Keanu Reeves credits Lance Reddick for why people love ‘John Wick’

What he said: Reeves credited the late actor in an interview with People at the 2024 Saturn Awards in Burbank, California, on Sunday, where he won the inaugural Lance Reddick Legacy Award. He shared that he once wrote a letter to his “John Wick” co-star explaining why he thought so.

“I once told him… Well, actually I wrote him a letter and I said, ‘People love John Wick because Charon loves John Wick,’” Reeves said, referring to Reddick’s character Charon, the concierge of the Continental Hotel’s New York branch.

Reeves also honored Reddick in his acceptance speech, saying the late actor “made an imprint and raised the bar in every work of art and genre he was in” for over 25 years.

Catch up: Reddick, also known for his roles in “The Wire,” “Fringe” and “Bosch,” died on March 17, 2023, at the age of 60. A death certificate obtained by TMZ states that he died from ischemic heart disease and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, but his family has argued that such causes of death were inconsistent with his lifestyle.

“The information appearing on the death certificate is wholly inconsistent with his lifestyle,” said James Hornstein, the family’s attorney, as per Deadline. “On behalf of [Lance’s wife] Stephanie Reddick, the death certificate information is not corroborated and is inconsistent with the facts known to the family.”

About the award: The Lance Reddick Legacy Award “symbolizes and celebrates not only a performer’s talent, but their character,” according to a press release. Organizers said Reeves is the perfect actor to receive the first of the award as he has “done it all,” citing some of his works in science fiction, fantasy, horror and action/thriller.