Keanu Reeves has always been known for his privacy and humility, rarely flaunting relationships or stirring up drama. Yet one revelation he made about Winona Ryder has kept fans talking for decades: according to Reeves, the two might have actually been “married” since 1992—though not in the traditional sense.

Back in the early 1990s, the pair starred together in Francis Ford Coppola’s gothic romance Bram Stoker’s Dracula. For one scene, they were required to take part in a wedding ceremony. But instead of staging it with props or extras, Coppola insisted on authenticity. He arranged for a real Romanian priest to conduct the ritual in a genuine church, complete with vows and blessings. Reeves later admitted that the whole process felt unusually real: “We did a whole take of a marriage ceremony with real priests,” he revealed.

When asked years later if that moment meant anything beyond the movie, Reeves surprised everyone. “Winona says we are [married]. Coppola says we are. So I guess we’re married, under the eyes of God,” he joked during a 2018 interview. Ryder backed him up, adding that she has always felt that the scene carried spiritual weight: “No, I swear, I think we’re married in real life. Francis used a real Romanian priest. He did the whole ceremony. So yes, I think we’re married.”

Coppola himself even admitted that the ceremony was more than just make-believe. Wanting the film to capture true religious detail, he said: “Having the real wedding ceremony as it might be in that tradition was beautiful. Because we actually did the ceremony with a real priest, in a sense, Keanu and Winona really are married as a result.”

The story resurfaced during press interviews for Destination Wedding in 2018, a romantic comedy where Reeves and Ryder once again played unlikely partners. Fans were delighted by their playful chemistry and the long-running “marriage” joke that seemed to follow them everywhere.

Over the years, speculation has swirled about whether the two ever harbored deeper feelings for one another. While they have both admitted to a close bond, neither pursued romance, instead choosing to remain lifelong friends and collaborators. Their shared filmography includes not only Dracula and Destination Wedding, but also A Scanner Darkly and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.

Both actors are now in happy, committed relationships with other people, yet their friendship endures as one of Hollywood’s most endearing partnerships. Actress Sandra Bullock, a close friend of Reeves, once reflected on his character in an interview with Esquire: “Keanu’s a guy who, I feel like, is friends with every woman he’s ever dated. I don’t think anyone has something bad to say about him.” She even mused that she and Reeves might have worked as a couple, but instead, they chose a lifelong friendship: “The longer time goes on, the more in awe I am of the human being.”

For fans, the idea that Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder could be “married” under the eyes of God—thanks to a movie scene filmed more than 30 years ago—remains a quirky, romantic, and very Hollywood story. It’s a tale that blends cinema, authenticity, and humor, proving once again why the bond between these two stars continues to fascinate audiences around the world.