Over the course of his career, Keanu Reeves has gotten emotional during interviews. That was evident on the red carpet for John Wick 4 speaking about his co-star Lance Reddick. The same held true when Keanu gave an emotional answer alongside Stephen Colbert, revealing what he thinks happens when we die.

In the following, we’re going to take a look back at what went down when Keanu was presented with another sensitive topic, River Phoenix’s death. Keanu gave an honest answer about River’s struggles behind the scenes and what lead to his downfall.

Let’s take a closer look at the emotional interview moment, and how Keanu dealt with the death of his close friend.

Keanu Reeves Broke Down Revealing River Phoenix Was Tired Prior To His Passing

Throughout his career, you can always expect Keanu Reeves to answer questions honestly during interviews. That held true during a touchy subject discussing River Phoenix’s tragic passing. Keanu was very honest in assessing what had taken place. According to the actor, Phoenix was very fatigued from the roles he had taken on. At the very end, Keanu is noticeably emotional.

The interview asks if Keanu felt the pressure of turning to alcohol and drugs similar to Phoenix. Keanu emotionally answered, “Pressure is a sensation which is caused by force. What kind of pressure is it and where it is coming from? I don’t have that kind of pressure. I want to be a better actor, I want to have great performances. He was coming off films back to back and then going into another project. It takes, and especially for him and the way he worked, a phenomenal amount of energy.”

Keanu concludes, “And it did in the mind and heart. And he was probably in a place, he was probably tired.”

The emotional moment can be viewed below.

Keanu Reeves, despite a massive pay, made the wise choice to turn down an iconic sequel. But will Reeves appear in Speed 3?

As expected, fans had so much praise for Keanu’s words.

The top-rated comments on the YouTube moment read, “He has the maturity and wisdom of someone way older than he was here.”

Other fans were upset that the question was asked by the interviewer. “Does the interviewer have no shame? Why ask Keanu these pointless questions when clearly he was still grieving…just callous.”

Another fan wrote, “What kind of interviewer would ask Keanu about such a sensitive topic?? What is wrong with her? Keanu handled it very well considering he was still grieving over River.”

It was a tough moment for Keanu and one Sandra Bullock also revealed was hard for the actor to deal with behind the scenes.

Sandra Bullock Got To See Keanu Reeves Grieve Behind The Scenes On Speed Following River Phoenix’s Death

Following River Phoenix’s passing, Keanu Reeves was working on a breakout project for his career, Speed. Reeves put on a heck of a performance alongside Sandra Bullock. However, the actor was struggling behind the scenes following the news of Phoenix’s sudden death.

Keanu Reeves beautifully recalled his friend River Phoenix with Esquire, and even Sandra Bullock spoke out about the struggles Keanu faced behind the scenes.

“I watched how Keanu grieved. And oh, did he grieve for his friend,” Bullock says. “He’s very private, but he couldn’t hide that. And just to see that a man like that was able to grieve. And I remember thinking, God, if that’s the tip of the iceberg of his depth, and his level of love and care for a friend—that just draws you in.”

Keanu Reeves once again showed why he is the humblest in all of Hollywood when booking a commercial flight out of LAX on his birthday.

Still to this day, Reeves continues to struggle when remembering his late friend. Despite all his tragic losses, Keanu continues to push forward.

Keanu Reeves Still Has A Hard Time Speaking About River Phoenix’s Death All These Years Later

All these years later, Keanu still struggles when the topic of his late friend comes up. Keanu is always open about what a special person Phoenix was. Though he struggles to discuss Phoenix as something of the past.

Reeves revealed, “It’s weird speaking about him in the past,” Keanu says years after River’s death. “I hate speaking about him in the past. So I almost always gotta keep it present. He was a really special person, so original, unique, smart, talented, fiercely creative. Thoughtful. Brave. And funny. And dark. And light. It was great to have known him. To—yeah. Inspirational. Miss him.”

Without a doubt, River is smiling from up above looking at how Keanu’s career shaped out following his passing. Not only that, but despite all his success, Keanu remains the humblest actor in all of Hollywood.