Keanu Reeves Has Secretly Been Doing Something Amazing
Keanu Reeves has, low-key, been doing some really amazing stuff over the last few years, something you don't hear from many celebrities
This article is more than 2 years old
Keanu Reeves is known for being one of show business’s most approachable and kind-hearted stars. However, it seems that the height of his charitable nature goes far beyond his demeanor.
Fans know Keanu Reeves best from his on-screen roles in hit film franchises like The Matrix, John Wick and Bill and Ted. He also deserves a special shout-out for playing an absolutely heinous parody of himself in the 2019 romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe. However, by all accounts, the actor is far from the egocentric lunatic he played in the comedy. In fact, he has a reputation as not only a nice person but a charitable one as well.
Keanu Reeves told Ladies Home Journal in 2009 that he established a private foundation that helps fund children’s hospitals several years ago. However, he refuses to attach his name to it or let his star power get in the way of the important work it’s doing or outshine the real-life heroes working tirelessly at these hospitals.
The actor reportedly established this foundation as a reaction to his sister’s leukemia diagnosis in the 1990s. Right at the height of his career with films like Speed and, eventually, The Matrix, no one knew that Keanu Reeves was actually locked in a personal battle as his sibling’s primary caregiver, funding her fight against cancer.
Personal stories aside, Keanu Reeves’ decision to keep his name off of his personal foundation doesn’t mean that he doesn’t understand the value that his celebrity can have when it comes to supporting a good cause. He has also publicly supported and donated to organizations like PETA, the SickKids Foundation, and Stand Up To Cancer in the past. In 2020, he offered a 15-minute private date to a lucky winner in Idaho in an effort to raise money for a children’s hospital, proving that the mantra from Bill & Ted to “be excellent to each other” is one he practices every day.
It’s not surprising that Keanu Reeves lends his money to charity. In the past, he noted to Hello Magazine that he’s aware he’s made enough money to live off of for several lifetimes. Therefore, giving to good causes seems like the only move to someone like him. In fact, he isn’t even that concerned about money when it comes to his art.
When it came time to turn his most popular film, The Matrix, into a franchise with two (soon to be three) sequels, CelebrityNetWorth reports that Keanu Reeves handed over a significant portion of his back-end money to the special effects and costume design teams that worked on the project, noting that they were the ones who really made the first film the breakout hit that it was. He also went ahead and gifted all the stunt team members a Harley Davidson motorcycle, proving that he’s not only charitable, but the dude has style.
In fact, according to a report from WeAreResonate, Reeves makes a habit of being giving to the people with whom he works on movie sets with. To date, the 57-year-old has reportedly shelled out close to $75 million behind-the-scenes to the people he’s worked with. We’d expect nothing less from the guy who was once spotted giving up his seat to a woman on a crowded subway.
