Keanu Reeves never touches women in photos and the internet loves him for it
Keanu Reeves (at the Toy Story 4 premiere in Los Angeles on June 11) is a "respectful king" said one fan on Twitter. Photo: Getty
Fronted at the Toy Story 4 premiere in Los Angeles on June 11 and told he’s been named the internet’s newest boyfriend, Keanu Reeves was flummoxed on a couple of levels.
“I’ve been what?” he asked, when a People reporter told him on the red carpet of his latest role.
“I didn’t know that … that’s wacky.”
With Alexandra Grant on June 6. Photo: Getty
Part of the reason for the current Keanu obsession?
A viral tweet that drew attention to the fact he doesn’t touch women he’s not involved with when having his photo taken with them.
A trawl through Keanu photos online shows him with hands firmly in pockets or keeping ‘hover hands’ at waist level when posing on red carpets with co-stars or taking a snap with fans.
(He did hold hands with artist Alexandra Grant on June 6 at a St Laurent photo call in Los Angeles. They’ve been “collaborating” on book projects since 2009, according to The New York Times).
Hands off! Keanu and Always Be My Maybe’s Ali Wong on May 22. Photo: Getty
“Lol Keanu ain’t taking no chances,” Jamaican youth development consultant Kemoy Lindsay wrote on Twitter in the post that kicked things off.
Lol Keanu ain’t taking no chances. 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/nnfIOZKbT1
— K.A.L (@Lind_Sayss) June 9, 2019
Dolly Parton got the same treatment, as shown in a Keanu ‘hands off’ photo montage that spawned a stack of other shots and saw him praised as a “respectful king” for being “considerate”.
Other fans suggested Keanu might just be protecting himself against ‘Me Too’ allegations, but they were slapped down.
“It’s not about not taking chances. It’s about being considerate and respectful, qualities that Keanu carries in spades,” another Twitter user said.
“This should be how it’s done unless ya know the woman doesn’t mind being touched. Keanu should inspire us all,” said a fan.
Keanu keeps it classy with Toy Story 4 co-stars (from left) Woody, Tom Hanks, Annie Potts, Bo Peep, Tim Allen, Tony Hale, Christina Hendricks and Buzz Lightyear on June 8. Photo: Getty
Soon, everyone was talking up the Keanu photo quirk.
“Keanu has spoken about how his mother imparted English manners that he has maintained into adulthood. This is not just self preservation, this is actually what having manners looks like,” said one tweet.
Another user responded: “I don’t think he’s reacting to the ‘Me Too’ movement. That’s just how he is. Plus he’s a Virgo so he could [be] slightly germaphobic.”
But the hands praise is just part of the second coming of Keanu, which has even seen Forbes weigh in.
“There’s our fascination with the 54-year-old actor’s seeming refusal to age and his random acts of kindness which play to the idea that he really is as nice as you’d hope every famous person might be,” said the business publication.
2019 has seen Keanu in a starring role in blockbuster John Wick: Chapter 3 and voice the new character of Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4.
He’ll be back on screen soon in the upcoming Bill and Ted’s sequel but meanwhile his slow-mo walk in Netflix rom-com Always Be My Maybe has become the stuff of internet legend.
It’s thanks to a new Twitter account, ‘Keanu Walking To Music’, which has been remixing his cameo from the movie – originally paired with Awolnation’s song Sail – with other popular songs.
As one Twitter user said, “I wanted to find one that didn’t work but I couldn’t.”
Keanu even has a Fortnite character based on him, making a surprise appearance for XBox during Microsoft’s June 10 E3 conference.
Keanu Reeves is confirmed breathtaking pic.twitter.com/pdDGM17tBR
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 9, 2019
He had a codename leading up to his E3 appearance to maintain secrecy.
“I said, ‘You’re going to go out there and the fans are going to go crazy’,” XBox boss Phil Spencer told Variety.
“And he’s like, ‘Oh, that’s cool’.”
My theory about why everyone thinks Keanu Reeves is hot right now is that he seems like the kind of guy who would get into a fight to defend your honor but also, like, knows how to load a dishwasher well.
— Brooke Rogers 🪐 (@bkerogers) June 12, 2019
Keanu is taking all the love in his stride. “The positivity is great,” he told People.
