John Wick star and musician Keanu Reeves purposely bowed out of appearing on the movie’s soundtrack for incredibly humble reasons. As an actor known for major roles in everything from Bill & Ted to The Matrix, many might be aware that Reeves has also been the bᴀssist for the alternative rock band Dogstar since 1994.

In a recent conversation with ScreenRant, John Wick score composer Tyler Bates spoke candidly about his work on the franchise and explained the respectful reason that Reeves never got involved in the music side of the production. Despite clearly having the musical chops required, Bates explained that Reeves wasn’t the type of guy to steal another artist’s glory.

ScreenRant: Have you ever worked with Keanu? I know he’s a bᴀssist, [with] a band and everything.

Tyler Bates: I love the guy. Now I’ve done, I don’t know, seven movies he’s been in, and I’ve encountered him on every film.

I asked Keanu, “Hey dude. Why don’t you just play bᴀss on the John Wick theme? No one even has to know, but it would be cool for all of us just to connect that way. We would love it.” He was like, “Tyler, come on, man. You’ve got to do it.”

You know what it is? He is so humble. He didn’t want to just take some pony ride on the score only to have it leak out at some point, and [he] probably knew that he would get all the credit for the score. That’s happened to me before.

Slash took total credit for my score for Rated X. Rolling Stone did an article about how he came in and scored the movie. I had him in the studio and he played one riff that made it into the movie–he just looped the riff for 50 seconds–and he probably didn’t even realize what was going on when it came to the publicity side of it. Somebody just ran with it, so that was my biggest credit to date, and it was taken.

Why Keanu Reeves Doesn’t Appear On The John Wick Soundtrack

As The Bᴀssist For Dogstar, Reeves Has The Musical Talened Needed

Keanu Reeves has carved out a second career as a musician on and off for over three decades now, and Dogstar has put out three studio albums, including Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees in 2023. With a wealth of experience behind him, it would have been easy for Reeves to quietly lay down a track on the John Wick OST.

However, it’s clear that if word got out about Reeves’ involvement, the story could have quickly been blown out of proportion, and Bates’ comment showcases the actor’s awareness of how fast a star can be given credit for someone else’s work. With this possibility in mind, it was very respectful of Reeves to decline an offer to anonymously play bᴀss on the soundtrack.

Our Take On Keanu Reeves’ Reputation For Being Humble

This Is Far From The Only Wholesome Keanu Story

While many Hollywood stars have gained a reputation for being arrogant or acting superior, Keanu Reeves has long been thought of as one of the most humble people in the movie industry. From quietly operating a charity organization to literally jumping out of his car to sign an autograph for a fan, Reeves has consistently gone above and beyond.

In the cutthroat world of acting, where it can often seem like everyone’s always thinking about themselves and trying to get ahead, the many positive stories about Reeves provide hope that there’s still room for kindness and authenticity in Hollywood. As a positive role model for unproblematic masculinity, it’s great to see Reeves succeed without upstaging his colleagues.

Tyler Bates has a lot of experience working with Reeves, as he’s composed the soundtracks for not just John Wick but also the low-budget 1997 drama The Last Time I Committed Suicide and The Day the Earth Stood Still. With such a long-standing connection, it’s great to see how highly Bates speaks of Reeves after all these years.