I think about death all the time

Many of us avoid thinking about death, but not Keanu Reeves.

“I’m 59, so I’m thinking about death all the time,” the Hollywood megastar has revealed to BBC News.

That’s a good thing, he adds.

“Hopefully it’s not crippling, but hopefully it’s sensitised [us] to an appreciation of the breath we have and the relationships that we have the potential to have.”

The reason we’re sat with The Matrix star, ruminating on life and mortality, is not because he has another blockbuster to promote.

This time, it’s a new book – Reeves’ first novel.

The Book of Elsewhere, written in collaboration with British science fiction author China Miéville, follows an immortal warrior, who wants to be able to die.

China Miéville left, and Keanu Reeves have teamed up on a new novel

We meet Reeves and Miéville in a lowly lit hotel bar in central London.

The Canadian actor, who is based in Hollywood, makes time to see us in between gigs with his Dogstar band.

The night before, the band played in Manchester. Reeves looks a bit tired as we begin the 30-minute interview.

But his passion for his novel also comes through strongly.

The Book of Elsewhere is based on the hugely successful BRZRKR comic book series created by Reeves.

Released in 2021, BRZRKR – pronounced “berserker” for the uninitiated – is also due to be adapted into a live-action Netflix film starring Reeves, as well as an anime series.

For Reeves, comic books have a special appeal.

“I love the images,” he said. “I love words and storytelling and I love the way that you can have this engagement that overlays. And so you can look at the art and then you can follow the story.”

The actor plays down his role in the collaborative process though, insisting: “I didn’t write a novel. China wrote a novel.”

Miéville argues “That’s putting it too far,” adding: “It wouldn’t exist in the form without a lot of very thoughtful and careful work with Keanu.”

Keanu Reeves is best known for his roles in action films like John Wick.

The central character in the plot is known only as “B”.

With his long dark hair, B shares physical similarities with Reeves.

When the comic book first came out, some fans also pointed out certain thematic similarities between the two, including a difficult personal life.

Reeves has lost several people he has loved in his life, including his girlfriend, their stillborn daughter, and his best friend.

But that might be where the similarities end.

B is 80,000 years old, half-mortal and half-god. He also has a “curse of violence”, which seems completely unlike Reeves.

The actor, who is known for his gentle, mild-mannered persona, has often been described as the nicest man in Hollywood.

B, on the other hand, is someone who can “punch through people’s chests and rip their arms off, rip their heads off”, according to Reeves.

So where does such violence come from?

“I think it was influenced by some of the action films that I had done,” said Reeves, who has also starred in the Speed and John Wick franchises.