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Keanu Reeves may be the best guy in Hollywood – and I’m not talking about his impressive acting rap sheet, from Point Break to The Matrix. I’m talking about his secret life, the man behind the actor.
First, you’ll need a tissues to make it through this sad viral video recounting the tragic life story of Keanu:
Many people haven’t heard of the struggles and tragedy Keanu has been through. This story about his girlfriend and child is an emotional rollercoaster:
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByomEnqFhUv/
Keanu Reeves with his then girlfriend, Jennifer Syme who was pregnant with their child at the time.
She gave birth 8 months into her pregnancy in December of 1999. The child was stillborn, which strained the relationship and resulted in their breakup several weeks later. In 2001, Syme got into a car crash while on her way to a party at Marilyn Manson’s home. She died on the scene and was buried next to her daughter. She was 28 years old. David Lynch dedicated his 2001 film Mulholland Drive to her. As for Keanu, he hasn’t been in a serious relationship since.
“Grief changes shape, but it never ends. People have a misconception that you can deal with it and say, ‘It’s gone, and I’m better.’ They’re wrong. When the people you love are gone, you’re alone. I miss being a part of their lives and them being part of mine. I wonder what the present would be like if they were here – what we might have done together. I miss all the great things that will never be. Damn it! It’s not fair! It’s absurd. All you can do is hope that grief will be transformed and, instead of feeling pain and confusion you will be together again in memory, that there will be solace and pleasure there, not just loss…I’m trying not to be alone so much. And, man, it’s a struggle. I want to get married. I want to have kids. That’s at the top of the mountain. I’ve got to climb the mountain first. I’ll do it. Just give me some time.”
But there’s a secret about Keanu that may surprise you…
Off-screen, Reeves has been known to take part in funding children’s charities on the down low.
Why? Because he’s a humble “do-gooder” for no other reason than to give back. Pretty cool, right?
“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,” Keanu said in 2009 (according to Snopes) in a Ladies Home Journal article.
“I don’t like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does.”
Apparently, this was inspired by his sister, who battled Leukemia back in the 1990s. Luckily, her disease was declared in remission by doctors, spring-boarding Reeves into his charitable groove. Not only does he fund cancer and children’s charities, but he’s also been known to participate in phone drives.
“Public efforts found him manning the phones at a Stand Up to Cancer telethon in 2008,” the List mentions in an article. “Stars like Reeves generously gave their time and used their star power to encourage fans to become callers, donors and participants in the efforts to heal cancer.”
https://twitter.com/rivsreeves/status/1135463279831085056
But his heart-felt generosity doesn’t stop there. He enjoys taking care of others. Like buying his mother a new house and giving millions of dollars to the crew of The Matrix! He insisted the special FX and costume design teams were the real heroes of the movies, gifting them each $1 million.
In the end, money does not equal happiness to him.
“For me, I guess I don’t connect the enjoyment and the money,” Reeves told the New York Post. “I work on a part and hopefully realize a part, and make good films. Some of the successes I’ve had I’m grateful for, because it creates other opportunities. [The way] I look at it is I get to act again.”
Photo Credit: Marybel Le Pape, CC BY-SA 4.0
Going one step further, Tim Allen wraps up Reeves’ personality in a recent interview.
Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear) talked about the Toy Story 4 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and said: “New guys are in it. Keanu Reeves has got a great part in it. Inside story, even the fun, gentle guy that he is, even he said [about his own character], ‘This sounds too much like Buzz Lightyear.'”
He didn’t want to step on Allen’s toes!
And I guess that proves my point: Keanu Reeves is the best guy in Hollywood.
