Eric Whitacre

Years ago when Hila and I lived in Los Angeles we would play a ‘famous’ game. The idea was that if you saw someone who looked remotely like a celebrity you would point them out to the other person and say, “Hey, look, it’s Jay Leno,” even though it wasn’t Jay Leno and barely looked like him. Good times.

One day we are at this cafe and this guy comes in wearing a black leather motorcycle racing suit, gloves, wrap-around shades. Looks EXACTLY like Keanu Reeves on ‘The Matrix.’ So Hila says, “Hey look, it’s Keanu Reeves”, then goes up to the counter to buy us coffees. When she comes back she says, “I’m not kidding, that really is Keanu Reeves.” Just as I’m about to tell her to quit goofing around, Keanu – and now I realize this really is Keanu – walks up to our table and hands Hila her credit card, which she had accidentally left at the counter, and says, “Uh, I think you forgot this.” Suddenly I am having this out-of-body experience, The Matrix is real and is happening to me RIGHT NOW, and what do I do? I point directly at him at just start giggling, uncontrollably, like a moron. I couldn’t even speak. He kind of smiles at Hila and then books it out of there.

Dude.