Earlier this week, the internet went into a catastrophic meltdown over the news Keanu Reeves is dating artist and philanthropist Alexandra Grant.
And while a great deal of the responses were of overwhelming happiness that Keanu Reeves has found love once again, an alarming number of people seemed completely fixated on the fact the actor is dating someone who is nearly the same age as him; a sight which is increasingly rare on the red carpets of Hollywood.
As well as obsessing over Alexandra’s age (she’s 46, by the way, which is still almost 10 years Keanu’s junior), people were quick to compare her appearance to that of 74-year-old actress Helen Mirren.
On seeing the artist’s natural silver locks and facial features, some people of the internet were convinced Keanu must be dating Helen on first glance, despite the fact the actor has been happily married to Taylor Hackford since 1997. But, you know, never let the facts get in the way of a good social media post, hey?
Anyway, the internet rumours have even made their way back to Mirren, who has had her say on the social media outcry, and she’s responded in the most bloody lovely way.
While making her way along the red carpet at the premiere of her latest film, The Good Liar, Entertainment Tonight asked Helen what she thought about the mix up.
‘I saw that,’ Helen told the journalist. ‘That was very flattering on me, you know, because she’s obviously lovely.’
The RED star continued:
I do know Keanu very well. He did a film with my husband and he is just the most adorable, lovely person.
So, she’s a lucky girl and I’m sure that he’s a lucky boy.
Keanu has generally avoided public displays of affection during his impressive 35-year career, which is why the internet was so overwhelmed when the actor stepped out onto the red carpet at the LACMA Art + Film Gala in Los Angeles, holding hands with Alexandra.
The pair first worked together back in 2011, when Alexandra illustrated Keanu’s book, Ode to Happiness. They teamed up again for The Matrix star’s 2016 book, Shadows, with Alexandra again on illustrating duties.
They then went on to found X Artists’ Books, which focuses on publishing ‘thoughtful, high-quality, artist-centered books that fit within and between genres’.
Comments about ages and appearances aside, the pair clearly have a lot in common and hey, they do look super happy together.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.