Keanu Reeves reminisces about his late friend and John Wick costar, Lance Reddick.
At the 2024 Saturn Awards in Burbank, California, Keanu Reeves, 59, received the inaugural Lance Reddick Legacy Award held at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport hotel on Sunday night.
In an exclusive conversation at the ceremony, Keanu Reeves, also a nominee for the best actor in a film award, shared how he wrote a letter to Lance Reddick, who unexpectedly passed away last March at age 60. Reeves credited Reddick for making people “love John Wick.”
“He had such a passion and a fire for creativity, and for his craft, and for art. I had the chance to work with him on four films over the course of eight years, and over that time, we got to know each other better,” the Matrix star said when discussing his favorite memories with Reddick.
“But also, he had such a grace, and he was funny. I mean, humor-wise. I don’t know. I think favorite memory… it’s the scenes that I had with him and the relationship that he and John Wick had, Charon,” Reeves went on.
“I once told him… Well, actually I wrote him a letter and I said, ‘people love John Wick because Charon loves John Wick,’ ” he added of Reddick’s John Wick character; the concierge at New York City’s Continental Hotel.
The Constantine actor continued, stating, “Because that character loved John Wick, that made John Wick okay. And so when I got to act with him, we had such an affection.”
“The characters had such an affection, and offscreen, we had such an affection and just really enjoying working on the John Wick films, our characters, getting to work with Chad [Stahelski] and on that series,” he added. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime project. I think he knew that, I knew it, and we just loved working together on it.”
The Saturn Awards accolade, named after Reddick, symbolizes and celebrates not only a performer’s talent but their character, as mentioned in a press release.
Following Reddick’s sudden death, Reeves and John Wick: Chapter 4 director Stahelski released a joint statement expressing deep sorrow. “We are deeply saddened and heartbroken at the loss of our beloved friend and colleague Lance Reddick. He was the consummate professional and a joy to work with,” they said, confirming the dedication of John Wick: Chapter 4, released one week after Reddick’s death, in his honor.
“Our love and prayers are with his wife Stephanie, his children, family and friends. We dedicate the film to his loving memory. We will miss him dearly,” they added.
