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Staff floored as Keanu Reeves randomly drops into their small town U.K. pub

"He marched into the kitchen, shook their hands, and praised them for the food they had prepared."

Gordon Correll (left), Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors (right)

Keanu Reeves popped into The Robin Hood pub for lunch.

Who doesn't love Keanu Reeves? He has a well-deserved reputation as one of Hollywood’s nicest celebrities. Recently, he cheered up an 80-year-old fan who had a crush on him by calling her on the phone. He’s also bought an ice cream cone for a fan to give an autograph on the receipt and crashed a wedding to take photos with the bride and groom. He’s also an incredible humanitarian who gave up a big chunk of his money from The Matrix to a cancer charity.

The John Wick star was his usual gracious self over a random weekend in 2023 when he and a friend walked into The Robin Hood pub in Tring, Hertfordshire, about 30 miles outside of London.

Keanu Reeves, beer, pubKeanu Reeves popped in for a drink.Giphy

The employees at the pub in the picturesque, small market town with a population of 12,000 were shocked to see such a high-profile celebrity walk through its doors—especially one who is known for being such a humble, likable guy.

Pub staff posted a photo of chef Scott Valentine, 18, and The Matrix star on The Robin Hood’s Facebook page.

“So today we had a surprise visitor for lunch,” they shared. “What a lovely man he was too. Laura asked if he would be ok with taking photos with the kitchen lads. He marched into the kitchen, shook their hands, and praised them for the food they had prepared. Suffice to say he made their days!!!”


According to the staff at the restaurant, Reeves ordered traditional English fare. "He came to the bar and ordered a beer (Seafarers Ale) and just walked over to the corner. He ordered fish and chips and Nat's shepherd's pie,” Laura Rolfe told The Mirror.

Valentine told the BBC he was scared to cook for such a big star. But Reeves was appreciative of the staff and liked the food.

"It was a bit worrying because I had to cook for him, but we took it out to him and he said thank you and was really nice," said Valentine. “He came into the kitchen, shook our hands and said the food was lovely."

keanu reeves, kindnessKeanu Reeves has a reputation as a kind celebrityGiphy by Sky

The folks at The Robin Hood aren’t sure why Reeves was hanging out in Tring, but The Mirror speculated he was working on a Disney Plus docuseries about Formula 1.

In 2022, it was announced that Reeves was producing a documentary about Jenson Button’s unlikely victory for Brawn GP in 2009. “Our story is about Honda withdrawing from F1 and Ross Brawn who had joined Honda a year and a half earlier,” Reeves said according to TalkSport.

“How did they race a world championship? It’s certainly a people story. It’s about passion,” Reeves added. "Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story" came out as a 4-episode TV mini-series in 2023 and won the International Emmy Award for Best Sports Documentary that year.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

More recently, Reeves has been busy filming John Wick sequels with "John Wick: Chapter 5" in the works in 2025. The 60-year-old is also reuniting with his "Speed" co-star Sandra Bullock for a romance thriller produced by Amazon MGM, but details are under wraps.

Whatever the reason that Reeves showed up to a small town pub, it’s great that everyone who met him came away with warm feelings about the man. Reeves clearly knows that by being a humble, nice guy to people, he can make someone else’s day and give them a great story to tell forever. Kudos to Reeves for using his fame to touch other people’s lives. With all the stories we’ve reported about him being cool to fans, it seems like he never lets anybody down.

This article originally appeared two years ago and has been updated.

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Pop Culture

Keanu Reeves gets emotional while sharing how much 'The Matrix' means to him

Reeves shared his favorite memories of each of his biggest films. When he got to 'The Matrix,' there was a noticeable change.

Raph_PH/Wikipedia, Photo by Shannon Kunkle on Unsplash

“’The Matrix’ changed my life."

Keanu Reeves might have broken into the industry through “Bill and Ted,” and was an established '90s action actor thanks to films like “Speed” and “Point Break.” But his iconic role as Neo in “The Matrix” truly catapulted him into stardom.

For many, “The Matrix” was both a thrilling cinematic escape and a powerful spiritual experience—exploring what it means to be human in the digital age, all while kicking ass in cool leather trench coats. And Reeves was the hero that took us on that journey.

Of course, he would go on to be the center of another legendary franchise with “John Wick” and would become a legend off-camera as a genuinely compassionate and generous person. But to think—we might have not had any of it had Reeves never taken that red pill.

It turns out that not even Reeves himself takes that moment in his life for granted.

During a recent interview with Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show,” the host mentioned several of Reeves’ movies that were celebrating an anniversary this year — “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” 35; “Point Break,” 33; “Speed,” 30; “The Matrix,” 25; and “John Wick,” 10.

Colbert then asked Reeves to name a fond memory from each of these iconic movies in a lightning-round style. Reeves was able to get out simple answers like “friendship” for “Bill and Ted” and “the genius of Catherine Bigelow” for “Point Break,” but when he got to “The Matrix,” there was a palpable, emotional pause.

After about twenty seconds, Reeves replied, “’The Matrix’ changed my life. And then, over these years, it’s changed so many other people’s lives in really positive and great ways.”

Gathering himself, he concluded, “As an artist, you hope for that when you get to do a film or tell a story…it’s the best.”

It was so well said that Colbert didn’t bother trying to get a memory for “John Wick” but instead shook his hand and ended the segment.

Watch:

"The Matrix" Changed My Life - Keanu Reeves Shares Fond Memories Of His Most Iconic Filmswww.youtube.com

Down in the comments, people were once again moved by Reeves’ heartfelt authenticity.

“Keanu's response to the Matrix question was so profound.”

“That really got me. So moving. As for the movie itself, to this day, The Matrix is still the most mind-blowing experience I've ever had in a theatre!”

“The answer, his face, his body language, how he changed his emotion so fast just gave me chills and I cried. He knows the truth.”

“What a real dude. There's a reason everyone loves him.”

“Do we all simply want to burst into tears when he emotionally recounts how The Matrix has touched people?”

“To this day, The Matrix remains my favorite movie of all time. Full stop. It's amazing to see him get so emotional when he talks about it.”

“He almost made me cry, that was a raw emotional sincere comment he made - just beautiful.”

“The Academy Awards will honor Keanu Reeves one day with a lifetime achievement award. No doubt. The Matrix is the best sci-fi movie ever made and Keanu was brilliant in the role. A beautiful human being. I always support his work. I wish him the best this world offers.”

By the way, if all this Matrix nostalgia has got you wishing you could see it on the big screen again, you’re in luck! AMC will be presenting a special anniversary screening of it in September.

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Because dreams do come true, Keanu Reeves crashed a wedding and it was delightful

Best. Surprise. Ever.

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Most wholesome guy in Hollywood.

Imagine: It’s your wedding day. Hopefully, one of the most magical, memorable days of your life (if you’re into that sort of thing, that is). You’re already on cloud nine after gazing into the eyes of your beloved and declaring everlasting commitment to each other. Nothing could possibly make this moment any better, right?

Wrong. Keanu Reeves could make it better. And for one lucky couple, he did make an already wonderful wedding even better … simply by showing up.

keanu reeves, john wick 5We love you, Keanu.Giphy

Bride and groom Nikki and James Roadnight had only just tied the knot and were celebrating in the bar of the Fawsley Hall Hotel in Northamptonshire, England, when they noticed John Wick himself standing nearby.

Perhaps James had already consumed enough liquid courage, because he felt confident enough to approach the movie star and invite him to the reception. As one would hope, Reeves was as pleasant and welcoming as his reputation implies.

"My husband … told him he'd just got married and invited Keanu to come over to say hello and have a drink with us if he wanted to. He was very friendly and said he would later on. We didn't know if he would or not but it was cool that my husband had spoken to him!" Nikki told Newsweek. Oh Nikki … little did you know, it was about to get so much cooler.

Only an hour later, the bride received a message from the hotel saying a “very special guest” was waiting for the couple outside.

That guest was of course the one, the only … Keanu Reeves.

Though the 57-year-old “Matrix” actor didn’t drink at the party, he generously spoke to guests and took pictures—some were even with the official wedding photographer. You know those photos are going on the couple’s fridge, for sure.

Everyone at the event was understandably “a bit starstruck.” However, it was perhaps the mother of the bride who had the biggest reaction.

"My mum, Jo, took photos and shouted for everyone to yell 'Speed' as she took the photo,” Nikki joked with Newsweek. Good choice, Jo. Though mine might have been “whoa” from “Bill and Ted.”
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They're gonna cherish this day forever

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Seeing Reeves made an already “perfect” wedding day truly “out of the world,” the bride shared, calling it “something to remember and the start of many more adventures together."

Hilariously, Nikki chose to use a photo of her and a smiling Keanu as her new profile picture, rather than James.

keanu reeves pics, keanu reeves twitter

She totally forgot she was married for a second.

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“Shouldn’t your profile pic be of you and your new husband?” someone asked.

“Mr. Roadnight won’t mind just for a few days,” Nikki responded. That’s true love right there, folks.

The name “Keanu Reeves” has become rather synonymous with kindness. From anonymous donations to taking pay cuts, to helping other creatives on his projects, to just being a general source of goodness during times of crisis … the actor formally known as “the internet’s boyfriend” is beloved by all, and for good reason.

Maybe we can’t all be so lucky as to have Reeves show up at our wedding, but we are all lucky to have him in this world.

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Watch an adorably goofy video of 20-year-old Keanu Reeves at a teddy bear convention

Before there was 'John Wick,' there were teddy bears.

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This is the best video ever recorded.

Just when you thought there was nothing else to love about Keanu Reeves, you find wholesome reason #472.

Like many actors before they hit it big at the box office, as a performer Reeves had a few odd jobs filling out his resume. But this one might just be the oddest job of them all.

An unearthed video posted to Twitter by All The Right Movies shows a baby-faced Reeves doing a news report in 1984 for CBC, a Canadian television network.

Where was he reporting? Why, a teddy bear convention, of course.

Interviewees included convention-goers, toymakers and, of course, the bears themselves.

A consummate professional, Reeves asked the tough questions like “Why are all the bears’ first name Teddy?” and “What do your friends think about you collecting bears?” All while giving off major “Bill and Ted” vibes. It was pure delight.

The best part, though, comes at the end, when Reeves fake wrestles a teddy bear, and proceeds to get tackled to the ground.

Keep in mind, he hadn’t learned kung fu from "The Matrix" yet.

Was it cheesy? Oh yes. Bizarre? You betchya. But also delivered with a goofy, loveable charm that only Keanu can really pull off.

As one would assume, the short and sweet video clip got lots of love online.

“I will protect this man with my man,” one person wrote.

“Best thing public television ever funded,” added another.

Basically, Keanu Reeves is a treasure.

It’s not an easy feat to go from playing airheads to one of Hollywood’s leading action stars. It’s equally rare to reach stardom without losing at least some humility. But Reeves has pulled off both. His unbridled kindness and emotional resilience have made him not only a celebrity, but a role model.

Now, there’s another thing to endear him to us all. Reeves avenges puppies, time travels AND interviews teddy bears … is there anything this man can’t do?

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