The photo was taken from LINK

Probably each of you, even if you haven’t watched it, remembers „The Matrix” movie series. Today we will be discussing the main character, Neo, or rather Keanu Reeves. He seems to be a typical Hollywood star. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Keanu’s life is a story about achievements in his career, but also tragedies in his private life. I invite you to read and get to know this actor from a side you may not have known him from yet!

Keanu Charles Reeves was born on September 2, 1964 in Beirut. His mother was English and his father was half Hawaiian and Chinese. He had a sister two years younger than her who died of leukemia¹. His father was an alcoholic who left the family when Reeves was only three years old.

In 1991, he met his best friend, River Phoenix (the younger brother of famous actor Joaquin Phoenix). River was a rising Hollywood star, but he was also addicted² to drugs and died in 1993 of an overdose³. For a long time, Keanu blamed himself for his friend’s death because he believed he could have done more to help him.

In 1999, just before Christmas, Keanu and his partner, Jennifer Syme, had a daughter, but she was stillborn⁴. After this event, Jennifer fell into depression, and a year and a half later she died in a car accident. Jennifer was not only his life partner, but also an actress and Reeves’ assistant. In one of the interviews, he admitted that if it hadn’t been for his work on the set of „The Matrix”, he would not have survived these difficulties because in fact he became a loner⁵. However, after many years, fate⁶ smiled on him. He has been in a relationship with Alexandra Grant since 2019.

Despite⁷ the tragedy, Reeves leads⁸ a good life, proving more than once that he is a man with a big heart. He has made a huge fortune, because many of the films he appeared in were successful, but lives in a modest⁹ house and uses public transport. He has no bodyguards and likes talking to people. For example, he celebrated one of his birthdays on a park bench¹⁰, having cupcakes and coffee which he offered to everyone who came to say hello. Once he was seen talking to a homeless person, and the next day the homeless person was gone. There were many, many more similar situations.

What is more, Keanu Reeves gave $50 million of his „Matrix” proceeds¹¹ to the team that worked on costumes and special effects. In his opinion, these people were responsible for the success of the series. After his sister became ill, he donated millions of dollars to cancer hospitals and cancer research¹². He also supports many other charities, but unlike other stars, he does it without media hype.

LOS ANGELES – OCT 7: Keanu Reeves at the „Knock Knock” Los Angeles Premiere at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters on October 7, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA

Photo taken from LINK Author: LINK

VOCABULARY:

¹leukemia – białaczka

²addicted – uzależniony

³overdose – przedawkować

⁴stillborn – martwy

⁵loner – samotnik

⁶fate – los

⁷despite – pomimo

⁸leads – prowadzić

⁹modest – skromny

¹⁰bench – ławka

¹¹proceeds – dochód, zysk

¹²cancer research – badania nad rakiem

2023/2024 © Weronika Malińska, 1 rok, Pedagogika,  Akademia Nauk Stosowanych w Koninie