Keanu Reeves addresses viral photos of him looking sad, shares how he was really feeling
The 2010 photo saw him looking blue on a park bench
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Keanu Reeves is explaining himself.
The 57-year-old actor has been the subject of a viral meme since 2010 when a photo of the "Matrix" actor looking particularly down began to circulate online.
In the pic, dubbed "sad Keanu," a short-haired Reeves sits on a bench as he munches on some food. He somberly looks down at his feet while he rests his arms on his legs.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}During an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" earlier this week, the actor revealed the true story behind the viral photograph.
Keanu Reeves addressed a viral photo of him from 2010 in which he looked particularly down. The pic has circulated widely since it was taken. (Ronald Asadorian/Splash News )
"I’m just eating a sandwich, man!" joked the "John Wick" star.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He continued: "I was thinking. I had some stuff going on. I was hungry."
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The shot was seemingly referenced in a frame of the comic book that Reeves recently created called "Brzrkr." The frame featured a dark-haired man sitting on a bench in the rain, striking a similar pose.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That similarity – Ron Garney is the amazing artist who's illustrating and designing ‘Brzrkr’ – I didn't know he was going to do that, but that's what he did," Reeves said in reference to the comic panel echoing the viral pic. "So I think it's kind of meta."
Reeves explained during an appearance on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ that he was ‘hungry’ in the 2010 viral photograph. (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)
The star said that it "might not even be true" that Garney, who has also worked on various Marvel comics, drew from the real meme.
"The artist, I think, took that meme and whatever that is, that photo, and then put it into the comic book," he added with a shrug. "But that's life and art."
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Reeves has popped up in a handful of other memes as well over the years, which he also addressed during his appearance.
Keanu Reeves will next be seen reprising his role as Neo in ‘The Matrix Resurrections,’ in theaters and on HBO Max on Dec. 22. (Warner Bros.)
"I have no clue, sir," he said as to why he is so frequently the subject of memes. "Really."
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"Meme on me, when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry [on]," he sang to the tune of Bill Withers' "Lean on Me."