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Keanu Reeves shocks a small-town pub by stopping in for a pint and taking photos with the staff

“So today we had a surprise visitor for lunch. What a lovely man he was, too."

Keanu Reeves in São Paulo, Brazil, 2019.

Keanu Reeves has a reputation as one of Hollywood’s nicest celebrities. Recently, he cheered up an 80-year-old fan who had a crush on him by calling her on the phone. He’s also bought an ice cream cone for a fan to give an autograph on the receipt and crashed a wedding to take photos with the bride and groom.

He’s also an incredible humanitarian who gave up a big chunk of his money from "The Matrix" to a cancer charity. The “John Wick” star was his usual gracious self over a random weekend last year, he and a friend walked into The Robin Hood pub in Tring, Hertfordshire, about 30 miles outside of London.

The employees at the pub in the picturesque, small market town with a population of 12,000, were shocked to see such a high-profile celebrity walk through its doors—especially one who is known for being such a humble, likable guy.

Pub staff posted a photo of chef Scott Valentine, 18, and “The Matrix” star on The Robin Hood’s Facebook page.

“So today we had a surprise visitor for lunch,” they shared. “What a lovely man he was too. Laura asked if he would be ok with taking photos with the kitchen lads. He marched into the kitchen shook their hands, and praised them for the food they had prepared. Suffice to say he made their days!!!”

According to the staff at the restaurant, Reeves ordered traditional English fare. "He came to the bar and ordered a beer (Seafarers Ale) and just walked over to the corner. He ordered fish and chips and Nat's shepherd's pie,” Laura Rolfe told The Mirror.

Valentine told the BBC he was scared to cook for such a big star. But Reeves was appreciative of the staff and liked the food.

"It was a bit worrying because I had to cook for him, but we took it out to him and he said thank you and was really nice," said Valentine. “He came into the kitchen, shook our hands and said the food was lovely."

The folks at The Robin Hood aren’t sure why Reeves was hanging out in Tring, but The Mirror speculated he was working on a Disney Plus docuseries about Formula 1.

Last year, it was announced that Reeves was producing a documentary about Jenson Button’s unlikely victory for Brawn GP in 2009. “Our story is about Honda withdrawing from F1 and Ross Brawn who had joined Honda a year and a half earlier,” Reeves said according to TalkSport.

“How did they race a world championship? It’s certainly a people story. It’s about passion,” Reeves added.

Whatever the reason that Reeves was in a small town pub, it’s great that everyone who met him came away with warm feelings about the man. Reeves clearly knows that by being a humble, nice guy to people, he can make someone else’s day and give them a great story to tell forever. Kudos to Reeves for using his fame to touch other people’s lives. With all the stories we’ve reported about him being cool to fans, it seems like he never lets anybody down.


This article originally appeared last year.

Actor and author Henry WInkler.

Over the past few years, there has been a lot of talk about nepo babies, the children of the rich and famous who use their privilege to get elite positions in the entertainment world. As people become more conscious of the advantages of the rich and powerful, there has been a backlash against those who some feel haven’t earned their positions.

That’s why people applaud actor-author Henry Winkler for protecting his daughter, Zoe, from becoming a reality TV star. Winkler played one of the biggest roles in TV history, Arthur Fonzarelli, on “Happy Days” from 1974 to 1984. In 2018, he won his first Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for portraying acting teacher Gene Cousineau on “Barry.”

Even though Winkler has been in the spotlight for 6 decades, he didn’t want the same for his daughter. The two shared the story on a recent episode of Zoe’s podcast, “What in the Winkler?!” which she hosts with her mother, Stacie.



"Do you remember when I was in the running to be ‘The Bachelorette’?" Zoe asked her father. "Oh, my goodness, and we put a stop to that," he said. "But only for your protection."

Zoe was also almost a star of “Quater-Life Crisis,” a proposed VH1 show starring Zoe’s friends, Kim Kardashian and Sarah Howard. "There wasn't even that much reality TV out. It was just ‘The Real World,’" Zoe said. "And me, Kim, and Sarah Howard were asked to be on a show called ‘Quarter-Life Crisis.’"

However, her father quickly ended her dreams of being a reality star in a calm and collected way that only “The Fonz” could. Unbeknownst to the elder Winkler, VH1 producer Matt Hanna put together a sizzle reel of the 3 girls and flew to Los Angeles to meet with her when he ran into the “Happy Days” star in his home.

"I said, 'It is so lovely that you're here. I can suggest some really good restaurants. My daughter is not doing your show,’” Henry recalled. Reality TV, however, would work out for Kardashian; “she went on to become the most famous person in the world,” Zoe said.



Kardashian recently appeared on Zoe’s podcast, where the “lifer” friends discussed their friendship, parenting and how to keep up with their kids’ social media.

Henry knew that becoming a reality TV star would have distracted Zoe from achieving her life goal of being a teacher. "[Reality TV] was so not the right thing for you to do in your life. It would have just perverted your trajectory. I really believe that,” Henry said, and Zoe agreed. "I became a teacher, which was the best job and what I always truly wanted to do,” she said.



In addition to her work as an educator, Zoe founded This is About Humanity, a nonprofit that raises awareness for families and children who have been separated and reunited at the U.S.-Mexico border. The nonprofit also educates people on being allies and advocates and helps support those affected by separation.

Zoe married actor-writer Robert Reinis in 2009 and the couple has 3 sons.

@variety/TikTok

The way Brunson comforted Aniston speaks volumes.

For those not familiar with Variety's “Actors on Actors,” it’s a live interview series where two actors discuss various aspects of their craft and career. Often, actors will be paired together because of a common thread. Margot Robbie and Cillian Murphy during the height of Barbenheimer, for example. Or Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt—both from “The Devil Wears Prada.”

So it’s no surprise that two comedy queens, Jennifer Aniston and Quinta Brunson, would be paired together for the latest “Actors on Actors” segment. What people are astounded by, however, is the way Brunson handled a very serious moment.

At one point during the conversation, a producer off camera suggested that Brunson ask Aniston “what it’s like to watch ‘Friends’ now.”

This clearly struck a chord with Aniston, who, already tearing up, said “don’t make me cry.”

Noticing this Brunson said in a soft voice, “You’re already crying. Do you want a minute?,” before assuring her “We don’t have to talk about [this].”

@varietymagazine Jennifer Aniston gets emotional when asked about "Friends." #ActorsOnActors ♬ original sound - Variety

Tilting her head up to not let the tears fall, Aniston replied “No, no, sorry, I just started thinking about...” before Brunson quickly said “I know. Yeah.”

It’s evident that Aniston’s emotional reaction is triggered by the loss of her former “Friends” cast mate Matthew Perry, who died October 28, 2023. The pair’s friendship remained strong even after the show ended in 2004—Perry even revealed that Aniston was the member of their group who reached out to him “the most” during his sobriety journey.

All this to say, Aniston was understandably triggered by the question. Brunson saw that, and acted accordingly. She once again offered “we don’t have to talk about it,” waited while Aniston grabbed a tissue to compose herself, then masterfully guided the conversation to a joke.

“So, Jen, ‘Friends’ is turning 30…and you are turning 30…When you were a baby on that show, you were so advanced…your fine motor skills were insane”

Viewers applauded the “Abbott Elementary” star for “taking care” of Aniston’s emotional wellbeing.

”Quinta gets props for saying to Jennifer, ‘We don’t have to go there if you don’t want to.’ I get why the producers were trying to create that buzzworthy moment, but I also appreciate Quinta’s willingness to derail it for Jennifer’s sake,” one person wrote on Youtube

“Quinta’s little ‘I know’ — it was so simple but so kind and empathetic,” added another.

Over on TikTok, comments were just as complimentary.

“Quinta handled this masterfully,” wrote one person.

Another echoed, “How Quinta handled that- that’s why she’s where she’s at.”

Seeing people take care of one another never gets old.

You can watch the full conversation between Brunson and Aniston below:

This article originally appeared in June.

America's Got talent/Youtube

“How do we know that the dog is a real dog?” asked Simon Cowell.

What dog owner wouldn’t want to jam out to Queen with their pup while the world watches? Of course, our version probably wouldn’t be nearly as impressive as what Roni Sagi and her black and white border collie, aptly named Rhythm, did for “America's Got Talent” on Tuesday.

First off, audiences knew they’d instantly be in for a treat when Sagi and Rhythm recreated the band’s famous pose for “Bohemian Rhapsody.” But it only got better from there, in a routine that featured a mash-up of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Don’t Stop Me Now.”

The dance duo wowed judges and audiences alike with synchronized steps, turns, flips…and even a cool bridge pose trick (seriously, this was a dog owner’s dream come to life). Simon Cowell jokingly asked “How do we know that the dog is a real dog?” because Rhythm was just that good.

Sagi would later end up sharing that Rhythm earned his name from an early age, already tapping his little feet on her bed at only 6 weeks old. By that point, Sagi had already had experience training therapy dogs, which undoubtedly gave her a good foundation for working with her little “tornado storm.”

Perhaps it should come as that much of a surprise that Rhythm is so gifted. After all, border collies are notorious for being able to pick up skills quickly, and there have been several border collies that have broken world records—including records for intelligence, balance and skateboarding (yes, really).

But Sagi seems to credit their chemistry less on Rhythm’s species traits, and more on his individual personality.

“It’s so much fun to have a partner that wants [to perform] as much as you,” she said. “He wants to do it all, and he wants to do it now, and he wants to do it as good as he can.”

Down in the comments, online viewers shared their praises—and awe—for Rhythm’s performance.

“This was the most amazing dog act I've seen!” one person wrote.

“That precious dog Rhythm is SO talented and smart!!! I don’t understand how he knows what to do when his back is to her?!! This dog is truly dancing and just extremely talented!!!” added another.

Still another said, “This dog is the most energetic and enthusiastic I've ever seen.”

Of course, Rhythm wasn't getting all the love. One person wrote, “I don't usually like dog acts, but this was impressive. Roni is very creative with what she does and obviously a great dancer herself and trainer.”

Maybe we can’t get all dogs to perform quite on this level, but it does show us just how amazing man’s best friend really is.

Watch the full act below:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

This story originally appeared in August