Keanu Reeves’ good guy reputation has seemingly preceded him in every way. Whether he’s spending his birthday with co-stars or having adorable fans encounters that go viral on TikTok fans, the man just seems to ooze kindness. However, major celebrities like Reeves don’t always have the best rapport with the press, especially the paparazzi. On that note, a former TMZ producer opened up about what the Matrix star is really like when the cameras aren’t rolling.
The Hollywood A-lister was brought up during a conversation with ex-TMZ field producer Joe Andaloro on the Hollywood Raw podcast. Andaloro recalled being with the media outlet for a decade (while simultaneously producing other work) “a unique position” while producing other work. He said that his aim was to engage with Hollywood respectfully. What’s most interesting, though, is that Andaloro revealed that stars occasionally set up spots for press, though that doesn’t necessarily mean they would want to talk to paparazzi. The veteran producer had the following to say on the matter:
It’s a love-hate relationship. They’re actors, so they do have to act. And even if there was a setup –there were times we were set up by them and they would act like… they didn’t want us to interview them. Which is bizarre. But it’s an act.
These comments suggest that the relationship between some paparazzi and major Hollywood celebrities is a bit more nuanced than some might’ve assumed. On that note, the former field producer then delved into the co-dependent relationship between the press and film stars. He spilled that many celebrities or people in their inner circles would call up the news outlet to let them know of the star’s location.
He also mentioned that the cool factor played a part in Hollywood’s alleged hatred for the paparazzi. The former reporter equated the film industry to “high school” and a “popularity contest,” as all celebs must appear as “cool” to the public. In the age of “sensationalism” and social media, the former TMZ employee noticed a dramatic change in that relationship in the last decade. He then went on to discuss some of his most notable interactions with stars, which is when he mentioned how cool the Speed alum is:
It’s an image thing like I’m the cool guy. Leo DiCaprio was probably one of the most unfriendly interactions, it was a no interaction. But A-listers that were the coolest ones, those guys tend to not be that cool. Even though some are – like Keanu Reeves –[he’s] the sweetest guy. Like unbelievable to talk to him.
The ex-TMZ producer mentioned that Keanu Reeves allegedly didn’t like the camera being in his face, though it sounds like he’d still keep it classy whenever faced with photogs. With that, the John Wick star apparently surprised Joe Andaloro near the end of his tenure with TMZ in a kind way. The former TV producer said:
He might not want to engage with you on camera, but, you know, he did for me at the end. One of my last great clips was that I got Keanu Reeves to talk, which was crazy.
To be clear, the A-lister didn’t set anything up like other celebs, as it would appear that he simply decided to speak to the producer at what happened to be near the end of his stint at TMZ. This is an incredibly kind gesture on the Bill & Ted icon’s part, and it really speaks volumes to his generosity. This is also amazing when you consider the fact that the Hollywood A-lister didn’t . Kudos to him for being such a class act in this case.
There are plenty of reasons to celebrate Keanu Reeves and, just recently, it was confirmed that he would receive a very sweet honor. He’ll be the first recipient of the Lance Reddick Legacy Award, which was organized by the Saturn Awards. One would imagine that’s a bittersweet achievement for the star, considering he got to know Reddick closely while working on the John Wick movies. Here’s hoping that Reeves remains as rock solid a person that he seems to be off camera as he is as an actor while on camera.
Moviegoers will get the chance to see Keanu Reeves as John Wick again when the Ana de Armas-led spinoff, Ballerina, hits theaters on June 7 as part of the 2024 movie schedule. He already has another project in the works, as he joined Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut Good Fortune, for which a release date has yet to be announced.