As we all well remember, a lot was happening from 2020 through 2022, so this story somehow missed my radar. It recently resurfaced on social media and caught my attention. We’ve all heard stories about Keanu Reeves and his low-key interactions with locals when he’s out and about, often on one of his motorcycles. As it turns out, an Oscar-winning actor recently recounted her random encounter with Reeves…way back in the 90s.

Octavia Spencer was in her 20s. She was on her way to pick up a script for an audition. At a busy intersection on Sunset Boulevard, her car died. At the time, she parked her dusty car under a tree frequented by birds. As such, bird poop covered the vehicle.

Other drivers blared their horns at Spencer, who blocked the intersection. She said no one tried helping her. Suddenly, a man approached with a motorcycle helmet and asked if she needed assistance.

She knew right away it was Keanu Reeves.

Spencer says she wasn’t dressed to interact with anyone, let alone Hollywood celebrities. She was sporting sweats and her old alma mater t-shirt, which she described as full of holes. Still, she graciously accepted, getting behind her car to push it. Reeves instead insisted she get back in the car and steer while he pushed.

About 13 years later, Spencer would win both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for best supporting actress for her role in The Help (2011).

The Oscar-winning actor first recalled her Keanu Reeves car breakdown story on Merideth Viera’s talk show in 2014. Later, she recounted the scenario to Graham Norton in 2020 and then on The Talk in 2022.

In two interviews, Spencer insisted she didn’t ever want Reeves to know it was her in the encounter out of sheer embarrassment for her outfit and the condition of the car. In 2014, she said she always attends the opening day of any of his movies as a way to “thank” him for his kind gesture. During the pandemic, however, Keanu heard of the connection and sent her a happy birthday message.