Keanu Reeves is the nicest person in Hollywood. He donates to the homeless, passes on part of his earnings to the crew, and gives his seat to elderly ladies on the subway. As if that wasn’t enough, he is also a model of modesty. And that’s not just a role he plays. In our interview, the fifty-eight-year-old is polite, reserved and thoughtful. This makes him come across as tremendously likeable and, of course, contributes to his legend. Though we should add that Reeves is not the type of person to spontaneously buy you a drink at the bar. He keeps a certain distance – a hint of mystery, you could say. But this mystique, which is also reflected in his at times elusive answers, is part of the whole Keanu Reeves phenomenon.
Your big-screen career began forty years ago. You have left your mark on franchises like Matrix and John Wick. How would you explain what your job is all about?
A key part of the creative act is that you hope to go places that are not only your own. And you collaborate with someone else, whether it’s the director or the other actors. There is an otherness that can be quite pleasurable. You get to play a role, be yourself, and create this other thing. And hopefully you are in a context of storytelling that will entertain.
When you go to these other places, as you say, can that also be frightening?
It can be. Especially in the beginning, when you are developing the role and getting into it, when it’s looming in front of you. Then you ask yourself: Can I reach those heights? But once you are into it, you trust it. You put yourself in the position of another. And then you open up to it.
If you want to leave the boundaries of your self, you have to know where those boundaries are. How do you get to know yourself?
That’s a good question. I’ve tried several different techniques that can help with this. You have to try to objectively understand your feelings and how you react to certain experiences. Then you begin to understand about suffering, the nature of suffering, the impermanence of suffering.