One of the biggest stories out of Hollywood right now is resonating here in Toronto, as people react to an unprovoked attack on Toronto's own silver-screen superstar, Chuck Spadina Keanu Reeves.

The dig was not an off-the-cuff remark but a published passage from the upcoming memoir of sitcom legend Matthew Perry, who more or less questioned Reeves' right to exist.

The 53-year-old Friends star's tell-all about stardom and addiction, titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, includes a completely-out-of-left-field attack on fellow canuck Reeves.

Perry, or perhaps a ghostwriter (who even knows!) writes, "the list of geniuses who were ahead of their time is too long to detail here — suffice to say, near the top of any such list should be my co-star in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, River Phoenix."

Perry goes on to say that, "River was a beautiful man, inside and out — too beautiful for this world, it turned out. It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down. Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?"

Huh?

This might seem bizarre and random, but it makes a lot more sense when you remember Reeves is from Toronto and Perry grew up in Ottawa. This is just a reflex of the inferiority complex which exists in all Ottawans from birth https://t.co/bTvsvVIc5L

— Gil “The Thrill" Hamel (@gil_hamel) October 27, 2022

Perry has since apologized for his bizarre written remarks, telling People that he considers himself "a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead."

But even after the apology, dedicated fans of the strong-but-silent-type 58-year-old action star — including many from his hometown of Toronto — are rushing to the defence of the Matrix franchise actor and sleeper pop culture icon.

As a mix-kid formerly from Toronto have to say – Matthew Perry ran up to get done up – when he put disrespect on our mix-kid god-king Keanu’s name.

— El "Wish it Was Generic Vax" Costello (@elcostello) October 27, 2022

One Twitter user calls Reeves "a national treasure," an honour nobody seems racing to bestow on the Ottawa-raised Perry.

Keanu lived in Toronto not far from me yrs ago. He is a national treasure. No one uve has any reason to talk shit about him. People should all behave more like Keanu.

— Francis Thinkwell (@MindCorrected) October 27, 2022

A few commenters have compared this bad blood to the classic NHL Battle of Ontario, a once-regular playoff matchup pitting the Ottawa Senators against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It being a Battle of Ontario thing is the closest thing to a sensible explanation that I’ve come across.

(No, that still doesn’t make sense. All the same, Team Toronto/Keanu.) https://t.co/eHdcmEfnkp

— Benjamin Sharma 🇨🇦🇺🇸 (@BenSharmaTO) October 26, 2022

Perry's memoir comes out November 1, and one can only assume that the pre-launch controversy will only help sales when copies hit shelves.