Keanu Reeves encountered a surprising obstacle while working on his latest book.

In an interview published in The Sunday newspaper On Sunday, July 28, Reeves, 59, discussed the unexpected technological challenge he faced while creating his new novel, The book from elsewhereco-written by award-winning author China Miéville.

“I had no idea how to use Microsoft Word,” the John Wick star. Luckily, his writing partner stepped in to help him navigate the software.

The new fiction book is a spin-off of Reeves’ BRZRKR graphic novels, which he started in 2021 and which now includes 12 comic books.

When it came to writing his latest project, Reeves shared with The Sunday newspaper that he contacted Miéville about three years ago to collaborate. However, Miéville first needed time to finish another project.

“He was like, ‘Yeah, I like you, Keanu, and this idea seems intriguing,'” Reeves said. “‘But’ — and I f—ing loved this — ‘I need another story for six months.'”

Although Miéville humorously noted that he “didn’t say it in quite such a casual way,” his response did not deter Reeves.

“For me it was like, ‘F— yeah,'” Reeves explained. “It felt like an artist saying, ‘I want to collaborate with you, but I’m (in the process of) creating something.'”

Despite the initial delay, Miéville described the writing process as “joyful” and the novel was completed in four drafts.

The book from elsewherereleased on July 23, it centers on an immortal warrior named B who “wants to be able to die,” according to the synopsis.

The synopsis continues: “In the present, an American black-ops group has promised him they can help him do just that. And all he has to do is help them in return. But when an all-too-mortal soldier returns to life, the impossible event ultimately points to a force even more mysterious than B himself.”

Reeves said of his character that B is “finding his humanity” and “understanding himself” — struggles the actor can relate to in real life. “As we all know in our own lives, it’s not always that easy. And then you add immortality,” he added.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE on July 23, Reeves discussed the various themes explored in the novel.

“It’s a contemporary novel that’s about fantasy… how we understand the world through metaphor. It has something to say about love and life and grief and death and who we are and what we do, imaginatively or not,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Reeves’ influential graphic novel BRZRKR is currently being adapted by Netflix into a feature film and anime spin-off series, with Reeves himself set to star as B.

According to Netflix, the anime series aims to expand the fictional universe by “exploring different elements of the story.”

Source: The Sunday Times, PEOPLE