Four decades into his prolific Hollywood career, Keanu Reeves remains our forever crush. And for good reason: his vast filmography includes the Matrix and John Wick franchises, rom-coms like Something’s Gotta Give and comedy faves like Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Off screen, he’s known for engaging with fans and being loved by castmates and crew members alike. “I don’t think there’s anyone who has something horrible to say about him,” his Speed costar Sandra Bullock said in 2021.
Despite being worth an estimated $380 million, he’s a man of the people. He once waited in line outside of his own wrap party and has been spotted riding the subway (just like Us!). Unlike many Hollywood heartthrobs around his age, Reeves, 61, is dating a woman over 50 (he and visual artist Alexandra Grant, 52, went public in 2019), and in a world of social media-obsessed stars and celebrity branding gone wild, he keeps it refreshingly simple.
In signature Reeves fashion, the enigmatic star is pushing himself out of his comfort zone once again. He and longtime friend (and Bill & Ted costar) Alex Winter are starring in Waiting for Godot on Broadway, and he plays an inept but well-intentioned guardian angel alongside Seth Rogen and director Aziz Ansari in the comedy Good Fortune (out now).
Both projects are getting glowing reviews, but don’t expect the fanfare to go to his head. “Most leading men lean into the spotlight,” says public relations expert Jane Owen. “Keanu doesn’t. He doesn’t need to dominate every scene, on and off screen.” Adds casting director Heidi Levitt: “He has an authenticity about him. He’s not trying to be something other than who he is.” Us takes a closer look at Reeves’ everlasting appeal.
He’s Not a Brand
Reeves is unapologetically offline, and image experts say it works in his favor. “Keanu’s the anti-celebrity celebrity,” says PR agent Mark Borkowski. “In an age when stars are desperate to be liked, he isn’t hustling for approval. He’s not trying to out-meme himself on TikTok or sell you his wellness brand between films.” By not “flogging tequila or NFTs,” adds Borkowski, the star has become “the last great leading man — and the internet’s reluctant saint. He embodies a rare truth about modern celebrity: Success isn’t about screaming the loudest, but knowing when to stay silent.”
He’s Kind
The examples seem endless: He’s involved in multiple charity efforts and gifted members of the John Wick stunt crew engraved Rolex watches. In 2019, after seeing a fan’s yard sign that read, “You’re breathtaking” — a nod to a viral moment he had at a gaming conference — Reeves autographed it and posed for photos with the family. In 2023, he sweetly played catch with an eager 9-year-old fan outside of a show with his band, Dogstar. Octavia Spencer revealed that he helped push her stalled-out car on the side of the road before she was famous. “Keanu gives people the sense that he sees and values them,” says Jon Levy, behavioral scientist and author of Team Intelligence: How Brilliant Leaders Unlock Collective Genius. “Fans love that he doesn’t act like a superstar even though he is one,” adds Owen. “He treats people with respect and is a beacon of genuine kindness in an industry where that’s pretty rare.”
Keanu Reeves and Alexandra Grant. Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images
…And a Good Friend
His inner circle includes longtime pals like Winter and Bullock. “Keanu’s a guy who, I feel like, is friends with every woman he’s ever dated,” Bullock has said. (Interestingly, Reeves and Grant became friends in 2011 and even collaborated on several projects before their bond turned romantic.) “In his personal relationships, he has very close friendships that have lasted much of his life,” says an insider. “Those close to him are incredibly loyal, and that says a lot.” He’s also worked with the same team “for many years,” adds the insider. “This says a lot about a person, especially in Hollywood.”
He Keeps It Real
He takes the subway (he famously gave up his seat for a woman holding a bag in 2011) and flies commercial (in 2019, after his flight from San Francisco to Burbank was forced to make an emergency landing, he helped secure a van ride home for fellow passengers and entertained them by reading out local facts). In a recent New York Times piece, Sue Kessler, cofounder of alt-performance space The Bushwick Starr, said Reeves MC’d an event there and “literally helped clean up at the end of the night… that’s the kind of guy he is.”
He Takes Risks
There’s no playing it safe for Reeves, a motorcycle enthusiast and rider, who cowrote the BRZRKR comic book series, collaborated on the 2024 novel The Book of Elsewhere and just made his Broadway debut in Waiting for Godot. “He reinvents himself and he’s open to trying new genres,” Owen says, adding that “fans trust his instincts. That’s why they keep showing up.”
Keanu Reeves and his long-time girlfriend, Alexandra Grant, have been going strong since they went public with their relationship in 2019, but their love connection didn’t start right away. The pair formed a professional connection after meeting at a dinner party in 2009, going on to collaborate on several projects like Reeve’s books Ode to […]
He’s In on the Joke
In 2019’s Always Be My Maybe, Reeves plays an exaggerated version of himself as Ali Wong’s pretentiously perfect boyfriend. “Keanu had no problem making fun of himself,” Wong said. He doesn’t take his viral moments too seriously, either — he told Vulture the idea of “Sad Keanu” — the meme based on a photo of him glumly eating a sandwich on a NYC bench — sounded “so funny.”
He’s Vulnerable
Reeves is one of the rare actors who can portray tough guys who are also in touch with their emotions. “You’ll find plenty who can play the unflinching action hero, and others who shine in roles of tenderness and emotional depth, but very few embody both at the same time,” says Levy. Reeves has been open about some of the hardships he’s faced, including the death of his best friend, River Phoenix, who passed away from a drug overdose in 1993. “Grief and loss, those are things that don’t ever go away,” he’s said. “Keanu has spoken about his struggles,” says Levy. “Instead of diminishing him, it humanizes him. Fans see someone who has endured hardship and kept choosing to do good. That’s why they root for him so fiercely.”
Aziz Ansari, Keanu Reeves in Good Fortune. Lionsgate /Courtesy Everett Collection
He’s Humble
The A-lister isn’t one to toot his own horn. “I’m just an actor, I’m just a guy. I’m just trying to do the best I can,” he’s said. But Reeves loves to heap praise on crew and costars (while promoting Good Fortune, he said filming with Rogen and Ansari was like going “to comedy school.”) “What I love about Keanu is that he’s not out there self-promoting, saying ‘Look at me, I can do it all,’” says Levitt. When asked in 2023 how he felt about being dubbed the internet’s boyfriend, Reeves was gracious yet self-effacing. “I appreciate the goodwill,” he said, adding, “Obviously, no one is perfect.” Says Owen: “That unforced humility makes Keanu stand out in a sea of big personalities, and it’s why people see him as not just a movie star, but a genuinely good guy.”
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