It's a well-know fact that Keanu Reeves is basically the nicest man in Hollywood.
Every year we hear more and more heart-warming tidbits from fans who've encountered Keanu (you'll know him from The Matrix, John Wick and Speed) or from his co-stars and it makes our day.
That's why we've decided to collate all of Keanu Reeves' greatest moments to prove that chivalry isn't dead and cheer you up if you're having a bad day.
Fair warning, if these don’t make you go ‘awwwww’ then you’re dead inside...
1. He waited in the rain to enter his own wrap party
We knew Keanu Reeves was the nicest human being back in 2014 when he waited patiently for 20 minutes in the rain outside the wrap party of his own film Daughter of God after a mix-up because he didn’t want to cause a scene.
He didn’t say, ‘Hey I’m Keanu Reeves’ or ‘Yo man, this is my party’ once to the bouncer, and the owner of the club was horrified when he found out afterwards that the actor was standing in the rain. ‘I didn’t know he was kept waiting, and he didn’t say anything to me! He’s a very relaxed person,’ he said.
2. He takes pay cuts and gives other people money on set all the time
The stories of Keanu’s on-set antics are less diva, more total legend. Yeah, he got loads for fronting The Matrix in 1999 – but chose to give a huge chunk (totalling a reported $75 million) of his earnings for the second two films, to the special effects guys and people behind the scenes whom he felt deserved it more.
Also, when he was at the height of his heartthrob status, Keanu took a $2 million pay cut for The Devil’s Advocate so that the studio would be able to afford to hire Al Pacino as the lead. He also took a reported 90 per cent pay cut on The Replacements so they could hire Gene Hackman.
However, perhaps best of all is this story from Reddit:
‘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 people’s 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.’
3. He helps out on set
He may be the leading man, but Keanu Reeves was more than willing to pitch in and help carry equipment alongside the crew as they filmed John Wick 4.
No wonder the man's in so many franchises, he's clearly a delight to work with.
4. He gives up his seat on public transport
Never mind the fact that he's taking public transport in the first place, Keanu Reeves is one of the few people who will give up his seat on the subway.
5. He hangs out with homeless people, and not for attention
In 1997, again at the height of his ‘OMG he’s so fit’ fame, Keanu met a homeless guy and decided to just hang out with him in the side streets of West Hollywood. He was snapped eating snacks, sharing his drink and lying on his back while listening to the guy’s stories – and the best thing was, it wasn’t some sort of PR stunt. A couple of paps came across him by accident.
6. He once drove a girl 50 miles out of his way because her car had broken down
While this is unverified, and exists on the Reddit thread where people share stories about Keanu (go read them, they’ll warm your cockles), a commenter’s friend was stranded on the side of the road because their car had broken down. A Porsche pulls up, and it’s Keanu Reeves. ‘He tried to help her jump-start the car and when it didn’t work, he called AAA for her,’ the Redditor writes.
‘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.’
7. He’s self deprecating
Known for his dumb Bill and Ted character, Keanu hasn’t exactly been touted as the most intelligent of people. When he became massive, a lot of people took the piss out of his LA drawl and propensity for playing stupid-but-pretty characters.
Keanu’s response to this in an interview was brilliant, ‘I’m a meathead, I can’t help it, man. You’ve got smart people and you’ve got dumb people. You just happen to be spending some time with a dumb person.’
We don't know about dumb, but we can say that he is really nice. Which is what counts.
8. He's kind to fans
They say never meet your heroes, but that just doesn't seem to be true for Keanu Reeves. Reddit is full of delightful stories from fans who met the actor and confirm that he more than lives up to his thoughtful public persona.
A particular favourite story is of an encounter between Keanu and a fan in July 2019. Keanu was in a car filming Bill and Ted when he spotted a fan holding a handmade sign. Apparently he jumped out of the car immediately so that he could go and sign it for them.
Another story tells of Keanu answering a young boy's numerous questions after a long international flight.
9. He secretly donates money to numerous charities
Keanu Reeves reportedly has an entire foundation that donates money to children's hospitals.
In an interview in 2009 he revealed, '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 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.'
Honestly, who is this man?