Keanu Reeves has been around the block. He's one of Hollywood's most delightfully quirky actors, giving audiences around the world endless entertainment. However, Reeves isn't just an "entertainer." He also dips and dabbles into philosophy! Reeves spoke to the BBC about a few topics -- with death being prominent among them.
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"I'm 59, so I'm thinking about death all the time," Reeves told the publication. "Hopefully it's not crippling, but hopefully it's sensitized [us] to an appreciation of the breath we have, and the relationships that we have the potential to have."
The subject of death came up because... Reeves is releasing a fantasy novel? In collaboration with notable "weird fiction" novelist, China Miéville? Well, alright, then! Oddly enough, I'm extremely excited to read that! The book, titled The Book of Elsewhere, is about an immortal warrior who desperately wants to die. (Fighting hard to avoid the low-hanging "Me too!" joke.)
The Book of Elsewhere is based on the BRZRKR comic book series. ...Which Reeves also created? How am I just now finding out about this?! Then, the interview goes deeper down the introspective rabbit hole!
Keanu Reeves Has Death On The Mind, But That's Okay Because He Has A Cool Book Coming Out
When the conversation turned to the appeal of the fantasy genre, Reeves had incredible insight. "Maybe ultimately the fantasy of building another world brings some kind of comfort in some way," Reeves states. "There's something ultimately about the creative gesture that comes from pain. Creating stuff is great. Just creating, sharing, and hopefully people like the stories that we tell."
That's something a trueborn storyteller would say! Not that actors aren't allowed to write (or be involved with) comic books or novels, but wow. My plan was to toss in some social media reactions, but actually, I want to spend my remaining word count praising Reeves' mindset!
I've always believed there are certain "intangible human factors" that lead people to great stories. It's why The Lord of the Rings is so beloved. It's why Game of Thrones became a cultural must-see phenomenon (until they started fumbling the show halfway through, but that's a different story).
At the core of every well-told story is pain. Pettiness. Compassion. Perseverance. Success. Failure. Decisive moments that make or break a person and their motivations. Reeves gets that! But I suppose I should've expected nothing less from John Wick!
