Keanu Reeves Begs Animation Creators: 'Just Put Me In Coach'
The Matrix star shocked showrunners when he personally requested a role in their hit animated series, revealing an unexpected creative obsession that's reshaping his career choices.
Few Hollywood stars command the respect Keanu Reeves does while maintaining his reputation as genuinely decent human being. While gossip swirls around countless celebrities, Reeves consistently earns praise as a collaborative partner and all-around good person. The John Wick franchise's massive success feels especially satisfying because Reeves championed the project from day one, even when budgets were tight and nobody else saw its potential.
Most fans know Reeves for his action movie dominance. John Wick, Point Break, and Speed remain genre classics. But his science fiction work, particularly The Matrix trilogy, cemented his status among devoted genre enthusiasts.
From Live Action to Animation Dreams
Beyond starring in films like Johnny Mnemonic and The Day The Earth Stood Still, Reeves proves his geek credentials run deep. He co-wrote the BRZRKR comic series and its spinoff novel The Book of Elsewhere. He voiced characters in Cyberpunk 2077. This sci-fi obsession explains why he actively pursues creators whose work excites him.
After appearing in Tim Miller's anthology series Secret Level, Reeves approached the showrunner about something completely different. Miller, a longtime Reeves admirer, told Gamesradar about their surprising conversation.
"He is a huge animation fan, and he came down to Blur to talk to me about a movie, another movie 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."
Convincing His Partner
Miller was so stunned he struggled convincing co-creator Dave Wilson the conversation actually happened. "I asked Dave, 'If you were to cast Keanu Reeves in the show, what character would he be?'" Miller posed the question to his partner. "At first, Dave thought I was joking that Keanu Reeves wanted to be in the show."
Reeves wasn't bluffing about his animation passion. Recent years show increased interest in the medium. He voiced a comedic Batman in DC League of Super Pets and earned critical acclaim for his Shadow performance in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Career Evolution at 61
At 61, Reeves faces realistic limits on future Matrix and John Wick sequels requiring intense physical demands. Animated anthology work like Love, Death and Robots represents more than a career pivot. It offers opportunities to explore passion projects without the physical toll of action filmmaking.