An emotional Keanu Reeves delivered a beautiful speech honoring his late John Wick costar Lance Reddick.
At the 51st Saturn Awards on Sunday, Reeves accepted the inaugural Lance Reddick Legacy Award, which symbolizes and celebrates not only a performer's talent but also their character, and spoke dearly of his friend who died of heart disease in March of last year.
He began:
"My gratitude and appreciation to the Saturn Awards for recognizing and honoring the warm, beautiful spirit and exceptional artist that is Lance Reddick and for honoring me with the inaugural Lance Reddick Legacy Award."
Holding back tears, Reeves continued:
"For over 25 years, Lance made an imprint and raised the bar in every work of art and genre he was in, not only with his performance but with the man he was."
He finished:
“He was kind, generous, creative, insightful, authentic. He had a special grace... strength... along with a vulnerability that drew us in, supported us, inspired us."
"He had a fire. Creative fire. A light from within him that could not be denied."
You can watch below.
Viewers of the speech agreed with every one of Reeves' thoughtful words.
@DiscussingFilm Keanu's acceptance speech really captured the essence of Lance's impact on the industry - not just as an actor, but as a person. The fact that Keanu spoke about Lance's "special grace" and the way he raised the bar in every project he was in is a testament to the deep respect\u2026— (@)
@DiscussingFilm Gone, but not forgotten. Lance Reddick was a skilled and talented actor who brought so much life to his roles. He was always a joy to see on screen. May he Rest In Peace— (@)
Many commended the actor for honoring Reddick with such a poignant message and congratulated him on his well-deserved award.
@DiscussingFilm This award is a beautiful way to honor Lance's memory, and I'm sure that it meant a lot to Keanu to be the first recipient of such a prestigious accolade. Here's hoping that Lance's legacy continues to inspire and influence generations of actors and filmmakers to come. \ud83d\udc94\u2764\ufe0f— (@)
Reeves also spoke with Entertainment Tonight about the significance of the award, telling them:
"It's the Lance Reddick Legacy Award, and so I'm very honored for that."
"He's such a remarkable person and such a remarkable artist. You can see over 25 years he gave such amazing performances and groundbreaking television shows. He did voice, he did like animation, cinema, television, video games, he just did it all."
"Obviously he passed away too soon."
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram