Page Six has a really lovely piece about Keanu Reeves this week. We know that Keanu is a profoundly good guy and a guy who has dealt with more than his fair share of heartbreak and tragedy. But he’s also a guy who makes a lot of money and gives a lot of it away. Sources tell Page Six that Keanu is so generous because the money embarrasses him. Oh, and every crew member who has ever worked with him absolutely loves him. Some highlights from this Page Six piece:
Why he gives his money away: The actor has made a lot of money — by some estimates, around $315 million — but, a longtime family friend told The Post, “He’s somewhat embarrassed about that. Keanu’s given away a lot of money and done a lot more for people than most will ever know. He knows how lucky he is. Unlike many Hollywood mega stars, he never takes any of this for granted.”
He is one of the most generous stars in Hollywood: He’s given lavish gifts to co-workers, food-service employees, his family and charities. “Keanu’s infamous for his generosity,” said a Hollywood producer, citing the story that the actor slipped a $20,000 bonus to a “Matrix” set builder after learning the crew member was having financial troubles. Reeves also gifted each of the 12 stuntmen on “The Matrix Reloaded” with one of his own favorite things: a Harley-Davidson bike. On “John Wick 4,” which he shot recently in Paris and Berlin, Reeves gave Rolex Submariner watches to the stunt guys, complete with personal inscriptions. “Trust me, stunt guys are all dying to work with Keanu,” said a Hollywood production source. “Not just for the gifts. It’s because he takes them so seriously and credits them with helping contribute to his success. Stuntmen, fight trainers — these people rarely get that.”
The crew loves him: “The reason Keanu’s starred in 60 movies,” said one casting director who’s worked with him, “is that, on top of audiences, directors love him, co-stars love him, crews love him. He’s always prepared, he’s always on time. Considerate, communicative, caring — there’s no one whose name he doesn’t know or hasn’t had a conversation with.”
His family: Reeves is very close to his mother, costume designer Patricia Taylor — he bought her a home in Los Angeles before purchasing one for himself — and his two sisters. “Keanu and two of his sisters — Kim and Karina — are very close,” said the family friend. (He reportedly doesn’t have a relationship with Emma, his half-sister by his father.) Kim was diagnosed with leukemia in 1991, and that has inspired Reeves to reportedly donate millions to cancer charities — including auctioning a “date” with himself in 2020 for Camp Rainbow Gold, a children’s cancer organization. (Winning bid: $16,000.)
He resists settling down: “He’s a true nomad,” said a Chateau Marmont source of Reeves. “He didn’t even buy a house till he was 40. He lived in hotels — mostly The Chateau. He’d often wander around the hotel’s grounds, rather ghost-like.”
He’s still with Alexandra Grant: He has found solace in his low-key romance with artist Alexandra Grant, 48. “It’s the first relationship that’s really calmed him down,” said a source who knows them both. “Not only that. Keanu’s mother loves Alexandra. Big fan. That makes Keanu a bigger one…. The fact that Alexandra isn’t jealous of his movie stardom makes Keanu relieved,” said the mutual friend, nothing that Grant’s paintings and sculptures have been shown across the US and Europe. “She clearly has her own life, her own successful art career. She’s elegant and dignified — a total class act.”
There’s part of me which would still like to see Keanu “settled down” with a wife and a family, but I think it’s kind of cool that at this point in his life, he understands himself enough to know that wouldn’t make him happy, that it’s not his fundamental nature anymore. I think that dream was over for Keanu when his then-girlfriend Jennifer Syme gave birth to their stillborn daughter, and then Syme passed away in 2001. I don’t think he was ever the same after that, and his life just changed completely. But yeah, he’s just a good guy. A truly lovely soul.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and Instar.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcG1gZ4Bye8qemKetj6eypsLErJaiq4%2BovK6x1qGYrZeVoq%2BivtGaqqydlJSuo7vUrZahoaOUurC6xLKWraCRqcCgw8eylqGdj5y2t7HSmKCtl5Gsrrp7