The Matrix movie series was one of the most revolutionary works of art to ever come out of Hollywood. Its pro-humanity, anti-authoritarian message instantly made it a classic and it has since become the subject of internet memes and (red pill) movements alike. At the center of this silver-screen revolution is Keanu Reeves whose real-life heroism makes his role as Neo that much more incredible.
It is no secret that Keanu Reeves is Hollywood’s biggest low-key real-life hero, but did you know that he also secretly funds children’s hospitals? We didn’t, and most people probably wouldn’t either as the upcoming star of the sci-fi thriller Replicas is not exactly boastful of his contributions to society—unlike many other Hollywood celebrities.
Reeves is so modest that he runs a private foundation which aids cancer research and children’s hospitals around the country. This Hollywood superstar is so unpretentious that he’s actually only talked about it one time and in an interview with a women’s magazine who had an inside track and asked him about it.
Reeves desire to help those with cancer could possibly come from the fact that his sister was diagnosed with leukemia around 1991. After battling it for nearly a decade, Kim Reeves went into remission in 1999.
“I love Kim,” Keanu said to Woman’s Day in 1999. “She’s so brave, and I want the very best for her. You can star in hit movies, but that’s nothing compared to going through what Kim’s been through.”
“Keanu helped me so much through my illness,” Kim told the magazine in the interview.
“When the pain got really bad, he would sit with me and hold my hand, and keep the ‘bad man’ from making me dance. He was supporting me and comforting me all the time, even when he was away.”
In 2009, ten years after the Woman’s Day interview, Reeves spilled the beans about his charitable work with children’s hospitals. In a Ladies Home Journal article published in 2009, he said he had started a private charitable foundation years ago:
“I have a private foundation that’s been running for five or six years, and it helps aid a couple of children’s hospitals and cancer research. I don’t like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does.”
Reeves financing a network of children’s hospitals and cancer research should come as no surprise as he’s been ‘caught’ doing remarkably humane deeds over the past years.
Below is a list TFTP reported last year that was Redditors compiled of testimonials from people who claim their lives have been touched by Reeves and noted ten times this Hollywood legend has lived up to the “Bill and Ted’s” motto of “be excellent to each other.”
1. Reeves would routinely buy lunch for all the workers on the sets of his movies.
“Back in the late 90s and fresh out of college I got my first job as an assistant prop designer on the set of Chain Reaction (Keanu was a supporting actor with Morgan Freeman). EVERY DAY for the last few weeks of filming, Keanu treated the stage hands and “grunt workers” (including myself) by taking us out for free breakfast and lunch. He was genuinely a very nice guy to work with.
“Since then, I’ve worked on about 30 different sets and have never met an actor as generous and friendly as him. Most actors I’ve seen and worked with are total douches who always think they are better than us. Keanu on the other hand, at the very least, was socially approachable and definitely kindhearted.
“That was one example (that involved me directly), but (on the same set), I remember him going out of his way to give my friend a ride to the repair shop to pick up his car… I’ll write more as I remember, but its been a while.” —
bo2dd2
2. Reeves reportedly gave $20,000 to a crew member of the Matrix because he knew he was having family trouble.
“A family friend builds movie sets, doesn’t design, is one of the poor dudes that just builds. Anyways he worked on the set for the Matrix and Keanu heard about family trouble he was having and gave him a $20,000 Christmas bonus to help him out. He also was one of the only people on the set that genuinely wanted to know peoples names, would say hello and mean it, and would talk to people as they were his peers and not below him just because they were practically making nothing to build a set. I’ve never heard anyone say Keanu is douche, seems like the nicest person in Hollywood from a second hand experience.” —
kahi
3. Reeves was reported to have driven a woman 50 miles out of his way because her car broke down.
“A friend of mine told me that she was once stranded on the side of a highway outside LA when her jalopy broke down. She had no cell phone (that was before most people had cell phones) and no way to call for help. Then a nice black porsche pulls over and as you can guess, it was Keanu. He tried to help her jump start the car and when it didn’t work, he called AAA for her. When they towed her car, he offered her to drive her home, which she accepted. He drove about 50 miles out of his destination just to drive her home. She told me she hoped he would hit on her but he didn’t, he was just a gentleman, dropped her at her house, gave her his phone number and told her to call him if she needed further help.”— lovemyax
4. Reeves was alleged to have bought Harley Davidson Motorcycles for the entire special effects crew on the Matrix.
“I had a few friends working special effects jobs on the Matrix movies, he bought all of them fucking HARLEYS for Christmas during the shoot for the second one.
“One of those guys, Paul, said that Keanu was the most sincere, humble and lovely dude he’d ever met. Said he eschewed contact with the cast in favour of hanging out with the crew, was the only guy the martial arts coaches respected out of the whole cast, and was the bravest man he’s ever met. That scene in the first Matrix film, the assault on the office tower lobby – Keanu turned down earplugs for all the charges blowing everywhere taking ‘bullet holes’ out of pillars, walls etc, just for authenticity. When he turns and hides behind a pillar which explodes with bullets hitting it on both sides, Paul said ‘the entire crew was about 15 metres away, with ear protection, and all flinching anyway when the charges blew – Keanu just took it like a complete badass.’”
5. When he’s not buying people things, giving them rides, or starting a revolution, he is a genuinely nice person who makes everyone around him happy.
“My brother works at a coffee shop in New York, it’s got pretty alright coffee but the real draw is that they roast their own beans and all the beans are sucked through pneumatic tubes into a machine that grinds and brews all at once. It’s a bunch of bells and whistles, and doesn’t necessarily make for the best coffee ever. Anyway, Keanu comes into the store and orders a coffee, asks my brother how the whole system works and immediately after he finishes, he pauses, looks surprised and says ‘Whoa.’ It was perfect. And it seemed like he was actually interested and impressed by the fancy nature of the coffee shop.”
6. Reeves stands accused of being a regular guy, who likes to chill and who may also be a mythological being.
“So my neighbor was out camping and met Keanu Reeves who was also camping (I guess he likes dogs because he came up and said ‘I love these dogs!’ about her rottweiler) and she said she thought she was crazy for a minute because no one else knew he was there and it turns out Keanu was just there chilling with a one-man tent and a cooler and his little Dodge car and every time someone looked at him he’d just turn his face away and it’s kind of just solidified in my mind that Keanu Reeves is a cryptid.”
While the above testimonials could be mere rumors, they are backed up by some of the examples below as Reeves was captured on video and in images being a great person.
7. Reeves was captured on video simply being a friend to a homeless man.
One of the most famous stories surrounding Keanu Reeves took place back in 1997, when he was spotted hanging out with a homeless person. Apparently, he was just minding his own business on the streets of Hollywood and chanced upon this man. He then shared some drinks, snacks, and listened to the man’s stories, even lying down on his back, clearly interested in what the man had to say. All of this might have gone unrecorded had some paparazzis not stopped by and noticed the two deep in conversation.
8. Reeves put his own money back into the Matrix movies so he could ensure the employment of the crew.
Although there is a false internet myth that Keane Reeves gave tens of millions to the crew of the Matrix, he would indeed make deals to take lower pay so the employees of the movie could have jobs.
As Roger Friedman explained, Keanu Reeves never wrote a personal check to anyone. The back-end deal basically put some of his money back into the franchise to ensure that the special effects and costume crew could continue working on the franchise for the duration of the trilogy. It’s more akin to what Keanu did on The Devil’s Advocate and The Replacements, which was to give up part of his asking price so that the studio could afford to hire Al Pacino and Gene Hackman in those respective films.
9. The Hollywood legend has been recorded giving up his seat on the subway—because he’s a gentleman.
Not only would other Hollywood stars never be caught riding a subway, but some of these types are reportedly so arrogant that even if they had to ride on the subway, they would likely never give up their seat. But these other stars aren’t Keanu Reeves.
Reeves was seen on video—not doing a PR stunt—jumping out of his seat to give it to a woman who’d just boarded the train.
10. Reeves would rather wait in the rain than inconvenience others or cause a scene.
As Page Six reported at the time:
Keanu Reeves was more like his chill character from “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” than any pampered movie star Friday when he waited patiently in the rain for 20 minutes to get into his own wrap party for “Daughter of God.” Chauffeur Ronny Sunshine — once known as the “Mad Limo Czar” for driving bands including The Beatles, he claims — was also on the scene outside Chelsea lounge the Leonora. “Keanu was really patiently waiting,” the driver told us. “I don’t think he said anything to the bouncer, like, ‘I’m Keanu.’ No one recognized him.”
Sunshine added: “Keanu looks very ordinary. It was raining, but he just waited for his two friends to come. He didn’t act like he had money. I just thought he was a rock ’n’ roller.” The club’s owner Noel Ashman told us: “I didn’t know he was kept waiting, and he didn’t say anything to me.” He added, “He’s a very relaxed person.” Once inside, Reeves even announced from the DJ booth he’d found another guest’s credit card on the ground and wanted to return it. Totally excellent!
