PRESENTED BY
PRESENTED BY
Dave J Hogan—Getty Images for Lionsgate

There’s something unique about Keanu Reeves’ fame—he’s known for his kindness and generosity, despite his celebrity. In this often unkind and shallow world, my friend Keanu gives others hope. The actions of this handsome, talented, successful, and fiercely committed actor have become a reprieve from the constant disappointment we have for those who get put on a pedestal.

I remember the ease I felt the first time I met him. It could have been a stressful first meeting—a screen test, all eyes on us, Neo and Trinity together for the first time. But Keanu was just as he always is: kind, generous, and thoughtful. We’ve played those characters for more than 20 years, including­ in last year’s The Matrix: Resurrections, and he’s still the man who checks in on me during an intense training day just as he did then. He supported me all those years ago and still does now, by the way he listens and the way he shows up as a friend. I’m fiercely protective of our friendship, I know I can count on Keanu and he on me.

His essence and humanity come through every character he plays, as well as in the everyday interactions that the world catches glimpses of. We don’t need to be inspired by something bigger than us, but rather by what already lives inside of us. Keanu so kindly illuminates this for us all.

Moss is an actor

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com.

Simu Liu
Tim Cook
Mary J. Blige
Candace Parker
Volodymyr Zelensky
5 stories
EDIT POST