Keanu Reeves is often described as one of Hollywood's 'nicest' guys.
That reputation has been built slowly and consistently over decades, with small, selfless acts that set him apart from your typical A-list actor.
Most recently, it's been reported that Reeves donated 70 per cent of his salary from The Matrix to cancer research - a cause that mattered deeply to him because his sister, Kim, was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1991. The 1999 sci-fi film earned him over $60 million - $44 million of which he gave away to charity.
Reeves was his sister's primary carer while she fought leukaemia for a decade, and fully recovered.
But as audiences watch the now 57-year-old in the recently released The Matrix Resurrections, they may remember the stories of his devastating personal tragedies.
Watch the trailer for The Matrix Resurrections. Post continues after video.
From an absent father to the loss of a child, best friend and great love, Reeves' narrative is one of remarkable resilience.
Growing up, Reeves' family lived a nomadic life. They spent time in Lebanon, Australia and the US, before settling in Toronto, Canada. By this stage in his childhood, his father had dropped out of the picture, leaving his mother to take care of him and his younger sister Kim.
Top Comments
So, has Keanu written a book or something? Is he promoting a movie and giving interviews where he’s been talking about all this stuff? Or have you guys just written an article about a celebrity’s most painful private moments for no apparent reason? Because this seems like a really random thing to write about out of the blue.
Couldn't agree with you more.
Actually, I quite like this - it's just summarising the info about a celebrity that's out there that might not be common knowledge. You're right in that they often become more forthcoming when they've got a book or film or album coming out - one of the things I noticed about James Cordren's Carpool Karaoke when it became popular - but that doesn't mean that the bits they reveal aren't interesting. I'd rather this than raking over the latest reality TV minutae
As a bit of background for an interview or something, I can see how this would be interesting to people who weren’t familiar with his story. Or if he was speaking publicly about what had happened, the way Rob Delaney has been. But a random, out-of-context story about the tragedies in his life just really rubs me the wrong way - it feels a little ghoulish.
It's probably down to Bill & Ted 3 being announced recently and people remembering hey, Keanu Reeves.