

“Start with the easy stuff.”

The head tilt is a Keanu trick, which is perhaps the wrong word because it implies too much calculation, or deception, on his part. But it’s more than a tic, because it has purpose. It is calculated. He does it in character, and he does it as himself, and the power of the head tilt is that it breaks the moment. If a moment is getting too serious or too weird or too boring, the head tilt tugs things back to reality, or Keanu’s reality.

There is mystery in the head tilt, making him seem both very present and kind of elsewhere at the same time, and it makes us want to go along with him. (“He is a mystery, which makes him even more charming,” Diane Keaton says.)

One time in the summer of 2019, Keanu went to a movie theater to see John Wick 3. “I didn’t know if I was going to get the chance to do another one, and I just wanted to see if people liked it,” he says. “It was cool when people started laughing during the knife fight in the opening.” He laughs a mischievous, little-kid laugh, a tee-hee laugh. “I went with a friend. I was like, ‘Let’s go see John Wick 3 before it goes.’ I love John Wick movies! They’re fun!” He is smiling, eyes wide, speaking faster, with more excitement—speaking almost as if he were not the actor playing John Wick. “I wanted to be with an audience, because I didn’t know if I would get to see it again, or if another one would happen. I wanted to soak it in, to see it on the big screen—these movies are made for the big screen. We got popcorn—you gotta have popcorn. Some Peanut M&M’s. Sweet and savory. Coca-Cola.”

He slips into an old-timey voice: “Watch a picture show!”

He left home at eighteen not having graduated from any of the four high schools he attended, and at twenty he left Toronto, driving a 1969 British racing-green Volvo 122 straight to Los Angeles. He read Philip K. Dick and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and William Gibson. Head-tilt kind of stuff. He read Shakespeare again and again.

Sometime around 1990, having appeared in a dozen or so movies already, he read a script that was inspired by Henry IV called My Own Private Idaho, by Gus Van Sant, the story of a couple hustlers finding their way in the world, desperate to get closer to the point of it all. He made that movie with River Phoenix. And then, six or seven years later, he read The Matrix, a screenplay by Lana and Lilly Wachowski. “I just mainlined it,” he says. “I thought”—Jimmy Cagney voice—“ Well, this is up my alley! I’d had some of that thought training, reading about multi personality universes and perspectives. So when I came across the script, thinking about this reality and this matrix, and then anime agents and the idea of thought control or what’s reality, and virtual reality—yeah, I felt pretty at home in those.

“Those are stories and perspectives on storytelling that I prefer. There’s always a relationship—a drama, a circumstance—in storytelling. But for me, it’s cool when a work of art can entertain but also be inspirational or challenging or—I’m gonna bring up ye olde Bard—hold the mirror up. It’s much more rewarding because it means that you’re getting into it. Asking questions. Looking at the diamond and seeing which ways the light refracts and reflects. It can be everything from ‘Be excellent to each other’ in the circumstances of Bill and Ted, and those characters going against all odds, to The Matrix, which is, you know, ‘What truth?’ Confronting systems of control and thinking about will, and love, and who we are and how we are. Even back to River’s Edge: a group of high school kids and a murder. What are the choices they make? And then the impact of technology in storytelling: playing A Scanner Darkly, or even Johnny Mnemonic. The journey of Little Buddha, working with Bertolucci and being introduced in a very very very very very very very broad way to Buddhist practice and thought. The notion of impermanence and connection to one’s own body and thought and feeling, and sensorially your relationship to the world and meaning. And being confronted by one’s own anatomical mind. Being introduced to meditation and what that is and to have mind-expanding experiences without any other stimulus besides intention, thought, and sitting. It really does kind of unfold to: Wow, there is a lot more going on! What’s going on?”

No head tilt. Keanu shifts in his chair and stares straight ahead.

There’s a moment in Parenthood when Reeves’s dude-bro character, Tod, gives a terrific little speech to his girlfriend’s mom, played by Dianne Wiest. Now, throughout most of the story, Tod is the mom’s enemy, a wannabe man, maybe not so bright, stealing her daughter into adulthood. But then he does his monologue while drinking milk from the carton in her kitchen.

“I guess a boy Garry’s age really needs a man around,” Wiest’s character says, referring to how Tod has become an unlikely father figure for her thirteen-year-old son. “Yeah, well,” Tod says, guzzling milk. He stops, points a pinkie at her: “Depends on the man. I had a man around. He used to wake me up in the morning by flicking lit cigarettes at my head. ‘Hey, asshole! Get up and make me breakfast.’ You know, Mrs. Buckman, you need a license to buy a dog or drive a car. Hell, you need a license to catch a fish. But they’ll let any butt-reaming asshole be a father.”

He gazes off for just a second, snaps to, and looks Wiest right in the eye. Then he shudders and makes a bluurhrh sound, as if he’s shaking off a big insect or a bad memory, and says, “Well, I’m gonna pick up Julie.”

Thirty-two years later, Plimpton remembers it: “That’s him. That little shudder. He added that. That’s his little touch. I thought it was fucking brilliant. It was hilarious. And so him. So dear. So. Dear. I just love that moment in the movie.”

I ask Plimpton if she picked up any bit of wisdom from her time with Keanu, a lesson that’s stuck with her. Without hesitating, she says, “Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I think it’s a sense of forgiveness. Of myself.”

To hear others talk about Keanu, he seems almost Confucian in his ability to understand people. And to listen to them.

Is that the thing he knows? People. That it’s about the other people. He loves movies, yes. Loves stories. He can’t stop working—sixty-eight films in thirty-five years. More stories, always more stories. Ye olde Bard. Hold the mirror up.

Bad things happen in life, inexplicable things. Keanu has seen people disappear: his father, who wasn’t around; later, an unborn child, lost in the cruel randomness of prenatal mortality; a life partner, lost in a car accident. And his friend River, to a drug overdose, when River was twenty-three and Keanu was twenty-eight. In our Zoom call, I ask about him.

Keanu cuts himself off and smiles downward. Head tilt. What tripped him up was the word he’s. He is. Present tense.

“It’s weird speaking about him in the past,” Keanu says, almost thirty years after River’s death. “I hate speaking about him in the past. So I almost always gotta keep it present. He was a really special person, so original, unique, smart, talented, fiercely creative. Thoughtful. Brave. And funny. And dark. And light. It was great to have known him. To—yeah. Inspirational. Miss him.”

Bullock was close friends with Samantha Mathis, who by 1993 was dating River. All three had starred in the Peter Bogdanovich country-music movie The Thing Called Love that year. When River died, production had begun on Speed. Bullock was getting to know Keanu.

“I watched how Keanu grieved. And oh, did he grieve for his friend,” she says. “He’s very private, but he couldn’t hide that. And just to see that a man like that was able to grieve. And I remember thinking, God, if that’s the tip of the iceberg of his depth, and his level of love and care for a friend —that just draws you in.”

Of course, we’ve all lost people. And we all react in different ways. For him it seems to inform everything he does: We’re all in it together, searching for . . . whatever people search for.

“I think you do all you can for the ones you love,” he says. “And that can turn into understanding a little bit of what other people go through. Being able to understand that, and share some of it, you see if maybe there are things that you can do. Knowing that perhaps you can offer something, if they’re in a situation or in a moment that isn’t clear, or they feel like they don’t know how to be or what to do. If someone comes to you for help—that shared experience, where you can have a conversation. You haven’t walked in their shoes, but you know a bit of the road that they’ve been on.”

I tell him I like to think I’ve been there for people, but I truly don’t know if I have.

“We can always do more. We can always do more. There’s no ceiling on that.” Head tilt, smile. “And you can’t do everything. You can’t do it all.”

Resurrections , who knows—the Wachowski sisters, Lana and Lilly, who wrote and directed the first three, said they weren’t even going to do this one. (Lilly was not involved in Resurrections .) Keanu says there’s no dream project simmering in the back of his mind, no favorite novel he wants to adapt and star in, no genre he’s burning to try.

Just trying to have a career, he says. (Bullock has a thought: “I would love nothing more than to do a comedy with Keanu before we die. Just laugh with him. He’s funny. We can be seventy-five—it’ll be even better then, like an old-people Cocoon thing. We play two funny old people. A road trip. Just put us in an RV as old people. It’ll be the bookend of Speed ! We’ll just be driving really slowly. Pissing the world off. There’s our movie.”)

Winona Ryder, who has known Keanu for thirty-five years and starred with him in four movies, says it’s the stories that keep him going. “He’s always ready to explore uncharted landscapes of both character and storytelling,” she says. “He understands that in telling the story, you have to allow that human mystery to live.”

At Le Grand Colbert, I ask him if it made him self-conscious, my asking those questions about why people like him so much, and where his reputation for, well, kindness came from.

“Um,” he says, smiling a little. “Yeah. I mean, I don’t think I necessarily want to be like, ‘Yeah!’ I don’t know.” He busts out a kind of Ted Logan voice. “I’m just livin’, man.”

When we lose people in life, maybe it reminds us that life is short and all that.

He changes voices again, much quieter, and looking downward just a little bit: “Yeah, for sure.” And then: “For sure.”

“It’s a cliché, I guess,” I say.

He looks up right away and says, “No, but it’s real.”

He gathers his hat and a sweatshirt, everything black, and steps out to the street. He’ll go directly from here to meet with a horse trainer. “There’s a sequence—hopefully, knock on wood,” he knocks on wood—“in John Wick 4 , the opening sequence. John Wick is back in the desert on a horse. I’m going to hopefully be able to fast-gallop and run.”

“And you know how to do that?”

“ Ish. That’s why I’m going to training.”

A few patrons follow him outside, apologize, and ask for a selfie. A few people don’t apologize. The maître d’ is trying to find out how long he’ll be in town, because he wants to introduce him to someone; Keanu says softly, kindly, more politely than perhaps the man is to him, “Thank you, but probably not.”

The man looks surprised. “Why not?”

“Time and work,” Keanu says.

He walks down the wet street, past buildings hundreds of years old, on his way to see the horse trainer, so he can finish telling this story, and then another one, and then another one.

Photographer: Nathaniel Goldberg Stylist: Anastasia Barbieri Hair: Kerrie Smith Campbell Skin: Stephen Kelley Creative Director: Nick Sullivan Design Director: Rockwell Harwood Executive Director of Talent: Randi Peck Visual Director: Justin O'Neill

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15 reasons fans believe Keanu Reeves is the greatest person ever

• In addition to being an accomplished actor, Keanu Reeves also seems like a really good person. 
• His random acts of kindness include secretly donating large sums of money to children's hospitals.
• He also made headlines for treating women respectfully when he takes photos with them.

Reeves once gave up his seat on the crowded New York City subway to a woman with a large bag.

The "John Wick" star made headlines in 2015 when he was filmed giving up his subway seat to a fellow passenger with a heavy bag . 

A train announcement heard in the video suggests that the star was on a Brooklyn-bound Q express train at the time.

It was one of Reeves' first gracious gestures to go viral . 

Reeves has made positive headlines for how he treats women when he takes photos with them.

In June 2019, fans on Twitter noticed that Reeves doesn't touch or hold women while posing with them for photos — instead, he hovers his hands behind them so as not to invade their personal space.

The actor's endearing habit quickly went viral, with fans celebrating the star for his choice. People called Reeves a "respectful king"  and praised him for being " considerate and respectful ." 

In 2019, Reeves went viral for calling the audience "breathtaking" while responding to an enthusiastic fan.

A video of Reeves at the E3 convention in June 2019 went viral after Reeves had a heartwarming response to an audience member . 

When a fan yelled out, "You're breathtaking!" as Reeves walked onstage, the star endeared himself to the crowd by responding in kind. 

"You're breathtaking," the actor said as he pointed to the audience. "You're all breathtaking." 

Unsurprisingly, the moment quickly exploded online, leading to plenty of memes and heartfelt posts about Reeves. 

The "Bill & Ted" screenwriter revealed that Reeves went out of his way to sign a fan's poster on his way to set.

Not long after the E3 convention, the "John Wick" actor made it a point in July 2019 to autograph a handmade sign that was left for him referencing the moment.

Reeves was in the middle of filming the third "Bill & Ted" movie when he reportedly spotted the sign, which read "You're breathtaking!" — a callout to Reeves' appearance at the E3 convention earlier that year.

"Bill & Ted" screenwriter Ed Solomon took to Twitter to share details about the incident, saying Reeves "jumped out of the car" on his way to set so that he could autograph the handmade sign.

Reeves wrote "You're breathtaking" under the original message, along with his autograph and what looked to be an inscription to the fan. 

The "John Wick" star once bought an ice cream just so he could autograph a receipt for a young fan.

A story about Reeves and a young fan went viral when it was shared in May 2019.  

SBNation.com writer and producer James Dator took to Twitter to share the experience he had with Reeves while working at a movie theater as a teenager. The writer tried to get Reeves' autograph, but wasn't successful. However, things began to look up for the young Keanu Reeves fan. 

"2 minutes later there's a knock on the door behind me that leads into the box office," Dator tweeted. "I assume it's my manager. It's Keanu."

"'I realized you probably wanted my autograph,'" Dator remembers the star telling him. "'So I signed this.' He hands me a receipt from the concessions stand that he signed on the back. He then casually throws an ice cream in the trash can and sees his movie."

After a flight Reeves was on made an emergency landing, he took a road trip with his fellow stranded passengers.

In March 2019, a Los Angeles-bound plane that Reeves was on was forced to make an emergency landing — but that didn't stop the actor from kindly posing for photos with his fellow passengers.

Reeves even went above and beyond, helping to organize transport to San Francisco, their destination. He regaled passengers with facts about California along the way, and even played country music from his phone. 

The actor reportedly posed on top of a table to secure his role in "Toy Story 4."

During a meeting with Pixar producers for 2019's "Toy Story 4," Reeves decided to climb on a table in order to try and understand his new character — the daredevil toy Duke Caboom — a little better.

The actor had made a strong impression on the film's executives from the start, but the lunchtime show really sealed the deal. 

"[Reeves] climbed on a table and was striking poses in the middle of the atrium," said producer Mark Nielsen to the Hollywood Reporter . "We thought, that is Duke Caboom!" 

In an interview, his "Speed" costar Sandra Bullock revealed Reeves once bought her Champagne and truffles because she had never had them before.

While on the set of "Speed," Bullock said she told Reeves that she had never tried Champagne or truffles. Not long after, Reeves arrived at her place with flowers, Champagne, and truffles, the actor told Esquire in 2021 .

She told Esquire he said, "I just thought you might want to try Champagne and truffles, to see what it's like." 

She said this type of listening was common for Reeves. "When I first met him, I would spend as much time as I could filling a silence, just to feel comfortable. And the more I jibber-jabbered on, the quieter he would get.

"And I thought, I don't understand what's happening!" she continued. "He's looking at me with eyes of confusion. He's quiet. Did I say something to offend him? And then a day or two later, he would arrive with a note or a little package, saying, 'I thought about what you said.' And he would have his response."

The actor secretly donates huge sums of money to children's hospitals.

Reeves has also donated money to children's hospitals and to cancer research . 

The star reportedly runs a private charitable foundation that aims to help sick kids, but his name isn't attached to the organization. 

"I have a private foundation that's been running for five or six years, and it helps aid a couple of children's hospitals and cancer research," Reeves told the Ladies Home Journal in 2009 . 

"I don't like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does."

He hasn't let his fame go to his head and seems charmingly humble.

Even though Reeves is a world-famous actor, he doesn't appear to take himself too seriously. Whether it's voicing a character in "Toy Story 4" or playing an exaggerated version of himself in the 2019 Netflix rom-com "Always Be My Maybe," Reeves isn't afraid to have fun. 

He also seems modest for an actor of his stature. When asked in June 2019 how he felt about his status as an "internet boyfriend," Reeves was nonplussed.

"That's wacky," the star told Entertainment Weekly and People TV , adding, "The positivity's great." He also took the opportunity to praise his "Always Be My Maybe" costars, Ali Wong and Randall Park. 

Reeves gave an honest, poignant answer when asked about death and the afterlife that went viral.

During an appearance on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" in May 2019, Reeves was asked by Colbert what he thinks happens when we die. 

"I know that the ones who love us will miss us," Reeves answered honestly — wowing Colbert and subsequently fans alike.

He once refused to let two talented "John Wick" stuntmen be killed off (in the movie) after an intense rehearsal.

Film critic Hanna Ines Flint shared on Twitter in August 2019 that during an interview with Reeves, the actor mentioned how he was so impressed by his "John Wick 3" costars — martial artists Cecep Arif Rahman and Yaya Ruhian — that he didn't want them to be killed off. 

"He was knocked down so much by them in rehearsals, and pulled up off the floor," she tweeted. "They included that moment in the film + Keanu refused to let them be killed by John."

Reeves has no problem taking pay cuts if it means talented actors can join the production. He also gifted crew members with motorcycles during the "Matrix" filming.

Reeves' contract for the "Matrix" sequels "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" included a significant pay cut for the actor , so that more money would be available for costumes and special effects in the films. 

After he was cast in the 1997 "The Devil's Advocate," Reeves found out that Al Pacino wasn't able to work on the project due to the film's budget. Reeves, however, was so eager to work with the legendary actor that he took another sizable pay cut .

And one of Reeves' more famous moments of generosity came during the filming of "The Matrix," when he gifted a dozen stuntmen with Harley-Davidson motorcycles to thank them.

"I just wanted... to give a bigger thank-you to all these guys who helped me make this," Reeves said at the time.

Reeves treated a group of friends, co-workers, and professional advisers to an all-expenses paid trip to San Francisco for the "Matrix Resurrections" premiere.

According to a January 2022 report in The Hollywood Reporter , Reeves paid for a private jet, hotel rooms, and premiere tickets for his group of friends, and even organized a special post-premiere brunch for them. 

The lucky group reportedly included Reeves' personal trainers and professional representatives. 

Chad Stahelski — who was Reeves' stunt double in the original "Matrix" trilogy and went on to direct the star in the "John Wick" films — confirmed the trip to The Hollywood Reporter.

"He flew a bunch of us up here," Stahelski revealed. "He's incredibly generous. In the audience tonight will be so many people that helped him, from his martial art trainers to jiu-jitsu trainers to hair and makeup to his stunt crew. He makes sure that his friends and family are here. He's epic."

And when THR asked Reeves himself about the kind gesture, the "Bill & Ted" star said in response: "Yeah, it's great to be able to share our experiences and lives together." 

A TV producer shared an interaction between the "Matrix" star and a young fan at an airport.

TV producer Andrew Kimmel tweeted about Reeves' interaction with a boy at baggage claim after the three of them were on the same flight from London to New York. 

"A young boy asked for an autograph at baggage & then began to fire off a series of rapid-fire questions. Keanu happily responded to every single one," Kimmel captioned a photo of Reeves and the fan (both wearing masks) chatting at baggage claim. 

Kimmel then included some of the questions the boy asked Reeves, as well as the actor's thoughtful and enthusiastic responses. And according to Kimmel, after the young fan began "running out of questions," Reeves began "grilling him" in return. 

"The man could not have been nicer, especially after an international flight," Kimmel wrote on Twitter . "I thought I'd share this because the dude is a class act and little moments like this can make such a big difference in people's lives. We need more Keanus!" 

• Main content

• Every Keanu Reeves Movie, R...
• He's a Dedicated & Hard Worker
• Keanu Is Trying to Escape t...
• The Nicest Guy in Hollywood
• Wholesome Keanu Memes
• Time-Traveling? Or Just Imm...
• He's Funny, Too!
• Pics of Keanu as a Young Man
• People Who Met Him Share Th...
• Keanu Reeves's Coolest Acti...
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All Keanu Reeves Movies, Ranked

The illustrious career of Keanu Reeves encompasses many exceptional movies that have captivated audiences worldwide. From action-packed blockbusters to thought-provoking dramas, the best Reeves movies showcase his immense talent and versatility as an actor. With a career spanning over three decades, Reeves has time and time again proven his ability to captivate audiences through his memorable character portrayals. 

Within the most beloved Reeves movies, the actor's prowess shines through, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to creating compelling, memorable characters. These movies not only allow Reeves to display his acting prowess but also emphasize his dedication to fully realizing each role he takes on. The depth and nuance in his characters elevate the films, making them stand out within their respective genres. 

For instance, John Wick demonstrates Reeves' expertise in physical combat, intertwining intense action scenes with a captivating revenge narrative. On the other hand, the groundbreaking sci-fi film The Matrix highlights the seamless blend of mind-bending concepts and thrilling adventures. Meanwhile, Point Break showcases a younger Reeves in an adrenaline-fueled undercover operation, proving his capacity for range even early in his career. These examples merely scratch the surface of the extensive Reeves filmography.

The lasting impact of Keanu Reeves's extraordinary films is a tribute to his versatility and commitment. His ability to adapt to various roles and genres continues to reinforce his status as a versatile actor. Each film leaves a lasting impression, transcending expectations and reminding viewers of Reeves's undeniable talent. 

In this exhilarating action-packed thriller, Keanu Reeves stars as the titular character, a retired hitman seeking vengeance for the death of his beloved dog. Known for its meticulously choreographed fight scenes and compelling storyline, John Wick has rapidly gained a cult following since its release in 2014. The film's top-notch production values and masterful direction by Chad Stahelski contribute to its status as a modern classic in the action genre. Reeves' portrayal of the stoic yet lethal protagonist showcases his impressive range and versatility as an actor.

• Dig Deeper... The Best 'John Wick' Fight Scenes
• # 19 of 87 on The Best Movies Of 2014
• # 10 of 63 on The Greatest Directorial Debuts Of All Time

As a groundbreaking masterpiece in the science-fiction genre, The Matrix remains a must-watch film for cinephiles worldwide. Starring Keanu Reeves as computer programmer-turned-savior Neo, this 1999 movie explores complex themes of reality, consciousness, and artificial intelligence with stunning visual effects and thought-provoking storytelling. Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, the revolutionary "bullet-time" technique showcased in the film has left an indelible mark on modern cinema. Reeves' iconic performance as Neo solidified his status as one of Hollywood's most versatile actors.

• Dig Deeper... 33 Things You Didn't Know About 'The Matrix' Trilogy
• And Deeper... 15 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About The Original 'Matrix' Film
• And Deeper... 11 Behind-The-Scenes Stories From 'The Matrix' That Made Us Say 'Whoa'

John Wick: Chapter 2

Following the massive success of its predecessor, John Wick: Chapter 2 sees Keanu Reeves reprising his role as the legendary assassin forced out of retirement once again. This thrilling sequel boasts intricately designed set pieces and explosive action sequences that elevate it above standard fare in the genre. With superb direction from Chad Stahelski and standout performances from a talented supporting cast including Common and Ruby Rose, this high-octane spectacle cements itself as another worthy entry into the critically acclaimed series.

• # 254 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 17 of 164 on The Best Movie Sequels Ever Made
• # 19 of 63 on The Very Best New Noir Movies

Point Break

This adrenaline-fueled crime thriller features Keanu Reeves as undercover FBI agent Johnny Utah, tasked with infiltrating a group of surfers suspected of committing bank robberies across Los Angeles. The 1991 film, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, showcases breathtaking action sequences and an intense cat-and-mouse dynamic between Reeves' Utah and Patrick Swayze's charismatic antagonist, Bodhi. Point Break has since become a cult classic among fans of the crime genre, with its daring stunts and memorable one-liners leaving a lasting impression on viewers.

• # 310 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 63 of 379 on The Best Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
• # 122 of 278 on 'Old' Movies Every Young Person Needs To Watch In Their Lifetime

Constantine

Based on the popular DC Comics series Hellblazer , this captivating supernatural thriller stars Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, a seasoned demon hunter caught in a battle between heaven and hell. Released in 2005, the film expertly blends elements of horror and action to create an atmospheric experience for audiences. Directed by Francis Lawrence, Constantine benefits from its strong visual style and gripping central performance from Reeves -- whose portrayal of the cynical antihero resonates with comic book fans and general audiences alike.

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• # 368 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies

In this high-stakes action movie from director Jan de Bont, Keanu Reeves portrays LAPD SWAT officer Jack Traven who is thrust into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a vengeful bomber played by Dennis Hopper. Released in 1994, Speed garnered widespread acclaim for its relentless pacing and masterfully executed action set pieces that keep viewers on tenterhooks from start to finish. With standout performances from Sandra Bullock and Jeff Daniels alongside Reeves', Speed remains an enduring favorite among fans of high-octane cinema.

• Dig Deeper... Behind-The-Scenes Stories From The Making Of 'Speed'
• # 60 of 675 on The Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
• # 26 of 379 on The Best Movies Of The '90s, Ranked

The Devil's Advocate

Keanu Reeves delivers a riveting performance as Kevin Lomax, an ambitious defense attorney who discovers that his new boss may be Satan himself in this thrilling supernatural drama. Directed by Taylor Hackford, the 1997 film delves into themes of morality amidst temptation while showcasing powerhouse performances from Al Pacino as John Milton (the Devil) and Charlize Theron as Lomax's wife Mary Ann. The Devil's Advocate masterfully balances suspenseful storytelling with thought-provoking philosophical undertones, leaving audiences thoroughly engrossed in the film's unpredictable twists and turns.

• # 15 of 252 on The 200+ Best Psychological Thrillers Of All Time
• # 485 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 113 of 397 on The Best Horror Movies Of All Time

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

This beloved 1989 comedy features Keanu Reeves as Theodore "Ted" Logan, one half of the time-traveling duo who must journey through history to pass their high school history exam. With its infectiously goofy humor and endearing central performances from Reeves and Alex Winter, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure has become a timeless classic that continues to entertain generations of viewers. Directed by Stephen Herek, this charmingly offbeat adventure showcases an early glimpse of Reeves' comedic talents and undeniable on-screen charisma.

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• # 40 of 399 on The Best Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked
• # 180 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

In this exhilarating third installment of the John Wick franchise, Keanu Reeves returns as the eponymous assassin fighting for his life against an array of deadly foes. With its breathtaking action choreography and striking visual style, Parabellum further cements the series' reputation as a groundbreaking force in modern action cinema. Directed once again by Chad Stahelski, this 2019 film sees new additions to the cast such as Halle Berry and Anjelica Huston while maintaining the same relentless intensity that fans have come to expect from John Wick .

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• # 35 of 63 on The Very Best New Noir Movies

The Replacements

In this feel-good sports comedy directed by Howard Deutch, Keanu Reeves stars as Shane Falco -- a washed-up former football player who gets a second chance at glory when he's recruited to lead a ragtag team during an NFL strike. Released in 2000, The Replacements finds success with its blend of lighthearted humor and heartfelt performances from a diverse ensemble cast including Gene Hackman and Brooke Langton. Boasting memorable moments both on and off the field, The Replacements remains an enjoyable watch for fans of underdog stories and sports comedies alike.

• # 13 of 209 on The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
• # 438 of 704 on The All-Time Greatest Comedy Films
• # 394 of 633 on The 600+ Funniest Movies Of All Time

The Matrix Reloaded

The highly anticipated sequel to the groundbreaking sci-fi classic, The Matrix Reloaded sees Keanu Reeves reprising his role as Neo, now fully embracing his status as "The One." Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, the 2003 film ups the ante with even more jaw-dropping action sequences and philosophical debates about the nature of reality. With returning cast members Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Hugo Weaving, this second installment expands upon its predecessor's intriguing mythology while delivering a visual feast for fans of cutting-edge science fiction cinema.

Starring Keanu Reeves as a neuroscientist driven to bring back his deceased family through advanced cloning technology, Replicas delves into complex ethical quandaries surrounding human identity and artificial intelligence. Directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff in 2018, the film combines thrilling suspense with thought-provoking themes to create an engaging experience for viewers. Though met with mixed reviews upon release, Reeves' committed performance elevates Replicas beyond standard sci-fi fare and provides audiences with a captivating exploration of loss and obsession.

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John Wick: Chapter 4

Although still in development and slated for release in 2023, John Wick: Chapter 4 promises to deliver another adrenaline-fueled ride through the world of skilled assassins with Keanu Reeves returning once again as the titular character. Under the direction of Chad Stahelski, who helmed each previous entry in this critically acclaimed series, anticipation remains high for this upcoming installment. As details remain under wraps about the plot and new characters joining Reeves' legendary hitman on screen, fans eagerly await what's next in store for their favorite dog-loving protagonist.

• # 283 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 75 of 164 on The Best Movie Sequels Ever Made
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In this visually stunning adaptation of a classic Japanese tale from director Carl Rinsch released in 2013, Keanu Reeves stars as Kai, a half-British, half-Japanese samurai who seeks to avenge the death of his lord alongside 46 other skilled warriors. Combining elements of fantasy and historical drama, 47 Ronin presents a unique take on a revered story with its fantastical creatures and breathtaking action sequences. Though it faced criticism for deviating from traditional accounts, Reeves' captivating performance ensures that the film remains an entertaining journey into an enchanting world steeped in Japanese folklore.

The Lake House

This romantic drama directed by Alejandro Agresti in 2006 pairs Keanu Reeves with Sandra Bullock once again as lovers separated by time who communicate through letters left in their shared lakeside home's mailbox. Showcasing strong chemistry between its leads and a poignant exploration of love transcending temporal boundaries, The Lake House offers viewers a touching escape from reality. With its lush cinematography and heartfelt storytelling, this charming film continues to resonate among fans of romance and fantasy alike.

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Bram Stoker's Dracula

In Francis Ford Coppola's stylish adaptation of the classic horror novel, Keanu Reeves plays Jonathan Harker -- a young lawyer sent to Transylvania only to become entangled in Count Dracula's sinister web. Released in 1992, Bram Stoker's Dracula boasts lavish production design and memorable performances from Gary Oldman as the titular vampire and Winona Ryder as Mina Harker. While some critics found fault with Reeves' English accent, his dedicated portrayal adds depth to this visually arresting Gothic tale that remains a favorite among horror aficionados.

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• # 349 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies

Chain Reaction

Starring Keanu Reeves as Eddie Kasalivich -- a physicist framed for murder after discovering an alternative energy source -- Chain Reaction combines elements of political thriller and action-packed chase film under director Andrew Davis' skillful hand. Released in 1996, the movie delivers high-stakes tension with its thrilling chase sequences and a gripping plot involving shadowy government conspiracies. With standout performances from Reeves, Morgan Freeman, and Rachel Weisz, Chain Reaction keeps audiences on the edge of their seats from beginning to end.

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The Matrix Revolutions

The final chapter in the Wachowskis' influential sci-fi trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions sees Keanu Reeves returning as Neo for one last battle against the oppressive machines that enslave humanity. Released in 2003, this climactic installment presents viewers with a satisfying conclusion to the story's sprawling narrative while continuing to push the boundaries of visual effects technology. Though met with mixed reactions upon release, The Matrix Revolutions remains an essential piece of cinematic history that completed one of the most iconic film series of all time.

A Walk in the Clouds

This romantic drama directed by Alfonso Arau in 1995 stars Keanu Reeves as Paul Sutton -- a World War II veteran who falls in love with a woman he meets during his return to civilian life in California wine country. With its lush scenery and tender storyline exploring themes of love and redemption, A Walk in the Clouds offers a heartfelt escape for viewers seeking a classic romance film experience. Featuring strong performances from both Reeves and co-star Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, this charming tale continues to enchant audiences with its undeniable warmth and sentimentality.

• # 302 of 675 on The Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
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Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

In this 1991 sequel directed by Peter Hewitt, Keanu Reeves reprises his role as Ted Logan alongside Alex Winter's Bill Preston for yet another wacky time-traveling adventure -- this time facing off against evil robotic doppelgangers sent from the future. Filled with surreal humor and imaginative set pieces, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey provides fans with more of what they loved about the original while pushing its protagonists into new territory. Despite mixed critical reception upon release, this follow-up has since become a cult favorite among comedy enthusiasts.

• # 532 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
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Keanu Reeves stars as Conor O'Neill, a troubled gambler who is tasked with coaching an inner-city youth baseball team in this heartfelt sports drama. Directed by Brian Robbins and released in 2001, Hardball explores themes of redemption, personal growth, and the power of mentorship through its compelling narrative and memorable performances from a talented cast including Diane Lane and D.B. Sweeney. Reeves' portrayal of the flawed yet determined coach resonates with audiences, solidifying the film's status as an inspiring tale for sports enthusiasts and general viewers alike.

• # 111 of 209 on The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
• # 80 of 113 on The Best Movies Of 2001
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Johnny Mnemonic

In this cyberpunk thriller directed by Robert Longo in 1995, Keanu Reeves plays Johnny -- a data courier carrying valuable information encoded within his own brain that makes him a target for nefarious forces seeking its contents. Adapted from William Gibson's short story of the same name, Johnny Mnemonic provides a visually engaging exploration of technology's impact on humanity set against a dystopian future backdrop. While it received mixed reviews upon release, Reeves' performance and the film's inventive visual design have earned it cult status among sci-fi fans.

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The Day the Earth Stood Still

In this modernized remake of the 1951 classic directed by Scott Derrickson, Keanu Reeves takes on the role of Klaatu -- an alien visitor sent to Earth to determine if humanity is worth saving from impending destruction. Released in 2008, The Day the Earth Stood Still delves into pressing environmental issues while showcasing impressive special effects and thought-provoking storytelling. With strong performances from Jennifer Connelly and Jaden Smith alongside Reeves', this updated take on an iconic tale remains relevant as ever for contemporary audiences.

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This touching comedy-drama directed by Ron Howard in 1989 features Keanu Reeves as Tod Higgins -- a well-meaning but somewhat dimwitted young man thrust into the ups and downs of family life. Boasting an impressive ensemble cast including Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, and Dianne Wiest, Parenthood explores the trials and tribulations of parenting with humor and sincerity. Reeves' endearing performance stands out amid a sea of memorable characters, making this film a delightful watch for viewers seeking both laughter and sentiment.

• # 143 of 399 on The Best Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked
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• # 154 of 675 on The Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars

My Own Private Idaho

Directed by Gus Van Sant in 1991, this experimental indie drama stars Keanu Reeves as Scott Favor -- a rich kid turned street hustler who embarks on a journey with his close friend Mike (River Phoenix) to find Mike's estranged mother. Tackling themes of identity, friendship, and self-discovery amid a dreamlike narrative structure, My Own Private Idaho has garnered critical acclaim for its bold filmmaking style and standout performances from both Phoenix and Reeves. The film remains an impactful work that showcases early career highlights from each talented actor.

• # 226 of 379 on The Best Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
• # 50 of 86 on The Best Movies Of 1991, Ranked
• # 17 of 20 on Great Movies About Drifters Who Are Lost in Life

Something's Gotta Give

In this sophisticated romantic comedy directed by Nancy Meyers in 2003, Keanu Reeves plays Dr. Julian Mercer -- a charming young physician who falls for an older woman swept off her feet by an aging playboy (Jack Nicholson). With its witty screenplay and strong performances from Diane Keaton alongside Reeves and Nicholson, Something's Gotta Give captivates audiences with its heartfelt exploration of love, age, and vulnerability. This elegant film serves as yet another testament to Reeves' versatility as an actor within various genres.

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Sweet November

This romantic drama directed by Pat O'Connor in 2001 stars Keanu Reeves as Nelson Moss -- a workaholic ad executive who falls for free-spirited Sara (Charlize Theron), who encourages him to embrace life's little pleasures during their month-long affair. As the titular "November," Sweet November tugs at heartstrings with its poignant exploration of love and loss set against a picturesque San Francisco backdrop. Both Reeves and Theron deliver moving performances that ensure this tender film lingers long after the credits roll.

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In director Sam Raimi's gripping supernatural thriller released in 2000, Keanu Reeves takes on the role of Donnie Barksdale -- a violent man entangled in a murder mystery involving a psychic played by Cate Blanchett. Featuring strong supporting performances from Hilary Swank, Giovanni Ribisi, and Greg Kinnear among others, The Gift delivers a suspenseful tale with an added layer of supernatural intrigue. Reeves' portrayal of the troubled antagonist marks a departure from his usual heroic roles, further demonstrating his impressive range as an actor.

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Street Kings

Keanu Reeves stars as LAPD detective Tom Ludlow in this gritty crime thriller directed by David Ayer in 2008. Plunged into a dark world of corruption and deceit within his own department, Ludlow grapples with complex moral dilemmas while seeking justice for his slain partner amid escalating danger. With its gripping storyline and intense action sequences, Street Kings spotlights Reeves' ability to command attention on screen alongside a talented supporting cast including Forest Whitaker, Chris Evans, and Hugh Laurie.

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A Scanner Darkly

In this visually striking animated adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel directed by Richard Linklater in 2006, Keanu Reeves lends his voice to Bob Arctor -- an undercover narcotics agent investigating the distribution of a powerful hallucinogenic drug called Substance D. Employing innovative rotoscoping techniques for its distinctive aesthetic, A Scanner Darkly presents audiences with both thought-provoking storytelling and rich visual texture. Supported by standout voice performances from Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, and Winona Ryder, the film remains an engrossing entry in Reeves' diverse filmography.

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Lists about the immortal actor who is, by all accounts, just as great as he seems.

A most excellent life – all the good deeds of Keanu Reeves

We look back at the life and career of 'The Matrix: Resurrections' star

Keanu Reeves has resurfaced in style with the premiere of The Matrix: Resurrections and has John Wick: Chapter 4 on the horizon in 2023 – exciting times for his legion of fans globally.

Quite apart from his sheer watchability and his ageless looks, it’s worth reminding ourselves about all the times the 57-year-old Canadian actor excelled at life and why he’s widely regarded as one of the nicest guys in Hollywood.

Charity begins at home

Keanu reportedly gave 70 per cent of his $35m earnings for 1999’s The Matrix to leukaemia research after his sister, Kim, was diagnosed with the disease. He also set up a leading children’s charity, the Keanu Reeves Children Foundation, which has changed the lives of more than a billion kids around the world.

He is generous to co-workers

He gave each of the stunt men in John Wick 3 a Harley-Davidson motorbike after a particularly gruelling sequence. No big deal to Keanu, who told Esquire : “That fight was 17 shooting days. We trained every day for seven hours for three weeks going through all the motions. We learned the term 'super-perfect'. You want to go for super-perfect. So, obviously I was getting paid well. And so, you know, just as a thank you to those guys. Got them some gifts.”

  He renegotiates contracts to get a worse deal

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Keanu famously changed his back-end profit deal ahead of The Matrix sequels to give a substantial share of his earnings to the film’s special effects and costume design teams.

He is open about grief

Keanu has had more than his fair share of upheaval and tragedy in his life. His girlfriend Jennifer Syme suffered a stillbirth at eight months in 2000 and a year later died in a car accident at the age of 28. He has never had another child and never married, but is in a relationship with an old friend, the artist Alexandra Grant (pictured above). 

He writes poetry

His 2016 collection of poetry, Shadows , was according to an interview with the Guardian his attempt to ‘contextualise the grief, even be inspired by it, even find a certain pleasure in it… Let [the grief] move, and not be trapped inside it… It just put things in a new shape that I could carry or have with me’.

He plays punk

At the height of his fame in the 90s, Keanu formed an alt rock band, Dogstar, releasing albums, playing at Glastonbury 1999 and supporting David Bowie.   

He’s a good listener

Keanu is renowned by his friends to be a listener rather than a talker. Asked to define what a good listener is, he once said: “I think it’s interest and care. I’m interested in whoever I’m speaking to. I care.”

Work is the thing

The star of Speed, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Point Break among many other much-loved films likes to keep busy. “Let’s go for motorcycle ride, let’s read. I love going to the movies. For me, my work is that as well. I often sometimes get asked, ‘You know, you’ve been at this for a while’, and they’re like, ‘Do you still love it?’

“And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I love it even more’. For me, work is life.”

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds , which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld , The Sopranos , The Chase , The Thick of It and Detectorist s among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.

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The 10 Best Keanu Reeves Movies, According to Keanu Reeves

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Keanu Reeves has built a reputation on-screen and off for being tremendously likable and charismatic, as evidenced by a recent AMA ("Ask Me Anything") on Reddit that proved incredibly popular. Reeves responded to various questions from fans on the website; one of the most interesting responses came from a question that asked him which of his films was his favorite.

As most would be aware, picking a single favorite when it comes to the topic of movies is difficult, and that also goes for those who star in them; therefore, they also have personal favorites they're attached to. Admitting he was unable to select just one , Reeves responded with a total of 10 movies, and some of his pics were quite surprising . What follows are some of Keanu Reeves' best movies, according to Reeves - and who's a better authority on his filmography than the man himself?

10 'John Wick' (2014)

Director: chad stahelski.

Unlike another action series starring Keanu Reeves, the actor singled out only one of the John Wick movies as being among his personal favorites: the first. Indeed, the 2014 original is arguably the simplest, most satisfying of the John Wick movies and undeniably the most self-contained, expertly sowing the seeds for later, larger films to build on.

John Wick has a familiar, almost charmingly simple plot revolving around an ex-hitman getting revenge on a group of gangsters who were foolish enough to steal his car and murder his dog. Expertly paced and compelling, John Wick features one of Reeves' best performances and hectic, groundbreaking action , explaining why it kickstarted such a successful series.

An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters who killed his dog and stole his car.

Watch on Peacock

9 'Point Break' (1991)

Director: kathryn bigelow.

Over 20 years before John Wick , Keanu Reeves proved he had what it took to be an action star with 1991's Point Break , another thrilling and entertaining movie in his body of work. Reeves plays a young undercover agent sent to infiltrate a gang of bank robbers, only to find himself getting a certain excitement out of the gang members' lifestyles.

Before Point Break , Reeves was best known for appearing in smaller-scale, generally comedic movies, with his performance here showing he had both range and a believable presence as an action movie star. Point Break is bombastic and a little cheesy but incredibly endearing and just a blast to watch . The film ranks among Kathryn Bigelow's best movies and is one of the decade's best as far as the action genre is concerned.

Point Break (2015)

Watch on Prime Video

8 'My Own Private Idaho' (1991)

Director: gus van sant.

Another one of Keanu Reeves' personal favorites from his filmography is My Own Private Idaho , which was released the same year as Point Break while also being a completely different film. It's a quiet, character-focused drama about a pair of young men going on a road trip together, loosely inspired by Shakespeare's Henry IV .

My Own Private Idaho is moving, insightful, sad, and often somber . The passing of Reeves' co-star, River Phoenix , two years after the film's release makes things feel particularly bittersweet in hindsight. Nevertheless, the two are both very good here, capturing the restlessness and confusion of youth with earnest and raw emotion. My Own Private Idaho is well worth a watch for anyone unconvinced of Reeves' acting capabilities outside the comedy or action genres.

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Rent on Prime Video

7 'The Matrix' (1999)

Directors: lana and lilly wachowski.

Keanu Reeves stated in the aforementioned AMA that the "Matrix trilogy" was one of his favorites he appeared in, meaning three out of four movies in the saga qualify for his top 10. Of those, the original is the hardest to fault and undeniably the best, being an exceptional blend of martial arts action and thought-provoking science-fiction.

The Matrix follows a seemingly ordinary man who becomes involved in a huge battle between humanity and machinery after he's told the life he's been living is a computer simulation and that advanced machines have enslaved the human population. The Matrix is interesting , subversive, strangely prophetic, and above all entertaining , a 90s classic that has shown very few signs of aging in the more than 20 years since its initial release. Reeves' performance in this saga is probably and understandably his most well-known, a reputation he seems to cherish.

Watch on Max

6 'The Devil's Advocate' (1997)

Director: taylor hackford.

Keanu Reeves is known for underplaying things much more than chewing scenery, which makes his pairing with notorious devourer of scenery Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate an interesting one. Pacino plays the boss at a prestigious New York law firm, and Reeves is a relatively young lawyer who's just joined the firm and is unprepared for where his new position is about to take him.

The Devil's Advocate is a law-themed drama/thriller with a deliciously wicked supernatural spin . Some may find it silly in parts, but there's also something strangely captivating about it. Pacino steals the show — naturally, he has the showiest role — but Reeves makes for a great protagonist who sees a strange new world through fresh eyes, much like the audience who are also along for the wild trip.

The Devil's Advocate

An exceptionally-adept Florida lawyer is offered a job at a high-end New York City law firm with a high-end boss--the biggest opportunity of his career to date.

Watch on Tubi

5 'A Scanner Darkly' (2006)

Director: richard linklater.

A Scanner Darkly is probably one of the least expected personal favorites Keanu Reeves mentioned in his AMA. It's fair to label it a cult classic of sorts, though, and even fairer to say that it's certainly an interesting movie for those who like their science-fiction psychologically heavy and even psychedelic.

The film features unique, often disorientating animation and centers on an undercover cop whose life starts to unravel after he comes under the influence of a mysterious new drug. Although frustrating or even slightly off-putting movie at times, A Scanner Darkly is among the best adult animated films thanks to its hard-to-forget qualities, striking visuals, and Linklater's trademark sensibilities.

A Scanner Darkly

Watch on YouTube

4 'The Matrix Reloaded' (2003)

The second film in The Matrix trilogy, The Matrix Reloaded builds upon the story and the world introduced in the first movie. It's a strong sequel, even if it's not quite as good as the first movie, with some spectacular action and an emphasis on the romance between Neo (Reeves) and Trinity ( Carrie-Anne Moss ).

It's a little less narratively coherent, with the Wachowskis biting off a great deal and inevitably mostly finding themselves able to chew it... but the film is a little bumpy at times. Still, The Matrix Reloaded is a worthwhile and very entertaining sequel , and anyone wanting to spend more time with the characters and unique qualities of this series' world ought to give it a chance.

The Matrix Reloaded

Freedom fighters Neo, Trinity and Morpheus continue to lead the revolt against the Machine Army, unleashing their arsenal of extraordinary skills and weaponry against the systematic forces of repression and exploitation.

3 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure' (1989)

Director: stephen herek.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure was indeed one of the most excellent releases of 1989 . It's a goofy and good-hearted time-travel comedy about two high school slackers who are at risk of failing history, only for their luck to turn when they come into contact with a time-traveler from the future and use a time machine to witness various historical events for their class presentation.

Reeves' portrayal of Ted ranks among his most popular and iconic roles, being instrumental in gaining him recognition and additional popularity as an actor. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is a fun and lightweight movie that doesn't take itself too seriously , contributing to its enduring and nearly flawless reputation as a modern cinematic classic.

Watch on MGM+

2 'River's Edge' (1986)

Director: tim hunter.

While A Scanner Darkly is a lesser-known Keanu Reeves movie, River's Edge would have to be the most obscure mentioned by the actor in his Reddit AMA. It's one of the few early movies starring Reeves that isn't comedic, given River's Edge is a bleak crime/drama film about a group of friends torn apart when one member of the group murders another.

The resulting film isn't fun to watch, with the premise potentially being one reason why it's not super popular. Still, River's Edge is worth watching for fans of Keanu Reeves , and the man himself is clearly (and justifiably) proud of it. The film also boasts compelling performances from the likes of Crispin Glover and an expectedly scene-stealing Dennis Hopper .

Watch on Hulu

1 'The Matrix Revolutions' (2003)

The final film in the original Matrix trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions scores a spot among Keanu Reeves' favorite films, though the fourth and arguably better - or at least more interesting - The Matrix Resurrections is ultimately left out in the cold.

The Matrix Revolutions wraps up the main narrative of the trilogy surrounding the large-scale war between machines and humanity with less compelling action than seen in its predecessors and a story that's not amazingly well-told. However, there are sequences in the movie that work, and a good deal of the emotional scenes between Neo and Trinity have an impact. The Matrix Resurrections is a flawed yet ultimately solid concluding chapter of the original Matrix trilogy .

The Matrix Revolutions

NEXT: 'John Wick' and 9 More of the Best Long-Running Action Franchises

• Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves Called Robert De Niro a 'Grade A Jackass' and Said, 'I Won't Work With Him'?

The reagan was right facebook page posted, "keanu never says a mean thing about anyone, so you just know de niro really deserves it.", jordan liles, published june 3, 2024.

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On May 31, 2024, the Reagan Was Right Facebook page posted  a quote meme claiming actor Keanu Reeves called Oscar-winner Robert De Niro a "Grade A jackass." The quote meme read in full, "Keanu Reeves Says There's a Good Reason He's Never Been in a Film With De Niro: 'The Guy Is a Grade A Jackass. I Won't Work With Him.'" The text caption above the meme added, "Keanu never says a mean thing about anyone, so you just know De Niro really deserves it."

As of this writing, the post received more than 131,000 likes, 8,500 comments and 21,000 shares.

User Comments About the Reeves and De Niro Meme

One user commented under the post, "I can't watch any of DeZero's 'tough guy' movies anymore after seeing what a sawed off crybaby he is in real life."

A different person remarked, "Keanu is telling the truth, the reason he is so angry, and a miserable little person and attacks good people is, he has a control problem just like Biden, they think they're better and smarter than all of us and have the right to tell us how to live, what to do, pathetic is the word for them. My advice for him he should keep his opinion to himself and quit stirring up hate."

Another user added, "I really do like Keanu Reeves, he tells it like it is. The TRUTH!"

Someone else wrote, "De Niro is a great actor but needs to stay out of politics. It is not his style."

The Quote Is Fake

However, the truth was this item about Reeves and De Niro was not a factual recounting of real-life events.

The Reagan Was Right Facebook page is part of the America's Last Line of Defense network of satire and parody. Reagan Was Right's bio reads, "An authorized subsidiary of the America's Last Line of Defense network of trollery. Nothing on this page is real." The page's category information displays the words entertainment, satire and parody. Further, the quote meme itself displays a "satire" label in the lower-left corner.

'Punish Bob' Cycle

A page manager for the Reagan Was Right Facebook page humorously commented under the post with the following:

Everyone loves Keanu, and we're currently in a "Punish Bob" cycle, so this was a natural occurrence. Does that mean it's true? Definitely not. The thing on our bio says nothing here is true, so if we posted true things, we'd be liars, and honesty is very important to us. God Bless the truth. And God Bless America.

The comment about a "'Punish Bob' cycle" referenced De Niro's May 28 remarks outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump's New York City criminal hush-money trial was taking place. According to  The Associated Press , De Niro's presence was an official appearance organized by President Joe Biden's reelection campaign.

Other celebrities featured in recent satirical memes on the Reagan Was Right Facebook page included "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg, "Sound of Freedom" actor Jim Caviezel , actor Kurt Russell and Oscar winner Kevin Costner .

Dunning-Kruger-Times.com is one of the websites included in the America's Last Line of Defense network of satire. The website's "About Us" page features information about "taters" – a term that sometimes appears in the network's Facebook comments. The term references the politically-conservative voters at whom the content is targeted, and who often believe the page's content to be genuine:

About Taters "Taters" are the conservative fans of America's Last Line of Defense. They are fragile, frightened, mostly older caucasian Americans. They believe nearly anything. While we go out of our way to educate them that not everything they agree with is true, they are still old, typically ignorant, and again — very afraid of everything. Our mission is to do our best to show them the light, through shame if necessary, and to have a good time doing it, because…old and afraid or not, these people are responsible for the patriarchy we're railing so hard against. They don't understand logic and they couldn't care less about reason. Facts are irrelevant. BUT…they do understand shame.

For background, here is  why  we sometimes write about satire/humor.

Izzo, Jack. "Jim Caviezel Refused To Work With 'Awful, Ungodly' Robert De Niro?" Snopes , 21 May 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/jim-caviezel-robert-de-niro-ungodly/.

Liles, Jordan. "Kevin Costner Fired 'Disrespectful' Robert De Niro?" Snopes , 30 May 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/kevin-costner-fires-robert-deniro/.

Long, Colleen, and Zeke Miller. "Biden Campaign Sends Allies De Niro and First Responders to Trump's NY Trial to Put Focus on Jan. 6." The Associated Press , 28 May 2024, https://apnews.com/article/trump-de-niro-biden-insurrection-hush-money-78a33c5083a243e18f9fbd63ce9e8ddd.

By Jordan Liles

Jordan Liles is a Senior Reporter who has been with Snopes since 2016.

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Speed With Sandra Bullock Made Keanu Reeves an Action Star But It Was Chuck Norris’ $20.2 Million Movie That Introduced Him to Hollywood

O ver the last three decades, Keanu Reeves has cemented himself as one of the leading men in Hollywood when it comes to action. From making The Matrix with The Wachowskis to performing most of his stunts in Chad Stahelski’s John Wick films, Reeves has deservedly earned himself the status of one of the best action stars of our time.

But while it was Point Break and Sandra Bullock’s Speed that gave him the boost in the action landscape, these films weren’t Reeves’ first introduction to the genre.

A Force of One Introduced Keanu Reeves to Filmmaking

Growing up, Keanu Reeves had a fractured relationship with his father Samuel Nowlin Reeves, who was mostly absent during his childhood. But Reeves’ bond with his step-father Paul Aaron, who was briefly engaged to his mother Patricia Taylor after she moved to New York with Reeves and his siblings, would prove to be crucial. 

“Anybody else’s cause was more important than mine”: Sandra Bullock’s Instant Chemistry With Keanu Reeves Might be Linked to Her Tragic Past That Made Her Kinder

Being a Hollywood director, Aaron introduced the then 15-year-old Reeves to the realm of filmmaking, after he took him to the set of the action flick A Force of One , starring Chuck Norris .

Reeves recalled (via The Guardian ):

I believe I was 15? It was my summer holiday from school. And for a parent it’s, like, what do you do with this kid over the summer? I know, we’ll make him a production assistant on a movie! I was watching the grips, I was watching actors, I was seeing how a film set really works, the call-sheets, the generator, the lights, the lunchtimes.

While The Matrix star’s main duty was to lug buckets of ice and keep all the drinks and snacks on set cold, he never saw it as demeaning, stressing that he enjoyed being involved in the process.

I could start lugging ice right now. A movie is all-hands-on-deck. I love all-hands-on-deck

Even though A Force of One is far from Norris’ best action films, which made $20M at the box office, it did leave a huge impact on a young Reeves, who, not long after it, would pursue the field.

Keanu Reeves Entertained the Idea of Collaborating With Tom Cruise

Although Reeves has done it all in the realm of action, the actor once expressed his desire to star alongside another action icon, Tom Cruise . While singing praises and sharing admiration for Top Gun: Maverick , the biggest film of Cruise’s career, the John Wick star stressed that he’d love to star alongside the action star and fight a common enemy.

When asked about his thoughts on collaborating with the Mission: Impossible star, he told ExtraTV :

I don’t know if he’s an inspiration, he’s just amazing. Yeah, he’s just incredible. You know, what he does, I mean we know him as this great actor. I don’t know, maybe we can be side by side with a common goal.

With Cruise currently busy with MI 8 , it can’t be said for certain if a potential collab between the two will ever see the light of day, as it’s important to note that Cruise is currently 61 and Reeves is 59. But considering the two have been pushing the barriers of action filmmaking even in their late 50s and early 60s, it’s reasonable to be optimistic.

“He really got Johnny from day one”: Keanu Reeves Will Forever Regret Swapping Places With Val Kilmer for One Movie With 21% Rating in Which He Was Painfully Miscast

A Force of One is available to stream on Apple TV.

Screen Rant

Keanu reeves is genghis khan's ultimate weapon in brzrkr: the lost book of b.

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• BRZRKR: The Lost Book of B takes fans back to the 13th century, giving a deeper look into B's life serving Genghis Khan.
• Boom Studios reunites Reeves, Kindt, and Garney for a brutal showdown between B and Genghis Khan.
• Historical realism adds depth to the brutal world of BRZRKR, making The Lost Book of B essential reading for fans.

Keanu Reeves ’ BRZRKR returns as Genghis Khan’s ultimate weapon in the new BRZRKR: The Lost Book of B. Reeves’ soon to be iconic character is one of the most exciting comic book debuts of the past decade, shattering sales records and defying expectations. Since its conclusion, publisher Boom Studios has released special books fleshing out the BRZRKR universe, and The Lost Book of B takes fans back to the 13th century.

Boom Studios unveiled more information about BRZRKR: The Lost Book of B on their website. The book will reunite the original BRZRKR creative team of Reeves, writer Matt Kindt and artist Ron Garney. In the 13th century, B (the book’s hero) is in the employ of the notorious warlord Genghis Khan. One of Khan’s premiere soldiers, B has racked up numerous kills and victories. Yet now, B is beginning to question his loyalties, leading to a showdown of historical proportions.

The book will feature a cover by Garney as well as variants by Bill Sienkiewicz and David Nakayama.

BRZRKR Has Been A Huge Hit for Boom Studios

Keanu reeves' immortal warrior has resonated with fans.

Boom Studios caught lightning in a bottle with BRZRKR . Created by beloved actor Keanu Reeves, BRZRKR is the story of an immortal named B. He has lived for centuries, racking up kill after kill. Set in the present day, B must now contend with his dark legacy. BRZRKR’s first issue is one of the best-selling comics of the 21st century, and it went into multiple printings. Fans could not get enough of B’s adventures. Kindt and Garney helped bring Reeves’ killer idea to spectacular life.

As B is an immortal, and has lived for countless eons, it makes perfect sense that he would have had bloody and violent adventures in other eras. Since the original BRZRKR series ended, the creative team has explored B’s life throughout the centuries. Through books such as Fallen Empire, Bloodlines and Poetry of Madness , more of B’s adventures have been told, giving fans an expansive look at his life and the events that shaped him into who he is today. The Lost Book of B will be just as crucial to the mythos as the previous titles.

The Lost Book of B Could Be The Best BRZRKR Title Yet

Adding real people like genghis khan adds a fun and realistic layer.

The Lost Book of B promises to be the bloodiest BRZRKR title yet. Genghis Khan was a real person, a bloodthirsty tyrant who ruled much of the known world. B was crucial to his success, but Lost Book of B looks at what happens when B questions Khan. Khan will no doubt be angry with B, which will lead to a showdown between them. Inserting historical figures into B’s story adds a layer of realism, and drives home just how long Keanu Reeves ’ barbarian character has been alive. BRZRKR : The Lost Book of B will be essential reading for fans.

Source: Boom Studios

BRZRKR: The Lost Book of B is on sale August 21 from Boom Studios!

• Keanu Reeves

Who Was Jennifer Syme? How Did Keanu Reeves Get Involved?

Who was Jennifer Syme and how did Keanu Reeves get involved? Jennifer Syme was an American actress and personal assistant, born on December 7, 1972, in Pico Rivera, California. She is best known for her work on the movie sets of "Lost Highway" and "Ellie Parker." Syme tragically passed away in a car accident on April 2, 2001. Her relationship with Keanu Reeves, the famous Hollywood actor, brought her into the spotlight, and her untimely death left a lasting impact on those who knew her.

How did Keanu Reeves get involved with Jennifer Syme? Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Syme met at a party in 1998 and soon began dating. Their relationship took a tragic turn when Syme became pregnant with their child in 1999. The couple was excited about the prospect of starting a family, but their joy was short-lived as their daughter, Ava Archer Syme-Reeves, was stillborn at eight months. The loss of their child put a strain on their relationship, and they eventually went their separate ways. However, the bond they shared through their grief remained strong, and Syme's untimely death deeply impacted Reeves.

Who was Jennifer Syme to Keanu Reeves? Jennifer Syme was a significant figure in Keanu Reeves' life, not just as a romantic partner, but also as a source of support and companionship during a difficult time. Reeves has spoken publicly about the profound impact of losing their child and the devastation of losing Syme in a car accident just 18 months later. The tragic events surrounding their relationship have left a lasting impression on Reeves, and he has often expressed his grief and sorrow over the loss of both Syme and their daughter.

The Life and Career of Jennifer Syme

Before her involvement with Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Syme pursued a career in the entertainment industry. She worked as a personal assistant to several Hollywood celebrities and was known for her professionalism and dedication. Syme's work on the sets of "Lost Highway" and "Ellie Parker" showcased her talent and passion for the film industry. However, her life took a tragic turn with the loss of her child and her untimely death, leaving behind a legacy that continues to be remembered by those who knew her.

Personal Details and Bio Data of Jennifer Syme

Impact of jennifer syme's relationship with keanu reeves.

How did the relationship between Jennifer Syme and Keanu Reeves impact both of their lives? The loss of their child took a toll on their relationship and ultimately led to their separation. However, the bond they shared through their grief and the impact of Syme's untimely death left a lasting impression on Reeves. The tragic events surrounding their relationship have continued to influence Reeves' personal life and career, shaping his perspective on love, loss, and the fragility of life.

Memories and Tributes to Jennifer Syme

How is Jennifer Syme remembered by those who knew her? Friends and colleagues have shared fond memories and tributes to Syme, highlighting her warmth, kindness, and dedication to her work. Despite the heartache and tragedy that marked her life, Syme's legacy lives on through the memories and impact she made on those around her. Her presence continues to be felt in the hearts of those who remember her fondly.

Lessons Learned from the Tragic Events

What lessons can be learned from the tragic events surrounding Jennifer Syme and Keanu Reeves? The loss of their child and Syme's untimely death serve as a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing the moments we have with loved ones. It also sheds light on the impact of grief and loss on individuals and the resilience they demonstrate in the face of adversity. The tragic events serve as a powerful reminder to hold onto hope and find strength in the face of life's challenges.

Remembering Jennifer Syme's Legacy

How is Jennifer Syme's legacy remembered and honored? Her impact on those who knew her continues to be felt, and her memory is honored through the stories and memories shared by friends and colleagues. Despite the tragic events that marked her life, Syme's legacy lives on through the positive influence she had on those around her and the lasting impact she made in her career and personal relationships.

In conclusion, the story of Jennifer Syme and her relationship with Keanu Reeves is a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the enduring impact of love and loss. Her memory lives on through the fond recollections of those who knew her, and her legacy continues to be honored through the positive influence she had on those around her. The tragic events surrounding her life serve as a powerful reminder to cherish the moments we have with loved ones and find strength in the face of adversity.

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