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Keanu Reeves recalls giving magic mushrooms to Francis Ford Coppola

The pair worked together on 1992’s ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’

Kevin E G Perry
Friday 22 December 2023 20:38 GMT
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Keanu Reeves plays catch with young fan before performing gig with band Dogstar

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Keanu Reeves has recalled once giving director Francis Ford Coppola magic mushrooms as a birthday gift.

“I gave Francis Ford Coppola, once, for his birthday, some mushrooms,” the 59-year-old actor told the Inside Of You Podcast with Michael Rosenbaum. “While we were doing Dracula.”

Reeves starred alongside Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Anthony Hopkins in Coppola’s 1992 vampire romance Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

“I heard it was his birthday, and I happened to have an eighth of some mushrooms, so I gave it to him,” remembered Reeves with a chuckle.

Asked how Coppola reacted, the John Wick said: “He took them! I don’t want to... He had a very nice birthday. He said he enjoyed them.”

Reeves was appearing on the podcast alongside his Dogstar bandmates, drummer Robert Mailhouse and vocalist Bret Domrose.

Keanu Reeves and Francis Ford Coppola
Keanu Reeves and Francis Ford Coppola (Getty)

Earlier this year, the trio released their first album in 23 years Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees.

The Los Angeles-based band was originally formed by Reeves and Mailhouse, who met in 1991. They were joined by Gregg Miller, the group’s original lead guitarist and vocalist, in 1992. Domrose was then added as an accompanying vocalist and guitarist in 1994.

They released their debut album Our Little Visionary in 1996, followed by their follow-up record Happy Ending in 2000.

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The grunge band originally went by the names Small Fecal Matter and later BFS before finally settling on Dogstar.

They announced their return in July with the release of a new single, “Everything Turns Around”, and its accompanying music video.

In a statement, the group called the track a “fun summer song”.

“It has an uplifting message and a positive vibe that hopefully makes your day a little bit lighter,” they said. “It’s one of our favourite songs to play live and can’t wait to share it on our upcoming tour.”

The band toured the United States earlier this year, with Reeves filmed playing catch with a young boy ahead of their concert in Houston, Texas.

The star took some time to make a young boy’s day before performing at House of Blues.

As he greeted fans outside the venue, a local woman named Annette Cruz, her nine-year-old grandson Elijah and his 11-year-old brother Caleb were waiting on the street.

In a wholesome moment, Reeves agreed to play catch with Elijah after he requested a game. “When I got his signature and my brother got his signature, I asked him if he could play catch with me,” the child recalled, speaking to KHOU 11.

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