The ‘Sad Keanu’ meme is one of many things that’s made Keanu Reeves one of most beloved celebrities of the modern age. In an interview with Stephen Colbert, the star of The Matrix 4 explained what exactly was happening when the iconic shot was taken.
Promoting the new Matrix movie on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Reeves was presented with the image that’s routinely populated social media for years. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a picture of the John Wick actor on a public bench, eating some food with a couple of bags of groceries beside him, and he looks like he’s having a long day. In 2010, the picture made the rounds on forums and social media, encapsulating what it is to be a little bit exhausted and miserable.
Reeves is a little taken aback by all the attention it’s gotten, explaining that he was just having lunch. “I’m just eating a sandwich, man!” he says. “Listen, I was thinking. I had some stuff going on, I was hungry.” Truly, just makes the moment more relatable.
This was in relation to Reeves’s new comics, BRZRKR, and a panel that seems to reference his meme. Pure coincidence, he claims, though he says it might’ve been “kinda meta” in a subconscious way.
Reeves has a busy year ahead of him, with The Matrix Resurrections coming out soon, and then John Wick 4 in 2022. On top of that, he has animated movie DC’s League of Super-Pets. Who has time to be sad with a schedule like that?
You can catch Reeves as Neo in The Matrix 4 on December 22, 2021. For more unexpected trips to the past, check out the best time travel movies.