There is no doubt about it, the Internet loves Keanu Reeves. The John Wick actor has become the star of a host of memes and is now firmly known as the Internet's boyfriend.
But he had absolutely no idea about the frenzy he had caused ... until now.
This week, entertainment magazine People quizzed the Canadian actor about being "gushed over on the internet", to which he replied, "I've been what?"
During an interview on the the Toy Story 4 premiere red carpet, the magazine told him he had been "dubbed the Internet's boyfriend," which prompted him to laugh, "That's wacky."
"Well, the positivity's great," he then said, before bashfully adding: "It's really special how John Wick was embraced, and working on Always Be My Maybe [was] great, you know."
Man of memes
Though Reeves was unaware of all the online attention he receives, his fans have not been quiet in showing their affection with an abundance of memes, tweets, posts and blogs dedicated to the star.
Keanu Reeves: *breathes*
— 9GAG (@9GAG) June 11, 2019
Me: 😍 pic.twitter.com/1ryB2ZZ9S7
The web seems to be enthralled by the 54-year-old actor's every move, no matter how mundane, whether it's buying his own shopping or just feeding fish; the Internet loves all things Keanu Reeves. So much so, in fact, that the Keanu Doing Things Twitter account, a page dedicated to all things Keanu, has a staggering 222.1k followers.
keanu reeves feeding koi fish pic.twitter.com/piImxJHu0j
— keanu doing things (@keanuthings) March 22, 2018
But meme-ing Reeves is no new phenomenon, the Sad Keanu meme has been shared online for years.
Sad Keanu attends Queen's speech.#QueensSpeech pic.twitter.com/PtdwJ3oSWG
— doodlewhale ✍️🐳 (@doodlewhale) June 21, 2017
Maintaining a low profile
The actor, who has no social media presence, is known for his humility and low-key persona. Despite enjoying a successful career, Reeves remains withdrawn from the public eye most of the time, which has arguably created an air of mystery around him.
Roles in films like The Matrix, Speed, and Point Break have found him box office success throughout his 35-year-career. However, his recent resurgence is mainly down to roles in the John Wick franchise, which has a cult following, and his tongue-in-cheek cameo in Netflix comedy, Always Be My Baby.
The Year of Keanu is showing no sign of slowing down. Upcoming video game Cyberpunk 2077 will star Reeves as a character, as well as the third instalment of the classic Bill & Ted. Reeves has also lent his voice to the character of Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4, which hits UAE cinemas on June 20.
