Keanu Reeves & Arch Motorcycle Co-Founder, Gard Hollinger, on “Visionaries”

Marriska Fernandes June 25, 2025

The world may recognize Keanu Reeves as an enduring icon from his impressive resumé of films, extending from his early days as a lovable slacker in Bill & Ted to his groundbreaking role as Neo in The Matrix. But Reeves is more than just an actor; he’s a storyteller in the truest sense, a creative soul who finds narrative in every facet of his life, from the characters he embodies on screen to the meticulously crafted motorcycles of Arch, a company he co-founded with long-time collaborator Gard Hollinger in 2011. He found a way to explore his passion not with words or images but with steel, leather, and the roar of a powerful V-twin.

Reeves and Hollinger’s shared passion for motorcycles extends beyond the workshop and the open road. It has fuelled a deep curiosity about the creative process and the individuals who drive innovation across various fields. It is this curiosity that led them to create Visionaries, a docuseries they produced that’s streaming on The Roku Channel.

I’m seated for an interview with Reeves and Hollinger in Arch’s Hawthorne headquarters in California, where their first KRGT bike collaboration is perched in the lobby. A few minutes into our conversation, it’s clear to me that the docuseries has ignited something within Reeves — he’s reserved, but visibly fires up as he and Hollinger talk about Arch Motorcycle and how it inspired their new docuseries, likening it to a canvas that allowed them to explore ambition and creativity.

“When you’re riding a motorcycle, you’re so exposed to the elements, and you can really feel the wind, smell what’s happening in the air…”

Keanu Reeves

His collaboration with Hollinger is a partnership built on mutual respect and a shared vision. Reeves recognizes Hollinger’s technical expertise and his ability to translate his artistic vision into reality — it’s a collaboration that they describe as a “fun, creative journey.”

The Arch Motorcycle motto itself is to challenge the perception of what an American motorcycle can be. For Reeves, it means making something that hasn’t been made in this particular way, an innovation they can claim as theirs.

“I don’t know if there was a term beforehand, but I want to claim it, which was this idea of a ‘performance cruiser.’ So, taking the legacy idea of what a big American V-twin is — they’re typically not thought about as being able to handle and be precise — and do the things that an Arch can do,” he explains.

The Toronto-born actor admits he loves riding — his favourite bike being the Arch KRGT-1 — but, “I’ve never been one of those people who’s trying to go as fast as they can.” Instead, he’s drawn to the “physicalness” of it, the raw connection with the elements, the way a motorcycle allows you to truly feel the world around you. It isn’t just about speed or adrenalin, it’s about the sensory experience, almost like a visceral connection to the road.

“When you’re riding a motorcycle, you’re so exposed to the elements, and you can really feel the wind, smell what’s happening in the air, the temperature, the climate, geography, and then socially, whether you’re riding with other people or interacting with vehicles,” he says.

Hollinger, whose favourite is the Arch 1s, likens it to a spiritual connection every time he rides a motorcycle. “I like to commute. It’s the 15 or 20 minutes each way every day that’s the only thing I can really focus on.”

Their love for riding is deeply intertwined with their love for California, with Reeves calling it “spectacular” — it’s where he currently resides. The iconic Pacific Coast Highway, with its breathtaking views, is his sanctuary for biking.

Both feel that the local roads are special. “We’ve spent a lot of time developing our motorcycles in the Santa Monica Mountains. So, there are some very special roads up there, Mulholland and Kanan. […] It’s a wonderful state to ride in because of the weather and amazing roads and topography that changes,” Hollinger says as Reeves agrees in unison as they described their perfect California road trip. They cherish the camaraderie of the ride, the shared stories, and the simple pleasures of stopping at local haunts like Neptune’s Net and Sunset Grille for sandwiches and fries.

“For me, the experience of interviewing people is [asking], ‘What is behind the story? How was this made?’”

Keanu Reeves

Much like the precisely crafted machines emerging from the Arch Motorcycle workshop, Visionaries feels like a tangible manifestation of their deep-seated desire for exploration in all forms. It’s not merely a show; it’s a living, breathing testament to their own inquisitive spirits. This very mission — to inspire and be inspired — is the engine driving the show, propelling viewers on a captivating global journey alongside Reeves and Hollinger as they meet individuals who are not just thinking outside the box, but dismantling it entirely.

The duo engage in thought-provoking conversations with a range of visionaries, including Tim Ellis, aerospace engineer and co-founder of Relativity Space, and James Turrell, a renowned light artist who transformed a volcanic crater in Arizona into a naked-eye observatory.

“We felt that each visionary had to be helping shape and change the world, their world, a world, and then their story had to have some heart, obviously.”

Gard Hollinger on choosing participants in ‘Visionaries.’

Reeves’s decades of experience in storytelling informed his creative process, which was driven by his own sense of curiosity and a desire to explore the unknown. He’s constantly questioning, seeking to understand the world around him, and finding inspiration in unexpected places. He’s drawn to the “inquisition,” as he puts it. “I really enjoy interviewing people, so for me, the experience of interviewing people is [asking], ‘What is behind the story? How was this made?’ It’s the interviewing and investigating. What is the character? What is this about? What does it mean? What am I doing?”

For Hollinger, the series provided an opportunity to “exercise some curiosity,” and “help people tell some stories, maybe inspire people to pursue their own creativity.” Reeves credits Hollinger’s significant input in the show’s design and crafting.

When selecting the visionaries for the series, Hollinger explains, “One criterion was that we felt that each visionary had to be helping shape and change the world, their world, a world, and then their story had to have some heart, obviously.”

Reeves adds that the cornerstone was, “Where does creativity come from?” He sees connections between seemingly disparate disciplines, finding inspiration in everything from painting and sculpture to architecture and engineering. His experience with Turrell, for instance, profoundly impacted his understanding of light and perception. “I mean, he afforded a possibility to really, for me, feel in a way this connection with the celestial and through [the] crafting of something from nature,” he reflects. “I think once you’ve gone through that, you can’t help seeing where that can be possible somewhere else.”

He continues, “Like, how can the motorcycle or how can a relationship or how can the way I am in the day, how does that humility translate? How does that joy of connection and wonder translate to being?” It’s clear that this transformative experience broadened his perspective, as he found connection through art, through conversation, and through the feeling of the open road.

And so, as the roar of the Arch V-twin fades into the distance, one thing remains clear: Reeves proves that the pursuit of passion, fuelled by a perpetually curious mind, is a journey that truly shapes his soul.

Visionaries is now streaming on The Roku Channel.

Photos courtesy of Arch Motorcycle.