Keanu Reeves just wanted to eat a sandwich on a bench in New York in 2010 but after a photo taken by the paparazzi hit the internet, he quickly turned into a meme. What is now known as “The Sad Keanu” took off once it hit Reddit and is still the subject of hilarious photoshops to this day. The copyright owners are constantly attempting to have the memes taken down, per Screenrant but it has become an unstoppable and iconic pop culture moment.
© The Tonight Show with Stephen ColbertThe actor later created his own comic book series called BRZRKR and this week he gave insight into what was really going on with him that day. Reeves is currently promoting The Matrix Resurrections, and he appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and the comic book creator explained that the story follows a “character that was born 80,000 years ago who is half human and half a God who is cursed with the compulsion to violence.” In one of the books, is a frame that looks just like The Sad Keanu.
© The Tonight Show with Stephen ColbertColbert showed the illustrated art created by Ron Garney next to The Sad Keanu and Reeve’s exclaimed “I was just eating a sandwich! Man, I’m eating a sandwich.” When asked if he was really sad in the pic he responded, “I was thinking. I had some stuff going on. I was hungry.” The 57-year-old went on to explain that he didn’t know Garney was going to do that but thinks, “it‘s Kinda meta.” “that’s life in art” he emphasized.
The host then asked why he thinks he’s so “meme-able“ to which he responded, “I have no clue.” Colbert kept talking before Reeves broke into a song singing “Meme on Me” in the style of “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers.
