Why Winona Ryder Calls Keanu Reeves Her ‘Husband’
Winona Ryder talks about her “husband” and is the envy of the world.
It was well over a decade ago when Winona Ryder confirmed the Beetlejuice sequel. Now, it’s finally here.
While promoting Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Winona is discussing another classic film of her: the iconic 1992 Bram Stoker’s Dracula with Keanu Reeves.
Part of the legacy of that film is that she calls Keanu her “husband” and he calls her his “wife.”
Winona Ryder is the envy of the world for her ‘husband’
Before you say “big deal, we all refer to Keanu Reeves as our ‘husband,’” remember two things:
One, that Winona Ryder is saying it in Keanu’s texts, not whispering it at her screen. Two, that he’s calling her “wife” in return.
As you can see for yourself in the video below, Winona Ryder spoke on the Happy Sad Confused podcast and reflected upon her decades-long “marriage” to Keanu.
“We do text,” Winona Ryder confirmed her her and her “husband,” Keanu Reeves.
“We always say who it is,” she added. “Even though it says it on the text.”
Though neither beloved actor is really old enough to explain such an awkward texting habit (unless you’re a Keanu Reeves is immortal truther), they’re both somewhat reluctant when it comes to a lot of technology. The quirk fits the general vibe of both actors.
‘Happy birthday, my husband!’
Recalling a time when she wished him a happy birthday, Winona Ryder shared: “I was like, ‘Happy birthday, my husband!’”
She continued: “He’s like, ‘Hey, wife! Love you! KR, 57. On each birthday, he’s like, ‘KR, 57,’ or whatever his age is, and he’s always done that. He’s the best.”
We can admit that this might sound cringe if this were a story about less likable people. Instead, it’s about two beloved entertainment icons and it just could not be cuter.
To be clear, Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves have never dated in real life. However, more than three decades ago, they both starred in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula was a breathtaking adaptation of the novel. It was, in fact, such an erotic adaptation that it’s unlikely that it could be made in today’s alarmingly prudish film culture. (Public condemnation of sexuality is a major canary in the coalmine for the rise of fascism so that’s a bit more serious than it sounds)
During the film, Keanu and Winona’s characters, Jonathan Harker and Mina Harker (respectively), hold a wedding. Because an actual Romanian priest performed the fictional wedding, the two have since joked that they married.
They’re not ACTUALLY married
Though Winona Ryder has joked in the past that saying “yes” meant that they were actually married, one would be hard pressed to find a single religious institution or legal system where filming a fake wedding for a movie is legally or spiritually binding.
(Can you imagine if it worked that way? Films would have to dance around wedding scenes the way that shows used to have to avoid “Happy Birthday”)
However, it is downright adorable to see that two of the most likeable actors of the past century have such a cute rapport.
