Actor Keanu Reeves recently made headlines after he was photographed with his new girlfriend, artist Alexandra Grant. The story took an awkward turn when people online mistook Grant for actress Helen Mirren. Not long ago, the Oscar winner has spoken up about the mixup.

That’s Not Really You?

While promoting her new movie The Good Liar, Mirren was asked about the Reeves situation. Classy as ever, the actress admired his new girlfriend. “I saw that. That was very flattering on me, you know, because she’s obviously lovely,” Mirren told Entertainment Tonight. Since 1997, Mirren has been married to director Taylor Hackford. Reeves worked with Hackford in the 1997 film The Devil’s Advocate, which also starred Al Pacino. The movie follows a lawyer taking a major job where the owner is keeping a haunting secret. The Devil’s Advocate made over $152 million at the box office. It also earned the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and gained nominations for Best Writer and Best Makeup. “I do know Keanu very well. He did a film with my husband and he is just the most adorable, lovely person. So she’s a lucky girl and I’m sure that he’s a lucky boy,” Mirren told Entertainment Tonight.

How They First Met

Reeves and Grant first met at a mutual friend’s birthday party back in 2009. After some talking, the two worked on the 2011 book Ode to Happiness. Initially, the pair only made the book for a small group of people. “It was a surprise and a private gift. We didn’t make the book to publish it; it was meant to put a big smile on our faces and make everyone laugh. Then someone said, ‘I want five copies’, and that’s when the lightbulb went on,” Grant told The Guardian. Reeves and Grant linked with Steidl Publishers to release the book.

The pair collaborated again in the 2016 book Shadows: A Collaborative Project by Alexandra Grant and Keanu Reeves. This book of poetry was born out of a canceled project with Zeitgeist. For Reeves, the book’s theme was deeper than he’d imagine. “Shadows are evocative—provocative—to me. I liked the idea of writing in short form, something similar to haiku. What struck me about the idea of shadows was this play between the interior and the exterior, and I tried to capture that in the word play,” Reeves told BigLife Magazine.

Falling In Love Again

In 2017, Reeves and Grant opened their publishing company X Artists’ Books. After working with Steidl Publishers for two books, they wanted to be on the other side. “I have this memory of being at Steidl, and that world has a lot in common with the production world of film in that there’s a lot of waiting, waiting, waiting,” Grant told LA Mag. “But there was this moment there when Keanu, who is Canadian, said, ‘We’re going to show them some American can-do!’” With X Artists’ Books, the pair have been releasing books featuring some unique collaborations. So far, they’ve unveiled seven books, including one with Grant and artist Eve Wood.

Reeves’ new relationship caps off one of the biggest years of his career. From his unforgettable appearance at E3 to John Wick: Chapter 3, the actor is hotter than ever. Next year, the actor will reprise the role of Ted Logan for Bill & Ted Face the Music, which has an August 21, 2020 release date. Reeves also revealed plans to appear in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, which drops on May 22. Reeves will continue this momentum by returning to one of his biggest franchises ever with The Matrix 4. With great things in store, he’ll be able to share these moments with his new leading lady.