DARGIS Who cares? He’s Keanu Reeves, dude, and an excellent movie star, blessed with a beautiful blank quality that lends itself to our projections and helps explain why he’s been a go-to savior, including in “Johnny Mnemonic,” “Little Buddha,” the “Matrix” trilogy, “The Devil’s Advocate” and “Constantine.”

SCOTT Neither! A good actor, period. One who has appeared in some pretty bad movies, for sure. (But who hasn’t?) Mr. Reeves has deliberately exploited both his exquisite facial bone structure and his gift for gnomic blankness with great success in the movies mentioned above, but in those solemn savior roles he demonstrates not stiffness so much as professionalism. Which he also shows in comic and villainous roles in movies as varied as “The Gift,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” and the hugely influential “Bill and Ted” pictures. If you want definitive proof of Mr. Reeves’s skill, look at Ron Howard’s “Parenthood” (yes, I know, but really!), in particular a scene in the kitchen with Dianne Wiest. He has a piece of business with a carton of milk that has stuck in my head for almost a quarter century as an emblem of precise and subtle screen technique. And the more you look at his performances, the more instances of that kind of skill you notice.

Students: Tell us about your favorite movie and TV stars and actors. Why do they appeal to you? Do you make a point of going to see movies and watch shows in which they appear? Which of their performances stand out most in your mind?

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