River Phoenix Adoration

"I've always loved you, River. River is my best friend and I don't have many of them." - Keanu "That's really sweet, Keany." - River

"Every evening that we don't spend together we're on the phone." - Keanu

"He's beautiful, inventive, funny and creative, too." - Keanu

"I really would like to do Shakespeare with River. I think we’d have a hoot. We could do A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Romeo and Juliet." - Keanu "I’ll be Juliet." - River

"Meeting River was a revelation." - Keanu

"There was a lot of deep love." - River (about "Private Idaho")

"We brought good out in each other." - Keanu

"River's the best, he's a god, he's the king. I pray to the church of River Phoenix!" - Keanu

"(After a long silence) River was an exceptional person, incredible. Where is my Juliet? Bullshit. Fuck! (After another long silence) He was a really good guy." - Keanu

"I don't have any friends in the business. Just River. Oh where, oh where has my Juliet gone?" - Keanu

"I don't know what I'm going to do when I get older, do you, Keany?" - River "I'd like to maybe get a boat someday and sail around. Maybe I'll settle down and I'll raise a family. I've always wanted kids." - Keanu "I didn't know that --" - River "You never asked, dude." - Keanu "I really want kids too." - River

"It’s weird speaking about him in the past. I hate speaking about him in the past. So I almost always gotta keep it present." - Keanu

"I liked the guy and wanted to work with him." - River

"Keany, he's a sweetheart. People don't understand him." - River

BONUS: "Keanu and River were kind of soulmates, they had known each other for a few years… but they were." - Gus Van Sant

BONUS: "Suddenly he and Reeves are off, excitedly exploring the possibility of doing Shakespeare together. They stand nose to nose- Phoenix newly bleached blond as part of his bid to play the young Andy Warhol in a future Van Sant biopic, Reeves dark-haired and tanned- like positive and negative images of each other. They sustain their banter throughout the meal, as one interrupts the other, but only to complete his thought." - Interview Magazine

BONUS: "I watched how Keanu grieved. And oh, did he grieve for his friend. He’s very private, but he couldn’t hide that. And just to see that a man like that was able to grieve. And I remember thinking, God, if that’s the tip of the iceberg of his depth, and his level of love and care for a friend—that just draws you in." - Sandra Bullock