Keanu Reeves, Time’s Person of the Year? Fans are lobbying for it

Keanu Reeves, the internet’s latest boyfriend and “the most wholesome person alive,” is being championed for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year honorific, according to a fan petition.

It’s the latest in the “John Wick 3” star’s auspicious summer run, which includes a breakout cameo as a heightened version of himself in the Netflix comedy “Always Be My Maybe” and as daredevil toy Duke Caboom in “Toy Story 4.”

With all the fanfare, an admirer launched a Change.org petition last week to “Make Keanu Reeves 2019 Time’s Person of the Year.” Since then, more than 32,000 people have signed the online petition, quickly gaining on the goal of 35,000 signatures.

“Keanu is the most wholesome person alive, make him the person of the year!” the petition states.

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But odds of the actor getting it are probably slim as the magazine has moved toward champions of social and political justice for the honor, which has gone to groups of individuals rather than one person in recent years.

In December, Time named four journalists and a newspaper as “guardians” in “the war on truth” as its Person of the Year. In 2017, the magazine bestowed the title on the “Silence Breakers,” honoring the legions of women who came forward about sexual harassment in the workplace.

But, hey, there’s always space in its annual Time 100 list of most influential people.

Time magazine did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on Wednesday.

Reeves recently said he was unaware of his new status as “internet-boyfriend,” telling People magazine it’s “wacky,” but that “the positivity is great.”

Meanwhile, abundant admiration for the 54-year-old actor is heavily cited as the reason for people to sign the digital petition. Additionally, Reeves’ respectful treatment of fans, his tumultuous past and the grace with which he handled it have also gained renewed attention online.

“He’s humble, down-to-earth, generous, kind, respectful and hardworking. He’s been through terrible things, he deserves this,” one signatory wrote of the actor.

Those terrible things include the stillborn death of his daughter in 1999 and the accidental death of his girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, shortly after, tragedies that have garnered more sympathy for “The Matrix” actor as his star continues to shine brightly this summer.

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