Entertainment

Keanu Reeves’ Yearbook Photo Went Viral, But It’s Not The Actor's Only Classic Throwback Pic

by Savannah Walsh
Jesse Grant/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

In 2019 alone, Keanu Reeves has played scene-stealing roles in Toy Story 4 and Always Be My Maybe, in addition to starring in the third John Wick movie. If you haven't noticed, it's a total Keanussance. But nothing will inspire pure delight quite like Keanu Reeves' yearbook photo, which was unleashed onto Twitter unprompted. However, the Internet absolutely took notice.

Originally posted on July 5, user @_misslauren97 wrote "Tonight at dinner my mom casually revealed that she went to high school with Keanu Reeves," alongside a black-and-white shot of young Keanu with a close-mouthed grin. (That choice alone provides a lot of insight, no?) Soon, Reddit had seized on retro Keanu and even outlets like TIME magazine provided key analysis on the actor's early days.

One such observation was that the Matrix star actually enrolled at four different Ontario high schools during his adolescent years, per a 2008 Daily Mail article. But for those wondering how the Twitter user's mom knew the Internet's boyfriend, you'll have to do some more speculating. She later replied to her tweet, "For those of you asking! My mom is a few years older than him so unfortunately they didn't know each other personally." Side note: how is no one talking about the cartoon muscle man placed two people down from KR?

In honor of this Keanu look down memory lane, let's dig a little deeper. The actor and philanthropist is quite the enigma, just ask the folks at Marvel. But while it may be hard to pin down the performer, or track what exactly led to his rise back into the zeitgeist, we can revel in some retro Keanu-ness. Like some archival shots from Getty Images with unknown sources. All that's known is that: A., they were taken roughly in the 1980's and B., we'll never untwine Keanu and a faded yellow sweatshirt from one another again.

This era was an exciting one for Reeves. He was just on the brink of "popping" in Hollywood, securing roles in movies such as Dangerous Liaisons and Parenthood, before wrapping up the decade with what would go on to be one of his most legendary roles. It was, of course, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, a franchise Reeves is returning to this year.

Photo by © Aaron Rapoport/CORBIS OUTLINE/Corbis via Getty Images
Photo by © Aaron Rapoport/CORBIS OUTLINE/Corbis via Getty Images
Photo by © Aaron Rapoport/CORBIS OUTLINE/Corbis via Getty Images

If those wonderfully out-of-context pics don't incite fits of happiness, consider a few movie stills from Keanu's storied career. In the first, Reeves goes punk for a supporting role in 1990's I Love You to Death. In the second, Reeves attends a school dance with Lori Loughlin in 1988's The Night Before. (A lot to say there.) However, the only high school pairing we want is from one of Reeves' '90s movies, after he admitted to his crush on Sandra Bullock while they were filming Speed.

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If you're still swooning over these nostalgic Keanu faves (how could you not be?!) keep in mind that he did recently confirm his status as a "lonely guy." Lonely girls, get your applications ready.