The incredible life of Keanu Reeves: story of a Hollywood icon who became a role model
He is one of the most iconic faces in Hollywood. From the abandonment of the father to gestures of generosity: the story of a star who is an example of humanity and resilience
I do not know which generation you belong to, or how old you are, but the undersigned, who is slowly but decisively moving towards the age of forty (sigh), was already sixteen in 1999 and remembers perfectly the 'Matrix' phenomenon. Destined to derail on the tracks of two discussed and questionable sequels ('Matrix Reloaded' and 'Matrix Revolutions', from 2003), it is also remembered because it was the definitive consecration of one of the faces of 90s cinema: Keanu Reeves.
An apex that made the Canadian actor, born in Lebanon and with multi-ethnic blood, a real Hollywood star, shining and unattainable. But perhaps not everyone knows that Reeves' path was anything but simple, not so much on an artistic level (at twenty-eight he had already shot three cult films such as' Point Break ',' Belli e Damati 'and' Bram Stoker's Dracula ' ) when from a human point of view. An odyssey marked by the abandonment of his father, the death of his best friend, his daughter, his girlfriend and his sister's leukemia which has irreversibly affected him.
Many would not have made it, instead the unforgettable interpreter of Neo responded with great fortitude, becoming a model of how to respond to the adversities of life, becoming an example of humanity.
The abandonment of the father
The story of each of us, especially when we are very young, is marked by the choices of others; especially our parents. We grow and form, in our first years of life, in places that we have not decided and the future of our existence can be irreversibly marked.
What would have become of Keanu Reeves if his father hadn't abandoned him when he was just three years old?
Maybe he would grow up where he was born, in Beirut, Lebanon. Perhaps he would never have become an actor and would never have made the 'Matrix'. Perhaps.
Written history, however, tells us that the parent chose to escape from the family and so her mother, found herself alone, decided to move (after a tour of countries) to Canada. Where Reeves began studying acting, setting off on a successful career.
The death of his best friend, his daughter and his girlfriend
Reeves is barely twenty-three when he faces the second blow in his life. On the night between 30 and 31 October 1993 at the Viper Room, located at 8852 Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, River Phoenix, Reeves' best friend of whom he was the same age, is partying with his girlfriend Samantha Mathis, the friend Dick Rude, sister Rain and brother Joaquin.
They are all excited because shortly before, in a room of the Nikko Hotel in West Hollywood, they consumed cocaine, marijuana and a few bottles of champagne. From here the story is not clear but between a dose of 'Persian Brown' heroin, three valiums taken without taking water, Phoenix loses his life in the throes of violent seizures.He was one of the most gifted actors of the time and in 1989 Reeves he had traveled over a thousand miles on a motorbike to give him the script for 'Beautiful and the damned', convincing him to play the lead role next to him.
A deep friendship that was tragically cut short, to which another terrible tragedy would be added just six years later. On December 24, 1999, just as he was shooting 'The Matrix', his daughter Ava Archer Syme-Reeves, with Jennifer Syme, assistant to David Lynch, with whom he had fallen in love a year earlier, was born lifeless. Their relationship, following this event, broke down and just two years later Syme died in a car accident at the age of twenty-eight.
Sister's leukemia
In his nomadic adolescence, between Beirut, Hawaii, New York and Toronto, Keanu Reeves has always had one great point of reference: his sister Kim. The one whom the actor defines as "my family and my best friend" and with whom he shared the problem of dyslexia in high school, she has been suffering from leukemia for years which made her 100% disabled.
Keanu, in order to allow her to face the disease in a more serene way, bought her a villa in Italy, in Capri, frequently visits her and in February 2017, for example, when Reeves was invited as a guest at the Sanremo Festival, he went to pick her up at the 'Gemelli' Polyclinic in Rome, where he was admitted to the complex operating unit of internal medicine and gastroenterology.
Yet another proof for an actor who, despite his life not being exactly generous towards him, has shown and still demonstrates great gratitude towards others.
Keanu Reeves is an actor with a big heart
Maybe not everyone knows that… Keanu Reeves is one of the greatest philanthropists in the golden world of Hollywood. A donor who is keen to possibly remain anonymous, to the point of reducing the engagement for some of his films by 90% and giving away his percentage of the proceeds of the 'Matrix' trilogy (which amount to 1,623,967,843 billion dollars. Not really pennies) to the costume designers and make-up artists, whom he defined as “the true heroes of the trilogy”.
A generosity that in the Los Angeles Dream Factory is well known among the insiders and that also extends beyond the confines of the Studios. In 1997, paparazzi caught him chatting with a bum in Los Angeles for a whole morning.
Keanu Reeves today
It is recent news that filming is being completed on the awaited fourth chapter of 'Matrix' which will again see Keanu Reeves take on the role of Neo and that the actor is also about to make his debut as the author of a comic ('BRZRKR' the title) with Matt Kindt, known for having worked on works such as 'Suicide Squad', 'Justice League of America' and 'Spider-Man', and the Italian Alessandro Vitti. Finally, in the near future, he will lend his voice to a series that, with the help of hypnotic music and narratives, will help us to reconcile sleep, produced by HBO Max and based on the Calm app.
A multifaceted and unstoppable artist but above all a man who has managed to build a career in the most important film industry, despite everything.
A model of resilience to all the adversities of life.
To be taken as an example.
