FACTS AND CURIOSITIES ABOUT: KEANU REEVES
Keanu Reeves 'face began to gain recognition when he appeared on the television series Hangin' In, and in a Coca-Cola commercial, all around 1984. From then on, Reeves began to join different productions that fed his recognition in the industry, until between 1989 and 1991 he achieved worldwide notoriety thanks to the films Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Point Break.
Thus, the career of this Beirut-born actor took a meteoric leap, which only increased when films such as Speed and The Devil's Advocate were released. But the definitive success and his arrival at the top of Hollywood, would come in 1999, when, by the hand of the Wachowski sisters, Keanu was part of the commented and celebrated Matrix trilogy. The impact of his character, Neo, reached all parts of the globe, something he achieved again in 2014, when he first donned the costume of the enigmatic assassin John Wick.
Of course, his fame is not only due to his talent behind the camera, since he is also known for the simplicity and humility with which he enjoys life. Keanu, good Keanu.
But did you know about his fascination with motorcycles? Or that he has an international day that celebrates it? Those and more curiosities, below.
1-Sad Keanu is one of the most famous photos you can find on the internet. And its origin dates back to 2010, when a paparazzi photographed Reeves eating a sandwich on a bench, totally alone and, apparently, sad. The image became a viral and an instant classic, and, in response, the netizen community and its entire fan base wanted to cheer it on. For this reason, and since that year, every June 15 the "Cheer up Keanu day!", Or the international day of "Cheering Keanu", is celebrated on the web.
2-Officially and under all of the law, Winona Ryder is married to Keanu Reeves. Yes, as you read it. Of course, they are not a couple and they never have been. And the explanation is that this union is because, during the filming of Dracula, they used a royal priest to carry out the marriage ceremony that required a particular scene. And this detail made them married people in the eyes of the church, but it wasn't until years later that they realized that.
3-Some years ago, a user of the New York subway recorded Reeves at the moment when, in an act of total simplicity, he gave his seat to a woman who was carrying several bags. Currently the video exceeds 20 million views on YouTube, in another sample of Keanu's human side.
4-Although for the Matrix trilogy he received nothing more and nothing less than 250 million dollars in total, Keanu's lifestyle did not change at all. According to him, happiness comes from delighting his palate with an exquisite meal, a quality wine, or simply by going out for a motorcycle ride (as a fact: he loves motorcycles). What's more, he lives in an austere house, does not have a driver or fancy cars, and prefers public transportation. "I'm a normal guy. I can go outside and move like anyone," he once said. And we believe him, of course =)
5-Money has so little importance in Keanu's life, that he agreed to lower his salary at The Recplacements by 90%, so that Gene Hackman could be hired. And it was not the first time that he did something like that, since he had previously lowered his payment by 2 million dollars, so that Al Pacino could be part of The Devil's Advocate.
6- He is such a fan of motorcycles, that he is the co-founder of his own company: Arch Motorcycle.
7-Believe it or not, we were about to never meet Keanu Reeves in his acting side. I mean, we wouldn't have known him at all. It turns out that he, like all good Canadians, played a lot of hockey during his childhood, and, as he was pretty good, he was given the opportunity to try out for the Windsor Spitfires. He nevertheless he rejected that option to dedicate himself to acting. Ugh, we almost lost it.
8-And when did he decide to be an actor? At the age of 15, when he participated in the play Romeo and Juliet.
9-Keanu Reeves is a full-fledged artist, and the proof of this is that he is also a poet. In fact, he already has a couple of books of poetry published, which are illustrated by Alexandra Grant, his current partner. One of them is called "Ode to Happiness" and came out in 2011, and the other is "Shadows", from 2016.
10-The training for the Matrix was a tough one. He practiced martial arts for four months before filming the first movie, and for The Matrix Reloaded he learned 200 new moves.
11-Its name comes from the Hawaiian Keaweaheulu, which means "fresh breeze above the mountains", and is pronounced KI-A-NU.
