TV Dolly Parton recalls meeting Keanu Reeves when he was little: 'He's just the sweetest guy' The country icon said she reunited with the actor years later when he knocked on her door and asked, "Do you remember me?" By Emlyn Travis Emlyn Travis Emlyn Travis is a news writer at Entertainment Weekly with over five years of experience covering the latest in entertainment. A proud Kingston University alum, Emlyn has written about music, fandom, film, television, and awards for multiple outlets including MTV News, Teen Vogue, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Paper Magazine, Dazed, and NME. She joined EW in August 2022. EW's editorial guidelines Published on November 28, 2023 04:04PM EST Keanu Reeves may be more commonly known for embarking on excellent adventures and spending time in the Matrix, but Dolly Parton will always remember him as the little boy that would tag along with his mom, costume designer Patricia Taylor, to work each day. The country-icon-turned-rocker, 77, told Drew Barrymore that she first met the John Wick star, 59, when he was a child because Taylor “did a lot of sewing for me” at the time, including crafting her legendary Playboy bunny suit for the magazine's 1978 issue. “I remember Keanu when he was just little,” Parton said in a bonus clip from the talk show published on YouTube. “She would bring him over to my house when we were fitting or when I would go to the shop where she worked.” While she was aware of Reeves’ success as an actor, Parton said that she didn’t fully make the connection between the Matrix star and the little boy from her memory until the pair met face-to-face again years later. “I was doing a show somewhere and somebody knocked on the door,” she said. “And [Reeves] said, ‘Do you remember me? I’m the little boy that used to sit at your feet while my mama was doing [your fittings].’ And I said, ‘Oh my god!’ I knew he had become a star, but it didn’t connect to me that that was who that was.” Barrymore, who starred opposite Reeves in the 1986 made-for-television holiday film Babes in Toyland, then told Parton that Reeves once wore her Playboy outfit for Halloween. “Oh did he? He’s great,” Parton replied. “He’s the sweetest guy.” Dolly Parton and Keanu Reeves. Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images Reeves recounted his Halloween homage to Parton while visiting The Late Show with David Letterman in 2003. “My mother did a thing for Dolly Parton for Playboy Magazine when Dolly Parton did the cover,” he said at the time. “She was in this kind of outfit and I wore that when I was 16.” The actor noted that he wore “the bustier” and “the ears," but traded in the heels for a more comfortable trick-or-treating experience. “I didn’t do the cuff. Or did I do the cuffs? I don’t remember,” Reeves remarked. “And I wore sneakers and like these fishnet things.” Watch Parton remember meeting Reeves in the clip above. Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Related content: Whoopi Goldberg slams critics of Dolly Parton's revealing cheerleader outfit: 'Bite me' How The Matrix Resurrections resurrected Keanu Reeves' rock band Dogstar Keanu Reeves' band Dogstar announces tour and first new album in 23 years: 'We are back!'