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.