His roles in beloved blockbuster movies, relaxed demeanor, and genuine earnestness have made him both an A-list actor and a prince of internet memes.
But despite a high-profile career spanning over three decades, Reeves has remained a very private person. There’s a lot you probably don’t know about him, from his early life as a young actor to his behind-the-scenes exploits and work outside of movies.
He Was Born in Lebanon
Keanu Reevesis known as a quintessentially American actor, thanks to characters like Ted “Theodore” Logan and Johnny Utah, who, outside of a cartoon cowboy, are two of the most American human beings to ever exist. So it might surprise you to learn that Reeves isn’t actually American.
Reeves was born in Lebanon to an English mother and an American father. He moved to Ontario when he was a kid after his parents split up and his mother remarried a stage and film director. Reeves remains a Canadian citizen, with an American green card through his stepfather.
He Auditioned to be Bill, Not Ted
According to a long-standing urban legend that has never been fully confirmed, Reeves actually auditioned for the part of Bill S. Preston, Esq. inBill and Ted’s Excellent Adventurebefore ultimately landing the role of Ted. Meanwhile (according to the rumor),Alex Wintertried out for Ted, only to be cast as Bill.
Again, the rumor has never been confirmed, and Alex Winter can’t even recall if it’s true, although he has a theory about it. He thinks it might come from the fact that the two characters are so similar, he and Reeves lose track over who played who.
And it is admittedly fun to imagine some Hollywood producer looking at the two actors, suddenly being struck with a bolt of epiphany, then slowly removing Bill’s trademark baseball cap from Reeves’ head and placing it on Winter’s and shouting, “Nowwe’ve got a movie!”
He Filmed the Club Scene in John Wick With a High Fever
Reeves has a reputation for being pretty hands-on in terms of the stunt work in his films. This is especially true for theJohn Wickseries, in which Reeves performs the vast majority of the driving, fighting, and gunplay himself. But one sequence In the originalJohn Wickwas more grueling than you realize.
During the extended night club sequence, in which John Wick fight-shoots his way through one or two dozen of Theon Greyjoy’s henchmen, Reeves was actually incredibly sick. According to the director’s commentary track on theJohn Wickblu-ray, the actor had a fever of around 103° while filming that scene, which involved a lot of demanding physical activity and complicated choreography. What can we say? Keanu is a pro.
His Name Means “Cool Breeze Over The Mountain”
Keanu’s unique name is a Hawaiian word meaning “cool breeze over the mountain.” Not only does his name make him stand out in a cast list, but it also seems to describe him perfectly, as if he visited his parents from the future and told them what name he should be given.
Reeves traces his Hawaiian ancestry through his father, who was of Hawaiian and Chinese descent. The name “Keanu” is derived from Keaweaheulu, the name of a famous Hawaiian high chief from the 18thcentury. In addition, Keanu was the middle name of Reeves' uncle.
Reeves attended four different high schools as a teenager. He was actually expelled from one of them, an event the actor essentially attributes to “being a teenager.” Reeves said he was “just a little too rambunctious and shot my mouth off once too often… I was not generally the most well-oiled machine in the school.”
Reeves eventually dropped out of school entirely to pursue acting. He actually got one of his first film roles while still living in Canada, playing a hockey player alongsideRob LoweinYoungbloods. Reeves eventually driving to Los Angeles in a crummy old car to meet with an agent his stepfather, director Paul Aaron, had contacted for him. The agent, Erwin Stoff, represents him to this day.
He Shares a Weird Orbit with Val Kilmer
Throughout his acting career, Reeves has continuously found himself sharing a strange orbit withVal Kilmer. The two actors have never appeared in a film together, but have still managed to cross each other’s paths many times, beginning with Reeves’ audition to playJim Morrisonin directorOliver Stone’sThe Doors.
“I auditioned a few times, but I don’t think I was ever seriously in the running,” Reeves said. “I just read some of Jim Morrison’s poetry and listened to some of his music and did what I could.” Reeves would go on to replace Kilmer in the lead role inJohnny Mnemonicwhen Kilmer dropped out. A year later, Reeves was set to play Chris in the filmHeatalongsideRobert DeNiroandAl Pacino, but had to back out and was replaced by Kilmer.
He Was a Skilled Hockey Player
Reeves had trouble academically in school, but he excelled at theater and sports. He was especially good at hockey, and was apparently so formidable as a goalie that he earned the nickname “The Wall” while playing on the team at De La Salle College.
Reeves apparently considered trying to go pro as “The Wall,” which meant he might have conceivably used a successful sports career to segue into acting like Dwayne Johnson. We could’ve seen a whole decade of movies starring Keanu “The Wall” Reeves. But Reeves decided acting was his true calling and we gotBill & Tedinstead, which is a fair trade.
One of His First Roles was a Coke Commercial
Reeves had several bit parts when he was first getting his start like most actors do. One of his first roles was as a racing cyclist in a Coke commercial, which aired in the early 1980s. In the commercial, which is readily available on YouTube, Reeves is up against a villainous Russian cyclist, because everything America did in the 1980s was about making Russians look bad.
On an episode ofThe Late Show with James Corden, hostJames Cordenactually had Reeves watch the old commercial and talk about his memories of filming it. “I had so many Coca-Colas,” Reeves said, sharing that the commercial took three days to film and that he shaved his legs to look more believable as a cyclist.
He’s Apparently Ambidextrous
In something of an Easter egg for eagle-eyed Keanu fans, Reeves appears to be ambidextrous. If you watch his films closely, you’ll notice that he generally writes with his left hand and does more complicated actions with his right.
This is especially noticeable inJohnWick. For example, when the courier arrives to deliver John Wick’s new puppy, he signs the delivery receipt with his left hand. During the film’s extensive action sequences, you’re able to see that he fires all of his weapons right-handed.
He Surprisingly Turned Down Speed 2
Speedwas one of Keanu Reeves’ breakout hits, coming shortly afterPoint Breakand proving that he could be a bonafide action star as well as a guy with short hair. (DirectorJan de Bontfamously asked Reeves to trim his trademark long hair, to which Reeves responded by shaving his head entirely.)
Speedwas one of the biggest films of 1994, so when 20thCentury Fox decided to produce a sequel, they were prepared to offer Reeves a tidy salary of $11 million. However, Reeves turned them down, opting instead to take some time off from film, tour with his band and do some theater.
While Reeves probably doesn’t regret his decision (Speed 2: Cruise Controlis a notoriously bad film that routinely shows up on “Worst Sequel” lists), he has stated in later interviews that had he been asked even a few minutes later, he might’ve agreed to do the movie. That said, he claims to remember telling de Bont, “You know, boats aren’t that fast.”
