The Man Who Isn't There

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As it happens, Swinton is also in Constantine--she has a devastating cross-gender star turn as a cruel, foulmouthed angel Gabriel--and Reeves, who has become a fan of the British actress, would like to put on record, in TIME, that he is available to play Macbeth to Swinton's Lady Macbeth anytime, anywhere. He figures that he's now just about old enough to play the Scottish general, and he may be right. His Constantine is more Morpheus than Neo: he's not the befuddled innocent anymore--he's the guy who knows how the world really works, who pulls back the veil so that others can see the truth.

Reeves is finally pulling back some veils of his own. Want to know how a hundred-millionaire international icon celebrates his 40th birthday? "I went out to dinner with some friends. The year before I was alone," he admits, "so maybe I am moving up. This year I have a quiet, intimate happy birthday. Maybe next year I can do some carousing."