The sci-fi comedy has created a lifelong friendship and a cult fan base since its premiere in 1989

Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves in ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’. PHOTO: ORION PICTURES CORP/COURTESY EVERETT CO/EVERETT COLLECTION

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is turning 35, which also marks the start of costars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter’s decades-long friendship.

The actors became close while filming the 1989 film, a sci-fi comedy that follows time-traveling friends who visit historical figures for their history presentation.

Thirty-five years later, Reeves, 59, and Winter, 58, remain good friends. In 1991 and 2020, the pair reprised their roles as Ted Logan and Bill Preston for a second and third installment of the cult classic series.

Speaking to PEOPLE in 2020 for Bill & Ted Face the Music, Reeves said he enjoyed playing an aged-up version of the characters. In the film, Bill and Ted are middle-aged dads struggling with their career and their marriages.

“It was really fun doing Bill and Ted in couples therapy,” the John Wick star said with a laugh.

Alex Winter (left) and Keanu Reeves in ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’. ORION/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION

Over the last three decades, Winters recalled several instances of fans expressing excitement at seeing the duo together. “People will flip out and chase us down the street playing air guitar,” the star said.

In 2022, Reeves and Winter managed to have a fan-free hangout when they were photographed reuniting in Malibu. Decked out in matching black outfits, helmets and sunglasses, they grabbed coffee and took a cruise down the California roads on motorcycles.

The Matrix actor said of Winters in a 2020 New York Times interview, “I think of him as my brother.”

Reeves elaborated, “We enjoy each other’s company and our thoughts and takes on the world. When we come together, it’s like, ‘What are you thinking?’ ‘I don’t know, but this is kind of funny.’ ‘Yeah, that’s kind of weird too.’ … I love the characters. I love the world and I love working with Alex. I’m grateful that we had the chance to play again.”

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’. COURTESY ORION PICTURES

Ahead of Bill & Ted Face the Music’s release, the pair unpacked their bond to SYFY Wire. During their first hangout, Winter said they instantly “clicked as friends.”

Winter added, “That happens in life very rarely, and we’ve remained really good friends. We have a very similar perspective. Keanu is a very smart fella, and I enjoy his intellect and the way he looks at the world. And we laugh our butts off.”

Reeves said he would team up with Winter again if the opportunity presented itself. When asked by MovieWeb which costar he’d love to make more movies with, Reeves answered, “Alex Winter. Let’s make some more Bill & Ted!”

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter photographed on June 4, 2022 in Los Angeles. MICHAEL BUCKNER/VARIETY/PENSKE MEDIA VIA GETTY

Though Winter echoed the sentiment that he would love to work with Reeves again, he doesn’t “particularly feel there needs to be another one.”

“We would enjoy making another one,” he told MovieWeb. “I can tell you that, if there was interest in making another one, and Keanu and I had the ability to come in and do something that would be as satisfying as what we just did, sure. We would both be interested in doing that.”

Regardless of whether Bill and Ted appear on the big screen again, Reeves and Winter’s friendship extends far beyond a professional setting. The Downloaded director told The Irish News, “I’ve watched him go through life, he’s watched me go through life, he’s known my kids since they were born.”