Keanu Taylor

Keanu Taylor
EastEnders character
Portrayed by	Danny Walters
Duration	2017–2020, 2022–2024
First appearance	Episode 5511 15 June 2017
Last appearance	Episode 6827 26 December 2023 (appearance) Episode 6860 20 February 2024 (hallucination)
Classification	Former; regular
Created by	Daran Little[1]
Introduced by	Sean O'Connor (2017) Chris Clenshaw (2022)
In-universe information Other names Keanu Floyd Taylor Occupation Mechanic Doorman Family Taylor Father Shane Mother Karen Taylor Half-brothers Keegan Baker Riley Taylor Chatham Taylor Half-sisters Chantelle Atkins Bernadette Taylor Daughters Peggy Taylor Aunts Kandice Taylor Nephews Mackenzie Atkins Roland Highway Nieces Mia Atkins

Keanu Taylor is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Danny Walters. He was introduced in episode 5511, broadcast on 15 June 2017, as a member of the Taylor family. Keanu is the son of Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) and half-brother of Chantelle Atkins (Jessica Plummer), Keegan Baker (Zack Morris), Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris), Riley Taylor (Tom Jacobs), and Chatham Taylor (Alfie Jacobs). He is described as a charming, hardworking, and happy-go-lucky man of morals. In his original stint, his storylines focused on being the breadwinner of his family, an affair with Sharon Mitchell (Letitia Dean), a relationship with Sharon’s stepdaughter Louise (Tilly Keeper), a feud with Louise’s half-brother Ben (Max Bowden) and her father Phil (Steve McFadden). In November 2019, it was announced that Walters "bowed out" of the soap for the development of his storyline with Sharon, with his initial departure being depicted in episode 6084, which aired on 21 February 2020.

Keanu returned in episode 6607, broadcast on 13 December 2022, again becoming a regular on the soap. His personality was slightly altered as he was now portrayed as being more mature and deceitful. Keanu's storylines in his return stint focused on the resume of his romance with Sharon, becoming involved in drug trafficking, and faking Albie Watts's (Arthur Gentleman) abduction before his second departure on episode 6826, broadcast on 25 December 2023. He is the victim of "The Six" storyline, being stabbed to death with a meat thermometer by Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), which led to his departure. He makes five additional appearances as a hallucination from 10 January 2024 to 20 February 2024 before his body was found by Bernadette on 3 April 2024. His funeral aired on 13 June 2024.

Keanu moves to Albert Square with his family and takes on various jobs to support the family, including nude life modelling for an art class and working for an escort agency, before being recruited by Aidan Maguire (Patrick Bergin) to help with a robbery. Although the robbery fails, as a reward for his efforts, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) hires Keanu as a mechanic at The Arches, where he clashes with Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths), his mother Karen Taylor's (Lorraine Stanley) ex and the father of his siblings. After being fired by Phil following a disagreement, Keanu later steps in to protect Sharon Mitchell's (Letitia Dean) son Dennis (Bleu Landau) from a gang. He earns Sharon's gratitude and they begin a secret affair. Sharon's husband Phil later encourages Keanu to date his daughter Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper), who soon becomes pregnant from Keanu. Shortly after, Sharon discovers she is also pregnant by Keanu, though she hides the truth by claiming it is Phil's.

Phil eventually uncovers Sharon and Keanu's affair, leading to a Christmas Eve plot to have Keanu killed. Martin Fowler (James Bye), tasked with the job, stages a fake execution with Linda Carter's (Kellie Bright) help, allowing Keanu to escape. Keanu later returns, seeking to reunite with Sharon and leave Walford, but his plans unravel when he kidnaps Phil's son Ben Mitchell's (Max Bowden) boyfriend Callum Highway (Tony Clay) to secure money for their escape. This results in a confrontation with Phil, who beats Keanu before a disastrous boat crash claims Dennis's life. Overcome with grief and blaming Keanu for her son's death, Sharon ends their relationship and demands he leave Walford for good.

Keanu returns to Walford two years later, determined to reconnect with his son Albie (Arthur Gentleman), but his efforts are met with resistance from Sharon and threats from Phil. While feigning allegiance to DI Samantha Keeble (Alison Newman) to help Phil dismantle her vendetta, Keanu's past affair with Phil's sister Sam (Kim Medcalf) comes to light, prompting Phil to order that he leave Walford. After Keanu aids in thwarting Keeble's revenge plot, he negotiates his way back into the Square. After returning, he rekindles his relationship with Sharon and they get engaged. Financial pressures push Keanu into doing criminal activities with Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), but he is caught while supplying marijuana and arrested. Sharon soon bails him out. Lisa Fowler (Lucy Benjamin) returns with Keanu and Louise's daughter Peggy Taylor, revealing that Louise has been struggling with addiction issues and blackmails Keanu by allowing him to see Peggy in exchange for money.

When his relationship with Sharon begins to strain, and in a desperate bid to assert his parental rights, Keanu and Karen kidnap Albie and stage a ransom demand, though Albie is ultimately returned unharmed. The truth behind the abduction is uncovered, and Karen takes the blame to shield her son. However, Phil demands repayment for the ransom money, deepening Keanu's financial troubles. On Christmas Day 2023, his sister Bernadette (Clair Norris) reveals Keanu's role in the kidnapping, disrupting his wedding to Sharon. In the ensuing confrontation, Sharon stuns everyone by revealing that Albie is actually Phil's son. Later, in The Queen Victoria an enraged Keanu becomes violent and attempts to strangle Sharon, only to be fatally stabbed with a meat thermometer by Linda during the altercation. The women involved – Sharon, Linda, Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), and – decide to hide Keanu's body under the floorboards of the Bridge Street Café. While her mental health declines, Denise envisions Keanu staring at her before his body discovered four months later by Bernadette.

In a Digital Spy interview, actor Danny Walters said he was cast as Keanu after attending a workshop organised by the show. He admitted he was uncertain if producers were thinking of casting a new family or not, but knew they were developing new characters.^[2] He was informed later the same day that he had been cast as Keanu, with details surrounding the character initially being kept vague.^[2] Walters was required to shave his head with clippers for the role, which he was initially unaware of, expected only a light trim.^[2] Despite his surprise, the actor opined that the hairstyle change helped Keanu appear older and "more rugged".^[2] The show announced the Taylor family's arrival on 10 May 2017. The family was composed of Keanu, his mother Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley), and his siblings Bernadette (Clair Norris), Riley (Tom Jacobs), and Chatham (Alfie Jacobs).^[3] Before the announcement, Walters had to keep his casting a secret from friends and family.^[2]

Executive producer Sean O'Connor billed the family as being "noisy", "brash" and "not to be messed with".^[4] Keanu was originally described as being "charming" and "happy-go-lucky", while also seeing himself as "the man of the family", due to the lack of a father figure in the Taylor family, and making every effort to keep his siblings safe.^[3] Walters explained that Keanu was "mature for his age" as a result of his responsibilities in his family, and called the character morally upright and hard-working.^[2] He was later revealed to also be the family's breadwinner as Karen did not have a job.^[2] Talking about the Taylor family, Walters described them as prideful and "the sort of neighbours you wouldn't want moving into your beautiful Square", and said that they would clash with many of the show's characters.^[2] Despite their loud personalities, the actor teased that the family would have a heartwarming dynamic after a few months on the show.^[2]

A few weeks after beginning filming, Walters said he was welcomed by the cast and crew.^[3] Walters had Adam Woodyatt, who plays long-running character Ian Beale, as a mentor on-set.^[2] He commented on the "huge buzz" around the Taylor family's introduction and noted his excitement to see what was in store for the characters, promising Keanu would do everything in his power to maintain the peace in Albert Square.^[3] Walters found it easier to arrive as a part of a family unit, believing there would have been more pressure to succeed if his character was introduced individually.^[2] The actor found himself being challenged by the fast-paced production of working on a soap opera, learning to prioritize his first take of a scene as the most important.^[2] Keanu, alongside the Taylor family, made their first appearance in episode 5511 of the soap, broadcast on 15 June 2017.^[5][6]

In September 2019, executive producer Kate Oates told press that the secret of Keanu and Sharon's affair would be "blown up" during the soap's upcoming Christmas episode, with the storyline set to be a major plot point of the episode.^[7] In response, Walters teased "big emotions" and "big stunts" for the episode, and that Keanu and Sharon's affair, which had been built up for a long time, would take an intense turn.^[8] Shortly afterwards, it was announced that Walters would be leaving the show to pursue other roles.^[9] Considering himself an "avid fan", Walters said that he had enjoyed playing Keanu and that the show would always "hold a special place in [his] heart".^[9] Executive producer Jon Sen said that Keanu's stint would conclude in a "dramatic and blistering" manner,^[9] with the truth set to come out in "spectacular fashion"^[10] and leave severe consequences.^[9]

The soap's final 2019 Christmas Day broadcast, episode 6048, saw Martin Fowler (James Bye) ordered to kill Keanu, with the episode finishing with a gunshot being heard from outside an abandoned warehouse, a cliffhanger which left Keanu's fate ambiguous.^[11][12] The show later revealed that Martin refused to kill Keanu and helped him fake his death, with Keanu making an exit by leaving Walford in early January 2020.^[13] Both Keanu's falsified murder, his airport exit were leaked by the media before airing as the actor was seen filming on-set.^[14][15] Two weeks after his character's on-screen exit, Walters was seen filming for the soap's 35th anniversary episode on the River Thames.^[16] Keanu would eventually return to EastEnders ahead of the 35th anniversary specials, becoming involved in a plot which saw him kidnap Ben Mitchell's (Max Bowden) boyfriend Callum Highway (Tony Clay).^[17] It was later confirmed by the soap that as revenge, Ben, Phil, and Keanu would engage in a final showdown during the anniversary.^[18][19] Keanu's eventual involvement in the death of Sharon's son Dennis Rickman Jnr (Bleu Landau) prompts her to disown him, telling him to leave Walford.^[20] Keanu complies, leaving the show in episode 6084, broadcast on 21 February 2020.^[20][21]

Walters made an unannounced return as Keanu on 13 December 2022.^[22] Executive producer Chris Clenshaw explained that he wanted to bring Keanu back because "he's got unfinished business and it's been almost three years".^[22] When discussing his return, Walters was given brief details, but was excited about being set to return in the episode featuring the funeral of Dot Branning (June Brown), saying, "when I got the call from Chris, he told me about some of the storylines and When I heard what he wants Keanu to do, I couldn't help but want to come back. I'm very privileged to be coming back in such an iconic episode". Walters promised viewers a new side to Keanu, saying "The way I'm playing him now, there's a new type of character that you'll see from Keanu".^[23]

Clenshaw promised a more mature version of Keanu, adding that Keanu has grown up since his original stint, saying "I think Keanu left a boy and he returns as a man".^[22] He also promised that the character was no longer afraid of Phil, saying "I don't really think Keanu thinks too much of Phil," the actor said. "What I mean by that is Keanu's focus and energy is on his family. Right now, Albie is the most important person to him".^[24] "In Keanu's head, he's had the advice from Sam and Karen about how to make a relationship work".^[24]

On his character's reunion with Sharon, Walters believed Keanu's attraction to Sharon tended to drive his decisions, saying "Sharon was always the reason that Keanu had a bit of purpose, really, and a bit of drive". There was a deep, deep attraction to Sharon that I guess even Keanu couldn't explain. There is something that he's drawn to and I think it's reciprocated because Sharon has someone, not just because he's younger, but someone who appreciates Sharon for who she is, and that's why that relationship works so well"^[23] and that in his time away, Keanu got into bad habits and then fixed them, saying "he goes into those old habits where he sees himself becoming like his father so he tries to change those habits. I think while he was in Portugal and away from the Square he's had time to think about things, to grow up".^[23]

Walters wanted to explore more of Keanu's family with his return, particularly his father, saying: "It's something I've always wanted to explore because, one, I think it's something that the audience will start to see a different side of Keanu's character and where the father comes into it, and why Keanu has been shaped the way he is, and the decisions he's made over the years, and I think he's been very lost over the years, not having that father figure. And which is really interesting, which I don't know whether this was ever scripted, but the way I played it when we were being myself and Steve McFadden is that Keanu is like the son that Phil never had and Phil was like the father Keanu never had and that's why looking back over the years ago, what happened, the whole complexity of that, how much he loved Phil and admired him and adored him, but obviously Keanu's decisions took them both down a very different path".^[25]

Following a flash-forward sequence in February 2023, showing a seemingly dead body on the floor of The Queen Victoria at Christmas, Keanu was one of the most suspected characters for the body.^[26] Walters was "worried" for his character but admitted that he did not know who the body was at that point.^[26] The storyline became known as "The Six", referring to the six female characters: Sharon, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), and Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), who were suspected to be the murderer.^[27] "The Seven" was a list of seven male potential victims: Keanu, Phil, Tom "Rocky" Cotton (Brian Conley), Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo), Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), and Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), was announced on 7 December 2023.^[28][29] Keanu's inclusion was justified due to his close connection to Sharon and rivalry with Phil.^[28][29][30]

Speculation for why Keanu would potentially be killed at Christmas generally centered on his and Karen's abduction of Albie being discovered^[30] or his fling with Sam Mitchell being exposed.^[31] Laura Denby of Radio Times initially ruled Keanu out of possibly being the victim as the suit he was wearing for his wedding was different than the one the body was wearing.^[32] When asked if Keanu was the body, Walters said "I think there are multiple characters that are potential players for the cufflinks. This is what's great about the storyline, there's so many players involved, and anyone attached to those six women, or maybe not even attached to those six women; it could be any of us".^[33] When asked if Keanu could be the victim, Letitia Dean said "Keanu obviously isn't the man Sharon thinks he is and although she is wracked with guilt over Albie's paternity she has no idea he is keeping this massive secret. Family is everything to Sharon, and the idea that Keanu would purposely play with her emotions in such a cruel way would absolutely break her. I don't think she could forgive him for that".^[34] Chris Clenshaw said "As we head towards Christmas, it will become apparent and it will become very clear who the potential body is," he teased. "Not who the body actually is, but who the potential ones we're looking at are and the ones that it could be".^[35] Executive producer Chris Clenshaw said "Christmas Day in Walford is always momentous" and praised the fans' speculations.^[36]

Watched by 3.6 million people,^[37] "The Six" storyline unfolded on Christmas Day 2023, where it is revealed that while Keanu died after being stabbed by Linda Carter, he was not the body on the floor.^[36][38] Walters felt honored to play the victim in Christmas episode,^[39] calling it a "privilege" to play a major role in such an important moment.^[40] In a later interview, Walters detailed that when he initially returned, he had known that his character would be killed off.^[41] He noted that he struggled to keep the secret for the year, but succeeded.^[41] Reflecting on his character's development across his time on the serial, Walters stated: "The only thing that Keanu ever wanted was to be a dad and to have a son; as soon as that was taken away from him, his whole purpose and his character completely changed within a split second. So, I think it was a side of Keanu we saw, it was quite a vulnerable side, that was scared, that feared losing his child. It was such a whirlwind of emotions that was going on with Keanu at that time in the stairwell in The Vic that he just lost character - that's when the character is at his lowest point. It was very out of character, but I think it was needed for that story".^[41] Walters was allowed to keep Keanu's work uniform as a souvenir.^[42]

Danny Walters received several award nominations for his portrayal of Keanu. At the 2017 Inside Soap Awards, he was nominated for "Best Newcomer" and "Sexiest Male".^[43] In 2018, Walters won the award for best "Newcomer" at the 23rd National Television Awards.^[44] In 2018 and 2019, he was also nominated for "Best Soap Performance" at the I Talk Telly Awards.^[45][46] In 2019, he was nominated for "Best Actor" at the British Soap Awards.^[47] In 2024, Walters won the "Best Exit" award at the Radio Times Soap Awards.^[41][48]

Prior to his introduction, BBC News praised Keanu's name.^[4] Johnathon Hughes of Radio Times called Keanu a "muscly mechanic".^[49] Kilkelly of Digital Spy was surprised about how long it took for Keanu and Sharon's affair to be exposed, calling it "one of the best kept secrets on the Square".^[9] Sen commented that the storyline had entertained viewers.^[9] Paul Jones of Radio Times called the storyline "gripping" and one of the show's "most mouth-watering".^[50] Sophie Dainty of Digital Spy called the storyline Walford's "scandalous secret" and praised the way that it was exposed for being original in comparison to other affair reveals in EastEnders.^[11] Keanu's airport exit was named "gripping" and "emotional" by Justin Harp of Digital Spy.^[13] Grace Morris of What's on TV deemed the character's return "epic" and "highly-anticipated".^[51] She later considered Walters an "EastEnders favourite" and called Keanu a "heartthrob mechanic".^[52] Helen Daly of Radio Times called Keanu's character "loveable".^[26] Her colleague, Rachel Lucas, wrote that Keanu's decision to stage Albie's abduction was an act of "petty revenge".^[53] Lewis Knight of Radio Times called the character a "favourite"^[39] and following his death, called Walters's performance "natural" and wrote that Keanu "succumbs to his worst impulses and loses his life in the process. A heartbreaking but logical conclusion to a character who started as a sweet hero and ended up a desperate villain no longer worthy of Walford icon Sharon Watts".^[54] After scenes of Denise hallucinating Keanu following his murder aired, Morris described the scenes as "terrifying" and reported similar reactions from viewers on Twitter.^[55]

• List of EastEnders characters (2017)
• List of soap opera villains
• "The Six"