Keanu Reeves has revealed the story behind the infamous 'sad Keanu' meme - and we couldn't relate more.
The Matrix Resurrections star opened up about his viral pap shot during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which aired on Monday night.
During the interview, Colbert presented Reeves with a photo of him sitting on a park bench. In the snap, the actor can be seen with a sandwich and a crestfallen expression on his face.
Back in 2010, the gloomy pose captured fans' imagination and the image went viral on social media, becoming colloquially known as the 'sad Keanu' meme.
Colbert introduced the picture, saying "We're all familiar with sad Keanu."
"I was just eating a sandwich, man!" said Reeves.
"So you're not actually sad, in sad Keanu?" the chat show host asked.
"I was thinking. I had some stuff going on," Reeves explained, then added: "I was hungry."
Colbert went on to point out how the meme bears some striking similarities to a frame from BRZRKR - a comic book that the John Wick actor has just launched.
In the frame, a character sits morosely on a park bench with his head bowed in a sad Keanu-esque pose.
Reeves explained that, though he wasn't responsible for the drawing in BRZRKR, he suspects artist Ron Garney may have taken some inspiration from the meme.
"The artist, I think, took that meme or whatever it is - that photo - and then put it into the comic book. But that's life and art," he said.
Unsurprisingly, the backstory behind the famous meme has only made it more relatable.
"I too feel this way when I am hungry," tweeted one person in response to the news.
"Hey we all been there," wrote another.
Elsewhere in the interview, Reeves discussed his upcoming movie - the much-anticipated The Matrix Resurrections.
The movie will be the fourth installment in The Matrix franchise. As well as Reeves - who will be reprising his iconic role Neo - the film is also bringing Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Lambert Wilson, and Daniel Bernhardt back from the original trilogy.
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