Many would know beloved actor and Hollywood ‘nice guy’ Keanu Reeves for his roles as Neo in the Matrix series or as John Wick in the John Wick franchise.
Yet, despite his popularity and his many legendary roles, the 58-year-old actor has never actually received an Oscar nomination.
This is especially surprising considering Reeves' performance in an early 90s movie that some fans believe holds up as the actor's best role of his career.
I am, of course, talking about Reeves' performance as Scott Favor in 1991's My Own Private Idaho.
In fact, many of Reeves’ loyal admirers think the star’s performance in the movie was Oscar-worthy, with one fan tweeting: "Keanu should’ve been at least nominated for an Oscar in my own private Idaho."
For those who haven’t seen it, the movie - directed by Gus Van Sant - is a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV and follows the expedition of two young hustlers, Mike Waters (River Phoenix) and Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves).
My Own Private Idaho is mainly a character study focusing on the friendship between the two hustlers.
Phoenix’s character is gay and suffers from narcolepsy. He is desperate to find his long-lost mother, who abandoned him when he was a child.
Reeves' character of Favor is a rebellious mayor’s son, who offers to travel with Mike from Portland to Idaho to Italy, while Phoenix’s character searches for his mother.
Van Sant’s liberal attitude towards sex, sex work, and queerness in the film was a risky move for both Reeves and Phoenix, who were both on their way to becoming household names at the time.
The movie turned the typical idea audiences had about male pin-ups on its head, unraveling rigid masculinity and presenting it with Reeves and Phoenix’s more sensitive approach.
Despite having such a distinctive and unseen approach to cinema at the time, Van Sant’s movie was praised by critics, with the movie currently holding an 80% approval on Rotten Tomatoes.
It was a hit with Reeves’ fans too, with the movie currently being rated a respectable 7/10 on IMDb.
"My Own Private Idaho 10/10 [...] Peak cinema. Keanu at his best. River Phoenix: a phenomenon. Bravo," one Twitter user touts.
Although the star is well-loved for sticking to what he does best in action-based movies, other fans pointed out that his role in My Own Private Idaho is his best dramatic performance.
Yet, Reeves’ name was nowhere to be seen on the Oscar nominees list for best supporting actor for the movie, which many fans still think is an injustice.
Although the actor may not have won an Oscar yet, he definitely has won the hearts of his fans, and no one can take away from him his title as the ‘nicest celebrity in Hollywood’.