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Keanu Taylor
Keanu Taylor is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Danny Walters. He was created by EastEnders writer Daran Little and introduced by executive producer Sean O'Connor in episode 5511, broadcast on 15 June 2017. The character's first departure aired in episode 6084, broadcast on 21 February 2020. Keanu made an unannounced return in episode 6607, broadcast on 13 December 2022. His second and final departure in episode 6826, broadcast on 25 December 2023, saw the character be killed off. Following his on-screen death, Walters makes five additional appearances as Keanu between episodes 6837 to 6860, 10 January to 20 February 2024, appearing as a hallucination as part of Denise Fox's (Diane Parish) psychosis storyline. Keanu's storylines in the soap primarily revolved around his affair with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), and the resulting feuds from her husband Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), and Phil's children Ben (Harry Reid/Max Bowden) and Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper).
Upon the character's announcement, he was billed by O'Connor as being a positive, family-oriented man of morals. As his time on the serial continued, the character became more temperamental, and increasingly prone to outbursts and poor decision-making, with Walters noting that Keanu had the potential to be a dangerous person. In 2020, it was announced that Walters would make his first exit from the show to pursue other roles. In December 2022, Keanu was reintroduced by Chris Clenshaw in an unannounced return. Clenshaw said he decided to bring the character back due to Keanu having "unfinished business", and promised a matured version of the character. In February 2023, Keanu was listed one of seven potential victims for "The Six" storyline after it was revealed that a male character would die on the show's upcoming Christmas Day broadcast, eventually transpiring to be the victim, as he was stabbed to death by Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).
Across his run, the character received a mixed reception. Critics noted his initial lack of narrative relevance during his first stint, with some feeling the character had been underused. His affair with Sharon was considered controversial due to their large age gap, but several critics appreciated the drama that stemmed from it. His surprise return and eventual death scene garnered generally positive reactions. Walters won several awards and nominations for his portrayal of Keanu, including the award for the best "Newcomer" at the 23rd National Television Awards and the award for "Best Exit" award at the Radio Times Soap Awards.
In a Digital Spy interview, actor Danny Walters said he received the part of Keanu Taylor after attending a workshop organised by the show. He admitted he was uncertain if producers were considering creating a new family but knew they were casting and developing new characters. Later the same day, he was informed that he had been cast as Keanu, with details surrounding the character initially being kept vague. Walters was required to shave his head with clippers for the role, which he was initially unaware of, having expected only a light trim. Despite his surprise, the actor opined that the hairstyle change helped Keanu appear older and "more rugged". 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). Before the announcement, Walters had to keep his casting a secret from friends and family.
A few weeks after beginning filming, Walters said he was welcomed by the cast and crew. Walters had Adam Woodyatt, who plays the long-running character Ian Beale, as a mentor on set. 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. 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 had been introduced individually. The actor found himself being challenged by the fast-paced production of working on a soap opera, learning to prioritise his first take of a scene as the most important. Keanu, alongside the Taylor family, made their first appearance in episode 5511 of the soap, broadcast on 15 June 2017.
In September 2019, executive producer Kate Oates told the 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. 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. Shortly afterwards, it was announced that Walters would leave the show to pursue other roles. 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". Executive producer Jon Sen said that Keanu's stint would conclude in a "dramatic and blistering" manner, with the truth set to come out in "spectacular fashion" and leave severe consequences.
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 that left Keanu's fate ambiguous. The show later revealed that Martin refused to kill Keanu and helped him fake his death, with Keanu exiting by leaving Walford in early January 2020. Both Keanu's falsified murder and his airport exit were leaked by the media before airing as the actor was seen filming on-set. Two weeks after his character's on-screen exit, Walters was seen filming for the soap's 35th anniversary episode on the River Thames.
Keanu would eventually return to EastEnders ahead of the 35th anniversary specials, with the intention to both run away with Sharon and get revenge. Walters teased that Keanu would target Ben Mitchell's (Max Bowden) boyfriend, Callum Highway (Tony Clay), because of Ben's role in organising Keanu's murder, comparing their feud to a game of chess: "It's essentially like a game of chess and to get to the King, which Keanu sees Ben as, he needs to go after the most precious thing to him, and that's Callum". Keanu goes on to hold Callum hostage. It was later confirmed by the soap that, as revenge, Ben, Phil, and Keanu would engage in a final showdown during the anniversary. 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. Keanu complies, leaving the show in episode 6084, broadcast on 21 February 2020.
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Keanu Taylor
Keanu Taylor is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Danny Walters. He was created by EastEnders writer Daran Little and introduced by executive producer Sean O'Connor in episode 5511, broadcast on 15 June 2017. The character's first departure aired in episode 6084, broadcast on 21 February 2020. Keanu made an unannounced return in episode 6607, broadcast on 13 December 2022. His second and final departure in episode 6826, broadcast on 25 December 2023, saw the character be killed off. Following his on-screen death, Walters makes five additional appearances as Keanu between episodes 6837 to 6860, 10 January to 20 February 2024, appearing as a hallucination as part of Denise Fox's (Diane Parish) psychosis storyline. Keanu's storylines in the soap primarily revolved around his affair with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), and the resulting feuds from her husband Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), and Phil's children Ben (Harry Reid/Max Bowden) and Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper).
Upon the character's announcement, he was billed by O'Connor as being a positive, family-oriented man of morals. As his time on the serial continued, the character became more temperamental, and increasingly prone to outbursts and poor decision-making, with Walters noting that Keanu had the potential to be a dangerous person. In 2020, it was announced that Walters would make his first exit from the show to pursue other roles. In December 2022, Keanu was reintroduced by Chris Clenshaw in an unannounced return. Clenshaw said he decided to bring the character back due to Keanu having "unfinished business", and promised a matured version of the character. In February 2023, Keanu was listed one of seven potential victims for "The Six" storyline after it was revealed that a male character would die on the show's upcoming Christmas Day broadcast, eventually transpiring to be the victim, as he was stabbed to death by Linda Carter (Kellie Bright).
Across his run, the character received a mixed reception. Critics noted his initial lack of narrative relevance during his first stint, with some feeling the character had been underused. His affair with Sharon was considered controversial due to their large age gap, but several critics appreciated the drama that stemmed from it. His surprise return and eventual death scene garnered generally positive reactions. Walters won several awards and nominations for his portrayal of Keanu, including the award for the best "Newcomer" at the 23rd National Television Awards and the award for "Best Exit" award at the Radio Times Soap Awards.
In a Digital Spy interview, actor Danny Walters said he received the part of Keanu Taylor after attending a workshop organised by the show. He admitted he was uncertain if producers were considering creating a new family but knew they were casting and developing new characters. Later the same day, he was informed that he had been cast as Keanu, with details surrounding the character initially being kept vague. Walters was required to shave his head with clippers for the role, which he was initially unaware of, having expected only a light trim. Despite his surprise, the actor opined that the hairstyle change helped Keanu appear older and "more rugged". 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). Before the announcement, Walters had to keep his casting a secret from friends and family.
A few weeks after beginning filming, Walters said he was welcomed by the cast and crew. Walters had Adam Woodyatt, who plays the long-running character Ian Beale, as a mentor on set. 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. 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 had been introduced individually. The actor found himself being challenged by the fast-paced production of working on a soap opera, learning to prioritise his first take of a scene as the most important. Keanu, alongside the Taylor family, made their first appearance in episode 5511 of the soap, broadcast on 15 June 2017.
In September 2019, executive producer Kate Oates told the 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. 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. Shortly afterwards, it was announced that Walters would leave the show to pursue other roles. 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". Executive producer Jon Sen said that Keanu's stint would conclude in a "dramatic and blistering" manner, with the truth set to come out in "spectacular fashion" and leave severe consequences.
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 that left Keanu's fate ambiguous. The show later revealed that Martin refused to kill Keanu and helped him fake his death, with Keanu exiting by leaving Walford in early January 2020. Both Keanu's falsified murder and his airport exit were leaked by the media before airing as the actor was seen filming on-set. Two weeks after his character's on-screen exit, Walters was seen filming for the soap's 35th anniversary episode on the River Thames.
Keanu would eventually return to EastEnders ahead of the 35th anniversary specials, with the intention to both run away with Sharon and get revenge. Walters teased that Keanu would target Ben Mitchell's (Max Bowden) boyfriend, Callum Highway (Tony Clay), because of Ben's role in organising Keanu's murder, comparing their feud to a game of chess: "It's essentially like a game of chess and to get to the King, which Keanu sees Ben as, he needs to go after the most precious thing to him, and that's Callum". Keanu goes on to hold Callum hostage. It was later confirmed by the soap that, as revenge, Ben, Phil, and Keanu would engage in a final showdown during the anniversary. 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. Keanu complies, leaving the show in episode 6084, broadcast on 21 February 2020.