Keanu Reeves revisited one of the most enduring rumors of his career this week – that he and Winona Ryder are married in real life because their on-screen wedding in Bram Stoker’s Dracula was officiated by a real priest. Reeves discussed the fan-favorite claim in a new profile with Esquire, conceding that by some standards, Ryder is his wife. The affable actor seemed to take the fact in stride.
“We did a whole take of a marriage ceremony with real priests,” Reeves confirmed. “Winona says we are [married]. Coppola says we are. So I guess we’re married… under the eyes of God.” Reeves played solicitor Jonathan Harker while Ryder played his fiance Mina Murray in the 1992 horror film. Dracula (Gary Oldman) comes between the two throughout the story, but it does not stop them from saying their vows.
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Ryder has already made her feelings on the “marriage” very clear, of course. In 2018 while promoting the rom-com Destination Wedding with Reeves, Ryder told Entertainment Tonight that she considers him her husband in no uncertain terms.
“We actually got married in Dracula. No, I swear to God, I think we’re married in real life. In that scene, Francis [Ford Coppola] used a real Romanian priest,” she said. “We shot the master and he did the whole thing. So I think we’re married. She reminded Reeves that they literally said the traditional vows “I do” before asking him: “Don’t you remember that? It was on Valentine’s Day.”
“Oh my gosh, we’re married,” Reeves replied in what has since become a classic viral video moment. A few months later Reeves appeared on The Talk where he said that Ryder has fully committed to their marital roles.
“Once in a while, I will get a text: ‘Hello, husband,’” he revealed. “I didn’t really believe her, and then Francis Ford Coppola, the director of Dracula, contacted Winona and said publicly that, yeah, that really happened, the priest did a full ceremony and Winona and I got married.”
While Ryder seems enthusiastic about the unconventional union, Reeves at least does not seem upset about it. He told PEOPLE that Ryder is a “lovely person and a talented actress,” adding: “I think we make a good couple.” Reeves is out promoting The Matrix Resurrections, which hits HBO Max and theaters on Wednesday, Dec. 22.
