Keanu Reeves Says He Appreciates ‘the Goodwill’ of Being Called the ‘Internet’s Boyfriend’

Keanu Reeves is just fine with his viral “Internet’s Boyfriend” status.

While walking the red carpet at the New York City premiere of John Wick: Chapter 4 on Wednesday evening, the actor, 58, told PEOPLE exclusively that he appreciates the love that he receives online.

“I really appreciate the goodwill,” Reeves — who is currently dating artist Alexandra Grant — said when asked about the internet’s obsession with him.

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Continuing to speak with PEOPLE, Reeves said he is embracing all that comes with portraying his legendary hitman character in another movie in the action-hero franchise.

“I love the challenges of John Wick, it’s super intense,” he explained. “It’s playful. I get to do different things — driving, you know? [I get to use] nunchucks and do movie Judo, movie jujitsu. So I really enjoy that.”

And while the Internet may love the fact that Reeves is frequently photographed doing mundane things — like eating a sandwich alone on a bench or going grocery shopping — The Matrix star welcomes those adrenaline-pumping moments that are featured within the soon-to-be-released film.

“I enjoy the challenges and the intensity and the noise,” he said. “So I’m not looking to hang out on the beach.”

For the new movie, Reeves recently said that he trained for months to prepare. “John Wick: Chapter 4 was the hardest physical role I’ve ever had in my career so far,” he told Total Film in a January interview. “They really trained me up to be able to have what we call the toolbox.”

Revealing that he also upped his stunt-driving skills for some action-packed scenes set in Paris, he explained, “We took the car-driving to the next level, which I really enjoy.”

“There’s 180s, forward-into-reverse 180s, reverse-into-forward 270s, drifting. … So it was really fun to get a chance to learn those skills, and to play,” Reeves added.

And as for the success of the franchise impacting his decision to gravitate towards intense projects?