Keanu Reeves pays moving tribute to Diane Keaton revealing how their time together changed his view on acting and life.NH
Keanu Reeves has the fondest memories of working with Diane Keaton.
The 61-year-old John Wick star reflected on his experience sharing the screen with the late Oscar winner, who died at the age of 79 on Saturday, Oct. 11, in their 2003 film Something’s Gotta Give.
During a Monday, Oct. 13 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Reeves was asked to share a favorite memory of Keaton, whom he described as being “an extraordinary, unique, special person and artist.”
One moment that stuck out to Reeves was watching Keaton and their costar Jack Nicholson film a scene in Paris together for the Nancy Meyers-directed film.
“It was Diane and Jack Nicholson at a table in a restaurant in Paris. And just watching those two legends not only act, but insult each other,” he said fondly.
“She would turn to Jack and [say], ‘You’re just a… Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.’ And he would just be like, ‘Yeah, you dirty…’ And they’re just grinning, but they’re just insulting each other with love.”
“The intelligence, the humor, but just watching them just be themselves and with the history and art that they’ve worked [on],” he continued.
Reeves also described Keaton, whom he reunited with at the 2020 Oscars, as being a “total pro” while speaking to E! News on Oct. 13.
“She was very nice to me. Generous, generous artist and a very special, unique person,” he said while attending a screening of his new film Good Fortune in New York City.
Recently resurfaced comments that Keaton made about Something’s Gotta Give prove that Reeves isn’t the only star to have fond memories of the film.
In her 2011 memoir, Then Again, Keaton described Something’s Gotta Give as her “favorite film,” per The Guardian.
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While the actress was afraid that the movie, in which she, Reeves, and Nicholson find themselves in a love triangle, would not be a success, she ended up earning her fourth Oscar nomination for the performance.
Also in the memoir, Keaton recalled receiving a check “with a lot of zeros,” and learning that it was part of her “back-end percentage” following the film’s success. While the actress hadn’t negotiated a back-end deal, she shared that Nicholson had given her some of his earnings from the film.
During the Oct. 13 episode of his late-night show, Stephen Colbert, who described himself as a “lifelong fan” of Keaton, also highlighted a 2012 interview he had, noting she was “one of our most talented, original and effortlessly funny actors.”
“I loved Diane Keaton ever since my mother made me walk out of Annie Hall when I was 11,” he recalled before unearthing a clip of him “attempting to interview her about her memoir.”
“It was so charmingly chaotic and one of my favorite interviews I ever had the privilege of doing,” he shared of the moment.
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PEOPLE confirmed Keaton’s death on Oct. 11, with a spokesperson noting: “There are no further details available at this time, and her family has asked for privacy in this moment of great sadness.”
“She declined very suddenly, which was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her,” one of Keaton’s friends subsequently told PEOPLE. “It was so unexpected, especially for someone with such strength and spirit.”
A film executive who knew Keaton also described her to PEOPLE as someone who “always had a very strong sense of who she was and how she wanted to live.”
“In these last few years, she kept a close circle and she liked it that way. She was funny right up until the end and she had this way of making even ordinary moments feel special. That was just who she was,” they told PEOPLE.
