Fans Were Stunned After Keanu Reeves Walked The Red Carpet With His New Girlfriend

They Were Good Friends

Reportedly, since the late 2000s, Reeves and Grant have been good friends, actually. However, their once-platonic connection appears to have developed into something more romantic over the years. But why did the John Wick star’s partner get everyone’s tongues wagging, exactly?

They Were Good Friends

Leading A Private Life

Ever since he started his film career in the mid-1980s, Keanu Reeves has been notoriously secretive about his life away from the cameras. However, admirers of the actor may have learned that he once entered into a three-year collaboration with one of his first co-stars on the big screen. Reeves apparently started dating Jill Schoelen after they appeared in Babes in Toyland together.

Leading A Private Life

Single Life

Yet while Schoelen moved on after her split with Reeves to have a brief engagement with Brad Pitt, the actor seemed to have loved the single life himself. That said, a few alleged romances have occurred. Reeves reportedly started dating Sofia Coppola in 1992, whose dad, Francis, had directed Bram Stoker’s film Dracula for Reeves. This relationship, mind you, has never been verified.

Single Life

He Was ‘Married’

In fact, while shooting the horror movie, Reeves also got “married,” although the marriage is unlikely to be officially acknowledged anywhere outside the Romanian film set. Co-star Winona Ryder remembered the moment when she and Reeves’ characters walked down the aisle during an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2018, and she made the shocking assertion that the couple might really be husband and wife.

He Was ‘Married’

The ‘Marriage’

“In that scene, Francis used a real Romanian priest. We shot the master, and he did the whole thing. So I think we’re married,” Ryder explained. Initially, Reeves, who was also being interviewed at the time, shared his surprise at this memory. However, after Ryder jogged his memory a bit further, the star jokingly relented, saying, “Oh my gosh, we’re married.”

The ‘Marriage’

Most Significant Relationship

While Reeves’s most significant relationship to date seems to have been with actress Jennifer Syme, unfortunately, their time together ended in tragedy. In 1999, the pair first started dating, with Syme getting pregnant not long after. Sadly, however, later the same year, on Christmas Eve, Ava Archer Syme-Reeves arrived stillborn. Understandably, this devastating loss placed a huge strain on the couple’s relationship, and they had decided to split by early 2000.

Most Significant Relationship

They Stayed In Touch

Still, during the next year, Reeves and Syme managed to remain in contact. The pair actually enjoyed brunch together in April 2001, according to sources, and just 24 hours before disaster struck again. Shockingly, Syme also lost her own life in a horrific car accident less than 18 months after the death of her first-born child.

They Stayed In Touch

Cops Found Something

Syme had been driving on her own down Cahuenga Boulevard in Los Angeles when three cars stopped on the side of the road hit her. She was eventually thrown out of her own car as it rolled over twice, while she supposedly died at the scene. In Syme’s vehicle, police later found prescription drugs.

Cops Found Something

He Was Devastated

An understandably devastated Reeves put his work obligations on hold under the shadow of this tragedy to cope with his grief. As the fatal accident occurred, the star was set to film both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions back to back. Guitarist Bret Domrose, who played with Reeves in the grunge outfit Dogstar, would go on to claim that before resuming his career, his bandmate needed “peace and time.”

He Was Devastated

Channeling The Grief

Years later, while working on the original John Wick, Reeves explored channeling this sense of grief. In 2019 he told The Guardian, “For the character and in life, it’s about the love of the person you’re grieving for, and any time you can keep company with that fire, it is warm. I absolutely relate to that, and I don’t think you ever work through it. Grief and loss – those are things that don’t ever go away. They stay with you.”

Channeling The Grief

Only Good Friends

Reeves was also later associated with Clare Forlani – his co-star in the 1997 biographical drama The Last Time I Committed Suicide. In fact, during an apparent three-year relationship in the mid-’00s, the pair were rumored to have been engaged. However, during a 2006 interview with the New York Daily News, Reeves said that he and Forlani had only been good friends before, nothing more than that.

Only Good Friends

China Chow

In 2008, the actress and model China Chow was another celebrity who became romantically attached to Reeves. And, in fact, the Burn Notice star may have become accustomed to sharing high-profile beaus with the limelight. Reportedly, over the years, Chow has dated A-listers such as Mark Wahlberg, Jared Leto, and Steve Coogan.

China Chow

An Uneventful Love Life

However, more recently, the love life of Reeves has tended to be somewhat uneventful. And that is exactly why when he appeared on the red carpet in 2019 with a mystery date, so many fans were left stunned. But for long, the woman in question did not remain an enigma. For one, it has emerged that Alexandra Grant has been part of Reeves’ life for a good ten years. So, who is the new flame of that star?

An Uneventful Love Life

The Woman In Question

Grant, originally from Ohio but now living in Los Angeles, studied history at Swarthmore College and studio art. Then, she started to name herself on the American art scene after graduating in 1994. And for her drawings, sculptures, and multimedia works, which are influenced by the spoken word and dialogues with fellow creatives, Grant is especially renowned.

The Woman In Question

Experience In The Filming Industry

It’s also worth remembering that Grant has had experience in the film world as well. For example, in 2015, she took the director’s chair to film a 60-minute documentary entitled Taking Lena Home. The film, which was made as part of Grant’s time in residence at Omaha’s Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, focused on retrieving a tombstone illegally taken from the state of Nebraska.

Experience In The Filming Industry

A Passion For Language

From an early age, Grant also had a passion for languages, having spent a portion of her childhood in France, Spain, and Mexico. She has also exhibited her work at venues such as the New York’s Harris Lieberman Gallery, Paris’ Galerie Gradiva, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  And, of course, it was during her gala performance at LACMA with Reeves that the popularity of Grant skyrocketed.

A Passion For Language

They Have Known Each Other For Quite A While

However, Grant has known Reeves for quite some time. In fact, the two collaborated together on Ode to Happiness, a picture book targeting an adult audience, as far back as 2011. In addition, their work proved to be so well-received that the pair agreed to join forces on the second book named “Shadows,” again in 2016.

They Have Known Each Other For Quite A While

Enjoying Each Other’s Company

Reeves and Grant definitely seemed to enjoy the company of each other. For example, for the Spanish version of Vogue, they were pictured together and attended several book signings as a couple. Furthermore, in interviews to promote Shadows – a book that fused her silhouette photography with his poetic terms, Grant couldn’t stop gushing about the actor.

Enjoying Each Other’s Company

Talking About Reeves

Grant shared in 2016 during a talk with the Los Angeles Times, “No one can move the way he can,” She continued, “He’s a really extreme performer. That’s a huge piece of why those images are so interesting. I knew that if I moved the camera as we danced together, as photographer and subject, we could create these wonderful optical illusions.”

Talking About Reeves

He Was Also There

For this specific interview, Reeves was also present. And the Los Angeles Times journalist asking the questions definitely seemed to understand that his friendship with Grant may have been more than meets the eye. In the article, the reporter remarks, “In conversation, the two friends share an easy rapport and speak in a comfortable shorthand fueled by inside jokes and knowing smiles.”

He Was Also There

Founding A Publishing Company

In the meantime, Grant explored in another W magazine interview in 2016 how she and Reeves inspire each other while collaborating. She said, “We can spend a lot of time debating. Like, ‘A raspberry hue? And should it be darker?’ We can get obsessive.” In 2017, the two founded X Artist Books, a publishing company that focuses on “unusual collaborations” and works between genres that may struggle elsewhere to find a home.

Founding A Publishing Company

A Romantic Relationship

However, the professional relationship between Grant and Reeves eventually seemed to develop into a full-blown romantic one. For starters, in May 2019, at a Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) benefit show held at the Geffen Contemporary site in Los Angeles, the pair were pictured on the red carpet. And they couldn’t seem to stop beaming as they posed together for pictures.

A Romantic Relationship

Spotted Again

Then, a month later, at the Saint Laurent Men’s Spring/Summer 20 event in Malibu’s Paradise Cove, Grant and Reeves were pictured clutching hands. And the same year, in October, the pair were spotted in a romantic embrace as they left a Hollywood restaurant.

Spotted Again

More Than Friends

What’s more, an anonymous source reported to People magazine that the two were more than just friends. They said, in November 2019, “[Reeves and Grant] started dating earlier this year, but [they] have wanted to keep it quiet. Keanu wants to openly share his life with her. He is extremely happy and grateful to have Alex in his life.”

More Than Friends

Out In The Public

Yet, Grant and Reeves’s surprising readiness to participate in some PDA went largely unnoticed until they stepped out in November 2019 at the LACMA Art + Film Gala. And after photographs emerged of the couple once again holding hands on the red carpet, social media duly went into meltdown. However, it was not just that the notoriously private Reeves was freely affectionate with tongues wagging.

Out In The Public

Age Appropriate

You see, much of the Twitter talk focused around the fact that Reeves was dating someone who was considered age-appropriate, unlike many of his Hollywood peers. And while Grant is still nine years younger than the much-loved star, a month ago, 65-year-old Dennis Quaid declared his engagement to Laura Savoie, a 39-year-old Ph.D. student.

Age Appropriate

What The Fans Said

Fans are delighted with Reeves, as one of them tweeted: “It’s a miracle: Hollywood actor dates age-appropriately. An artist with a full head of grey hair to boot. Keanu, I could not love you more at this moment.” While another Twitter user commented, “Just when I didn’t think he could get more wholesome, Keanu dates within his age group despite his peers often dating young women. Fantastic man.”

What The Fans Said

Happy For Him

By the same token, others were only truly glad that one of the nicest guys in Hollywood had finally found someone to settle down with. One user on Twitter wrote, “I don’t know him, but am I really happy that Keanu Reeves has found someone to be happy with? Too right I am. Keanu is a blessing to us all and deserves all the happiness.”

Happy For Him

More Comments

Furthermore, on the social media site, Reeves was lauded by another approving fan for dating a “smart, creative, independent woman.” However, not everyone was so excited about the red-carpet appearance of the actor with Grant. An unimpressed Twitter user pointed out, “Keanu Reeves’ girlfriend is a decade younger than him – not ‘the same age.’”

More Comments

He’s A Regular Guy

Another commenter wrote, “People really need to stop freaking out about Keanu and Alexandra,” the commenter continued, “Dating someone in your age bracket isn’t courageous; it’s f**king normal. He’s proven time and time again he’s a regular guy. Let’s stop with this amazement about who he’s dating and wish them both well.”

He’s A Regular Guy

Her Age

Similarly, some expressed discontent with the fact that the age of Grant had entered into the equation at all. One Twitter user wrote, “Is the most fascinating thing to talk about Alexandra Grant really her age? She’s a highly accomplished artist, a philanthropist and a babe. Can she please not be reduced to ‘Keanu’s age-appropriate girlfriend?’ She’s a spectacular woman in her own right; he’s lucky to be her man.”

Her Age

Negative Comments

However, at least these remarks were still encouraging, as other less optimistic Twitter users were just as able to make derisive comments about the appearance of Grant. One especially cruel tweet read: “Men age like wine; women age like milk.” Another rude tweet read: “Keanu deserves a kind girl in their 20s or 30s at the latest, not a great-grandma.”

Negative Comments

The Negative Comments Continued

And it started with the derogatory remarks. A poster carped, “What is this? He should be bagging hot, young, feminine women, not some old, tattooed feminist.” Many have commented on the similarity of Grant to a slightly older Oscar-winning star. “Saw the photos and legit thought Keanu was dating Helen Mirren,” read one such post.

The Negative Comments Continued

Helen Mirren Commented

Remarkably, during a red carpet talk at the Big Apple premiere of her film The Good Liar, Helen Mirren herself actually commented on the similarities. The 74-year-old actress also admitted that she was pleased to be listed as Grant in the same breath. “That was very flattering on me, you know, because [Grant’s] obviously lovely,” Grant told Entertainment Tonight.

Helen Mirren Commented

Only Positive Things To Say

Plus, about Reeves, who had appeared in The Devil’s Advocate, the 1997 thriller directed by her husband Taylor Hackford, Mirren had nothing but good things to say. She went on to say, “I do know Keanu very well… he is just the most adorable, lovely person. So she’s a lucky girl, and I’m sure that he’s a lucky boy.”

Only Positive Things To Say

She Saved Him

Life & Style magazine, which reported that Grant helped Reeves to come to terms with his tragic events, echoed this sentiment. The publication was told by an anonymous source that the artist was “one of the few people who’s managed to get Keanu to open up about his emotions and past. Some say she’s not only stolen his heart, but she’s also saved him.”

She Saved Him

A Friend Said The Same

The same magazine was also told by an unnamed friend a similar remark. The friend said, “[Reeves] was in such a dark place for so long, but Alexandra’s positive outlook and support have played a huge part in helping him turn his life around.” Another noted that Grant was attracted to Reeves as “she is kind, warm and spiritual… and she is a great communicator.”

A Friend Said The Same

Projects In 2020

Finally, when fans are not keeping tabs on Reeves’ love life, they can also look forward to seeing the star appear in various movies in 2020. Firstly, in the long-awaited Bill & Ted Face the Music, he will reprise his role as lovable doofus Ted. In an animated film called The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, he will then lend his voice to Sage.

Projects In 2020

Not Just His Relationship

But in recent times, it’s not just Reeves’ current relationship that has got people talking. You see, the actor has managed to impress audiences in his normal way as well: by illustrating that he’s a very good person. Yes, tales of the benevolent existence of the John Wick star keep flooding the internet. And it seems like one example has had a particularly big influence.

Not Just His Relationship

A Big Year For Reeves

It is fair to say that for Keanu Reeves, 2019 was a significant year. To mention a few projects that kept him occupied, the actor appeared in Toy Story 4, Always Be My Maybe, and John Wick’s third installment. But Reeves turned up in a completely unexpected location in July: a fan’s backyard. A woman left a sign for the Speed star, you see, and his shocking reaction made headlines around the internet.

A Big Year For Reeves

A Nice Guy

Of course, this is understandable, as Reeves definitely holds a special place in many movie fans’ hearts. And this is partially because, like Point Break, The Matrix franchise, and the Bill & Ted series, he has starred in so many popular films. But the success of the Canadian actor often boils down to the fact that he usually comes across as a damn nice guy.

A Nice Guy

Surprising A Fan

Yes, with stories of Reeves crossing paths with ordinary people and doing amazing things for them, the internet abounds. So any news of Reeves engaging with the audience is expected to turn a few heads. Take, for example, when the star visited a cinema in Sydney, Australia, in 2001. James Dator, a fan, was working there at the time, and he was in for a big surprise.

Surprising A Fan

Meeting Reeves

In a series of tweets, Dator actually shared his celebrity experience in May 2019. He shared, “I’m working at the box office [and] bored as hell, and suddenly, this dude walks up in jeans, a leather jacket and a horse riding helmet… It takes me a solid 30 seconds to ignore the helmet and realize it’s Keanu Reeves.”

Meeting Reeves

Asking For His Autograph

A starstruck Dator reportedly wanted Reeves’ signature, just as many fans probably would have. Dator explained, “I do what any sensible 16-year-old does and tell [Reeves] I’d like to give him my employee discount. This means he needs to sign my sheet, and therefore I have his autograph.”   Sadly, however, the actor evidently did not catch on, and he told the teenager, confused, that he was not a staff member.

Asking For His Autograph

Receiving The Autograph

Then, just as Dator thought he’d missed his chance, evidently, something amazing happened. “Two minutes later, there’s a knock on the door behind me that leads into the box office,” Dator continued, “I assume it’s my manager; it’s Keanu… ‘I realized you probably wanted my autograph,’ he says.” And then Reeves reportedly handed a receipt that he had signed to the teenager.

Receiving The Autograph

Gone Out Of His Way

But the story Dator shared becomes even more touching. He said, you see, that Reeves had thrown something in the garbage on his way out of the office. And it had dawned on Dator, as a result, that the star had gone out of his way to make a fan happy. Dator said, “I realize later that [Reeves] bought an ice cream cone he didn’t want just to get receipt paper so he could scribble his autograph for a 16-year-old idiot.”

Gone Out Of His Way

It Wasn’t A One-Off

However, if you think Reeves’ sweet gelato gesture was a one-off, think again. Since internet users posted tales about their own encounters with the amicable actor in a 2010 Reddit thread. And a lot of people had good things to say about the action hero, as it turned out.

It Wasn’t A One-Off

A Nice Guy To Work With

A user going by the name of bo2dd2 wrote, “Back in the late ’90s and fresh out of college, I got my first job as an assistant prop designer on the set of Chain Reaction (Keanu was a supporting actor with Morgan Freeman). Every day for the last few weeks of filming, Keanu treated the stage hands and “grunt workers” (including myself) by taking us out for free breakfasts and lunches. He was genuinely a very nice guy to work with.”

A Nice Guy To Work With

Helping Out Workers

Interestingly, behind his films’ scenes, Reeves helping out staff seemed to be a trend in the thread. For instance, another user wrote, “A family friend builds movie sets – doesn’t design – is one of the poor dudes that just builds. Anyways, he worked on the set for The Matrix, and Keanu heard about family trouble he was having and gave him a $20,000 Christmas bonus to help him out.”

Helping Out Workers

A Genuine Person

The Reddit user went on to say, “[Reeves] also was one of the only people on the set who genuinely wanted to know people’s names, would say hello and mean it and would talk to people as his peers and not below him just because they were practically making nothing to build a set.”

A Genuine Person

Helping Out On The Street

On the forum, there were non-movie-related stories about Reeves too. A Redditor wrote, “A friend of mine told me that she was once stranded on the side of a highway outside L.A. when her jalopy broke down,” the Redditor continued, “She had no cell phone (that was before most people had cell phones) and no way to call for help. Then, a nice black Porsche pulls over, and as you can guess, it was Keanu.”

Helping Out On The Street

A True Gentleman

“He tried to help her jump-start the car, and when it didn’t work, he called AAA for her,” the Redditor continued. “When they towed her car, he offered to drive her home, which she accepted. He drove about 50 miles out of his destination just to drive her home. She told me she hoped he would hit on her, but he didn’t.”

A True Gentleman

A Well-Mannered Man

This is not, incidentally, the only time Reeves has garnered recognition for being well-mannered with women. For example, in June 2019, Twitter users pointed out that when Reeves poses with a female fan, he normally doesn’t touch her skin. “It’s not about not taking chances,” one person tweeted. “It’s about being considerate and respectful – qualities that Keanu carries in spades.”

A Well-Mannered Man

Giving Extravagant Gifts

Another Reddit thread tale also tells of Reeves giving away extravagant gifts while they were still on set. One user shared, “I had a few friends working special effects jobs on The Matrix movies,” The user continued, “[Reeves] bought all of them f**king Harleys for Christmas during the shoot for the second one.”

Giving Extravagant Gifts

He Confirmed The Story

In fact, this heartwarming story was backed up by Reeves himself. The star told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 2003, “We were all in this thing, and we were training together beforehand.”  Apparently, in order to “give a bigger thank you” to the people who helped him make the standout battle scenes in The Matrix Reloaded, he decided to give them motorbikes.

He Confirmed The Story

Charity Work

But if the chivalry of the star and the offers of free motorbikes are not proof enough, there is even more proof that Reeves is a wonderful all-around guy. The actor does a lot of charity work, for one thing, and he is really modest about it too.  Reeves told Ladies Home Journal in 2009, “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. I don’t like to attach my name to it.”

Charity Work

‘The Internet’s Boyfriend’

Given the popularity of Reeves’s nice-guy reputation, then, it’s unsurprising that fans have fallen in love with him-so much so that he was called “the internet’s boyfriend.” When Reeves once learned this flattering title, his reaction was adorable. “I didn’t know that… That’s wacky,” Reeves said at the Toy Story 4 premiere in June 2019 after he was told of the nickname by People. He added, “The positivity is great.”

‘The Internet’s Boyfriend’

His Quirky Side

Speaking of wackiness, it is probably the quirky side of Reeves that led to his fans being obsessed with him. And in June 2019, this definitely came to the fore when the actor was addressing a panel at the Electronic Entertainment Expo for the video game Cyberpunk 2077. Reeves’ conversation with one of the members of the audience was actually so funny and sweet that it spawned a meme.

His Quirky Side

‘You’re Breathtaking’

Reeves talked about how the game would be by sharing, “The feeling of being there – of walking the streets of the future – is going to be breathtaking.” In response, audience member Peter Sark shouted to the Canadian actor, “You’re breathtaking!” And Reeves answered back, “You’re breathtaking! You’re all breathtaking!”

‘You’re Breathtaking’

Reeves Is Breathtaking

The term “breathtaking” has since become synonymous with Reeves as a result of the cute interaction at the gaming conference. In fact, within hours of the show ending, memes referencing the moment started springing up. And the experience was used by Sark as a way to spread his own positivity. You see, he turned down the favor of receiving a free copy of Cyberpunk 2077 in favor of a charitable donation.

Reeves Is Breathtaking

Getting His Attention

So, what better way to get Reeves’ attention than “You’re Breathtaking” with a sign reading? Well, this was the brilliant idea that one Slidell, Louisiana, superfan had in July 2019. You see, Reeves was shooting Bill & Ted Face the Music in town, which was released in 2020. And while the actor was setting up with scriptwriter Ed Solomon one day, he saw the note on the front lawn.

Getting His Attention

Signing The Sign

Reeves got out of the car, according to Solomon, and went over to the sign immediately. The family who made it took some pictures of the star scrawling under their message with his autograph, and Solomon put the pics up on Twitter afterward. “So, yesterday this sign was out on a lawn on the way to set,” he wrote. “Keanu jumped out of the car and did this.”

Signing The Sign

The Hunt Family

The fans behind the stunt are the Hunt family, it transpires. Apparently, 16-year-old Ethan was excited to hear that Reeves will be filming Bill & Ted Face the Music in his area. Then he asked his mom, Stacey, if they could send the star a message, and she was pleased to do so.

The Hunt Family

The Sign Caught The People’s Attention

And Stacey had noticed several individuals stopping to take a look at it after putting the sign on the lawn. But, of course, when Reeves himself turned up, she was shocked. “Three people got out of the car and were walking into my yard, and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s Keanu Reeves!’” she told Nola.com. “I probably said ‘no way’ about a dozen times.”

The Sign Caught The People’s Attention

He Asked If He Could Sign It

And not only did Reeves sign the placard, saying, “Stacey, you’re breathtaking,” but he also asked permission first, being the true gentleman that he is. Hunt told the website, “I could not believe that he was in my yard, and he was casual and like, ‘Can I sign your sign?’” Hunt continued, “Ethan did the whole ‘You’re breathtaking’ bit – with the posture – and he did it back. It was just epic.”

He Asked If He Could Sign It

A Long-Time Fan

Needless to say, Hunt was thrilled that Reeves had dropped by. The Louisiana resident shared, “My heart has been racing for three days. Speed, The Lake House, Point Break – we’ve been watching Keanu Reeves movies for 20 years if not more,” The fan continued, “The fact that he was nice enough to take the time to talk to us and take pictures – everyone says he’s a nice guy, and it’s true.”

A Long Time Fan

Going Viral

After Reeves’s sweet act went viral too, Solomon made a similar observation on Twitter. “This thing, strangely, has gotten a lot of press. [I’m] not sure why,” he wrote a couple of days after the incident. “It’s a good guy doing a kind thing. But I can’t help but think that maybe it shouldn’t be so odd.”

Going Viral

They Were Grateful

That said, the Hunts were nevertheless extremely grateful for their encounter with the celebrity. On July 26, Stacey published a post from her husband on Twitter. “It’s been very surreal for sure. Keanu could have done the easy thing and passed the sign up, but he stopped and brought a lot of joy to my wife and kids. For that I am very thankful,” the post read.

They Were Grateful