River first met Keanu Reeves on the set of the smash hit, Parenthood which also starred Martha Plimpton and his brother Leaf Phoenix but it would be during the making of I Love You To Death that the two would become close friends. "Leaf and Martha were his buddies before I was even a friend of his. Then I met up with him and I liked the guy - he's like my older brother," said River. As well as an interest in music, the two found that they had much in common. They had both spent much of their time on the move as young children.

Reeves' part in I Love You To Death was little more than a cameo and it would be in My Own Private Idaho that the two stars would receive equal billing. Remembers River when they first talked about the new project, "We said, 'Okay, I'll do it if you do it. I won't do it if you don't'. We shook hands. That was that."

Any spare time that became available during the shooting, the two would either carry out research for their characters in Portland or they would play together in a band - River would play his guitar, Reeves would be on bass with the other co-stars also joining in. "It was great therapy," recalled River. "We had lots of fun in Portland. After a hard day's work, to be able to jam and fall asleep playing your instrument is the best."

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