In 2010, an image of Reeves became an internet meme after photographs of him were published, sitting on a park bench with a sad facial expression. The images were posted on the 4chan discussion board and were soon distributed via several blogs and media outlets, leading to the “Sad Keanu” meme being spread on the internet. An unofficial holiday was created when a Facebook fan page declared June 15 as “Cheer-up Keanu Day”.[265][296] He would later downplay the photo, saying, “Man, I was eating a sandwich. I was thinking—I had some stuff going on. I was hungry.”[297]
Reeves’s casual persona and ability to establish rapport have been observed by the public, leading him to be dubbed the “Internet’s boyfriend”.[298][299][300] In 2019, Vox named Reeves’s unorthodox filmography and ability to appeal to nerd culture as the primary reasons for his internet popularity.[301] The Guardian noted that he holds a reputation as “one of the nicest, humblest guys on the Hollywood A-list”,[222] and the BBC wrote that he is known for his “gentle, mild-mannered persona”, and is often described as “the nicest man in Hollywood.”[269] Time dubbed Reeves as the “master of the fan encounter”,[302] and Snopes observed that he is “so beloved that he’s a cultural fixture”.[303]
