Visual artist Alexandra Grant has offered a rare glimpse into her relationship with actor Keanu Reeves, describing the unique experience of living with her partner as he immerses himself in his most famous roles.
Grant, 53, discussed the couple's shared dedication to their creative pursuits in comments to People on Thursday, May 28. The internationally exhibited artist explained how both she and Reeves approach their work with similar intensity and commitment.
"I think we share [just] the belief in [our] projects," Grant told People. "Every project has its own autonomy, its own team, it has its own sort of rules, and it has a beginning, middle and end."
The artist revealed the extent of Reeves' method approach to his craft, noting that his character work extends beyond the film set and into their home life. "So we both are people who do projects, and you know, I've lived with John Wick, I've lived with Neo," she explained, referencing two of the actor's most iconic roles.
Reeves, 61, first portrayed the hacker Thomas Anderson, known as Neo, in 1999's The Matrix and has reprised the role in three subsequent films. His portrayal of assassin John Wick began with the 2014 film John Wick and has continued through four movies in the franchise, including a reprisal in 2025's Ballerina.
Grant, who has been romantically linked to Reeves since 2017, expressed deep respect for his process. "When he's in a character, for example, I have so much respect for that understanding that this is the middle to the end of a project, right?" she said, speaking to People.
The visual artist drew parallels between Reeves' acting process and her own artistic practice. She noted that the "same goes for painting," adding, "When I'm in painter mode, I am in it. I'm fully in it, and it's not playing a character, but it is performing, you know, painting really is a form of performance too."
The relationship between Grant and Reeves began as a professional collaboration. The pair worked together on 2011's Ode to Happiness, a book written by Reeves and illustrated by Grant. Their creative partnership deepened when they cofounded publishing house X Artists' Books (XAB) in 2017, the same year their romantic relationship began. The couple made their relationship public in November 2019.
Grant emphasized that mutual respect and a shared love of creative play form the foundation of their relationship. "I'd say the key to it is the mutual respect and also just like, come on, it's play, right? It's play that we get to play creatively," she explained on Thursday.
The LOVEwine founder praised Reeves for being "always so appreciative" and "cautious" with feedback, qualities she strives to embody as well. She described their approach to supporting each other's creative processes while maintaining individual artistic autonomy.
"You want to always be respectful and leave the other person to bake their cake. Just talking about my love makes me sweat," Grant said, speaking to People. "I would say that there is all the listening in the world that we know that we could talk about any problem or challenge or creative idea and talk about it forever if that is needed, and also respect the individual need to dive deep and have a process that's maybe quiet or in another collaboration."
The artist's comments provide insight into how two highly creative individuals navigate a relationship while maintaining their distinct artistic identities and supporting each other's intensive creative processes.
