Keanu Reeves Begs for Any Role in Hit Animated Series

There aren’t many actors with the reputation of Keanu Reeves, who’s managed to stay in everyone’s good books while most celebrities cop a bit of flak at some point. He’s often described as a top bloke, easy to work with, and genuinely friendly. His backing of the John Wick films from the get-go, even when the odds were stacked against them, is a big part of why those films have become such a hit with punters.

Most locals would know Reeves for his action-packed roles in classics like Point Break, Speed, and of course, John Wick. But he’s also a bit of a legend among sci-fi fans, thanks to his work in The Matrix series. He’s dipped his toes into other genre projects too, like Johnny Mnemonic and The Day The Earth Stood Still. A self-confessed geek, Reeves has kept his interest in science fiction and fantasy alive by co-writing the BRZRKR comic and its spin-off novel, The Book of Elsewhere, and lending his voice to the video game Cyberpunk 2077.

Reeves’ Unexpected Love for Animation

Given his long-standing fascination with sci-fi, it’s no shock that Reeves has reached out to creators of projects he’s a fan of. He made a guest appearance on Tim Miller’s anthology series Secret Level, but it turns out he was even more keen on Miller’s other animated show, Love, Death & Robots. Miller, who’s been a fan of Reeves for ages, was gobsmacked when Reeves approached him about the series.

“He is a huge animation fan, and he came down to Blur to talk to me about a film, another film entirely and said, ‘What I really want to talk about is Love, Death and Robots, can you tell me all about it? I love animation’,”

Miller recalled.

“I said, ‘Well, we’re doing this other thing. Would you want to be in it?’ And he said, ‘Fuck yeah’. I said, ‘Do you have anything in particular you want to play?’ And he’s like, ‘No, just put me in coach’, essentially.”

Surprising the Creators

Miller was so taken aback by Reeves’ enthusiasm that he had to convince his co-creator, Dave Wilson, that it wasn’t a stitch-up.

“I asked Dave, ‘If you were to cast Keanu Reeves in the show, what character would he be?’”

Miller said.

“At first, Dave thought I was joking that Keanu Reeves wanted to be in the show.”

Reeves’ interest in animation isn’t just talk. He’s taken on more animated roles lately, voicing a tongue-in-cheek Batman in DC League of Super Pets and earning a fair bit of praise for his work as Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. At 61, he’s probably not going to be doing endless sequels to The Matrix or John Wick, so jumping into an animated anthology like Love, Death & Robots could be a fresh direction and a real passion project for him.